When it comes to influencer content and social media content in general, the decision fatigue is real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Should you choose this photo or that photo? This hook or that hook? This time of day to post or that time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your choices matter because they impact your results. You don\u2019t want to spend a lot of money on an influencer campaign just for the results to be worse than you expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how can you choose? You could gaze into a crystal ball and use your psychic powers to see the future. That would show you what will make your content perform best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in case you don\u2019t have psychic powers\u2026 we recommend social media A\/B testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\/B testing, also known as split testing, helps you make choices between one thing and another when creating and posting content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many variables to think about with content creation: What TikTok video should be used, how many slides should be in an Instagram carousel, what title should your YouTube video have, how should your call to action be worded\u2026 Often, it feels like a guessing game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re not testing, you run the risk of posting content that no one really cares about. We\u2019ve all been there. Sometimes, something seems<\/em> like a good choice, but it ends up not resonating with the audience\u2026 and you realize you should have done something different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\/B testing takes place before the post is sent to the entire audience you want to send it to (it could be your existing audience or people who don\u2019t yet follow you).<\/strong> The test involves taking a small portion of the audience, splitting that portion in half, creating two different versions of your post, and sending version A to one half and B to the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a certain length of time, such as a few hours, a day, or a week, the test ends. The version that performed better is sent out to the rest of the audience that wasn\u2019t part of the test. This way, most of the audience will receive the better content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\/B testing can be used with influencer content and non-influencer content. And it isn\u2019t just for social media: It can also be done with email marketing, Google ads, and other marketing methods. The more ways you use A\/B testing, the more effective your marketing becomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step is to decide what goal you\u2019re trying to achieve with this piece of content. Of course you want it to get plenty of likes, comments, follows, link clicks\u2026 everything! But choose one thing as the priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having one priority as your objective helps you determine how successful a post is. If your objective is to get more followers, and content version A helps you get more followers than B but B gets more comments, you\u2019ll know that A is the winning version because it aligns with your objective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t decide your objective at random<\/strong>. It should align with a larger goal in your marketing strategy. This is a good time to take another look at your KPIs<\/a> or develop some if you don\u2019t have any yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next step is to decide what variables will make version A different from B. Examples include a different photo, a different video, a different hook, a different call to action, a different title, or a different time of day it\u2019s being sent out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be careful with this though: If there are too many differences between A and B, you\u2019ll know which version performed better, but you won’t understand <\/strong>why<\/em><\/strong> it was better. <\/strong>You won\u2019t be able to learn from that result and use that knowledge in future campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you make only one thing different between A and B, you\u2019ll know exactly why the winner performed well. For example, if A and B are the same except the CTA is worded differently, you\u2019ll be able to know which CTA was more effective at getting the audience to take action. Then you can make future CTAs similar to that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decide what percentage of your audience is going to be set aside for the test. This group of people is meant to represent the entire audience. If you make this percentage of the audience very small, it\u2019s possible that it won\u2019t accurately represent what the whole audience thinks, which defeats the whole point of A\/B testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The opposite of this would be A\/B testing the entire audience. <\/em>That would mean half the entire audience gets A and half gets B. You\u2019d be able to see which performed better and keep that knowledge in mind for future campaigns, but the downside is that half the audience, which is a lot of people, would be receiving the worse version. On the plus side, the results would accurately represent your entire audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Different A\/B testing tools work in different ways. Some A\/B testing tools will automatically segment your audience so you won\u2019t have to decide how much of the audience will be involved in the test.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n To set up an A\/B test on Instagram, <\/strong>you can use the Trial Reels<\/a> feature. This feature lets you post up to four reels at once to see which ones perform better, but the reels only get shown to people who are not following you. This way, you can post up to four similar reels without annoying your followers. The winner can become the real post your followers actually see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another option is to use the A\/B testing feature in Meta Ads Manager<\/a>, so you can A\/B test paid ads on Facebook as well as Instagram. There\u2019s more than one way to create an A\/B test<\/a> in Meta Ads Manager. One convenient way is to use the Experiments tool, which is designed to help you experiment with A\/B tests and other types of ad testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To set up an A\/B test on TikTok, <\/strong>go the TikTok Ads Manager and create a campaign. After choosing an advertising objective, click the option that says \u201cCreate a split test.\u201d Follow these steps<\/a> to set up your test. The most important step is choosing a Key Metric, since that\u2019s what will determine the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To set up an A\/B test on YouTube, <\/strong>you can use the Test & Compare feature<\/a> in YouTube Studio. This lets you test up to three thumbnails to see which one leads to the highest watch time. When you\u2019re uploading a thumbnail for a new video or looking at the Video Details page of an existing video, you\u2019ll see a \u201cTest & Compare\u201d button. This is where you can upload your thumbnail choices and set up your test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare the results of versions A and B to see which performed better. (Depending on how your test is set up, the winning version may automatically be sent to the rest of your audience, or it may not be automatic and you\u2019ll have to manually choose which one to send.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at all metrics, from views to shares to follows and everything else. It\u2019s possible that A performed better with some metrics while B performed better with others. So it may seem like there\u2019s not one clear \u201cbetter\u201d version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all goes back to the objective you decided on at the beginning. The winner is the version that did best when it comes to your objective. So while the \u201closing\u201d version may have done better in other ways \u2013 and it\u2019s important to take note of those \u2013 your objective defines the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t just A\/B test and move on. The results are valuable data to take note of for future campaigns<\/a>. Do several tests over time and look for patterns. The more A\/B tests you do, the more of a clear picture you\u2019ll have of what appeals to your audience and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, let\u2019s say you do an A\/B test that shows your posts get more new followers when the caption tells an inspirational story instead of explaining information. Then you do two more A\/B tests with other posts, and you get similar results. You can keep this pattern in mind when you write captions in the future, because you know what kind of caption appeals to your audience most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are you trying to prove? It can help to come up with a hypothesis before creating a test. Example: \u201cI believe posting in the morning will make my post get more views than in the afternoon.\u201d Do a test to prove or disprove that hypothesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram\/Facebook<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> recommend running your A\/B test (for paid ads) for at least seven days. If you run it for under seven days, the results may be unreliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Youtube recommends<\/a> that when using the Test & Compare feature, you should test some of your older videos first to get initial guidance, then move on to testing newer videos you think would give you meaningful insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are third-party tools that have A\/B testing features. One example is ThumbnailTest.com<\/a> for YouTube videos. Try out different tools and see which one works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSocial media A\/B testing: a step-by-step guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Define your objective.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Decide on content variables.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Segment your audience.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set up your A\/B test on Instagram.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set up your A\/B test on TikTok.\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set up your A\/B test on YouTube.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Analyze your results.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use the insights to optimize your strategy.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Best practices for social media A\/B testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Know exactly what you\u2019re testing for.\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Give yourself a week (at least)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Go from old to new on YouTube.\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Experiment with tools.\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t make this mistake!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n