Gone are the days of searching through endless how-to guides and scrolling through webpages to find answers to questions. People are turning to social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram not just for entertainment — but for answers. Social is replacing traditional search engines — and learning content is leading the way.
The Rise of Learning Content on Social
In 2024, videos featuring how-to’s, DIY guides, and product reviews consistently outperformed platform-wide content across social media. Learning content on YouTube, for example, earned 15.2% more views per video in 2024 than platform-wide content, while Instagram engagement rates on learning content surged by 47% year over year.
What’s driving this shift?
- Convenience: Quick, engaging videos offer instant answers.
- Algorithm Benefits: Learning-related language in social videos enables brands and creators to be discoverable.
- Personal Experiences: Lived experiences shared by creators build trust and offer alternative answers.
For more in-depth data and case studies on how brands and media companies are leveraging learning content to answer audience questions and deepen engagement, read our full report, Social is The New Search: Part 1 now.
Food & Drink: A Recipe for Success
Learning content within the Food & Drink category thrived on Facebook in Q4 2024, earning 11.5% more views per video than general food content.
Trend Alert: Viral food hacks, like TikTok creator Logan’s cucumber recipe, skyrocketed in popularity. Logan’s catchphrase “Sometimes you just need to eat an entire cucumber” became a widespread trend, proving that consistency can fuel virality.
Brand Opportunity: Even Sephora jumped on the viral food trend, collaborating with Logan to showcase their cucumber-infused skincare products while he showcased a new cucumber salad recipe.
Science & Tech: Learning on the Go
Tech-savvy users flocked to learning content on social platforms to educate themselves about AI, video editing, and smartphone hacks.
Trend Alert: Video editing tutorials dominated short-form video platforms in the Science & Tech category, while AI content engagement on Instagram soared—peaking in 2024 at over 16M monthly engagements. Different platforms lend themselves to different educational topics which can be monitored using Tubular’s Category & Topics filters.
Brand Opportunity: Samsung’s “Epic Tips” YouTube Shorts series earned nearly 70M views in 2024. These videos educate Samsung users to better use their phones while also marketing cool features to potential customers.
Key Learning Content Takeaways for Media Creators and Brands
- Think beyond your niche – Cross-industry partnerships, like Sephora collaborating with a Food & Drink creator, appeal to broader audiences and can be a strategy to drive major engagement.
- Tap into FAQs – Transform common customer questions into an engaging short-form video series like Samsung’s “Epic Tips”.
For more actionable insights and takeaways, download the report here.
Social search is here to stay. Whether you’re a brand or creator, now is the time to invest in learning content.