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… Often, it feels like a guessing game. 

If you’re not testing, you run the risk of posting content that no one really cares about. We’ve all been there. Sometimes, something seems like a good choice, but it ends up not resonating with the audience… and you realize you should have done something different.

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’t yet follow you). 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.

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’t part of the test. This way, most of the audience will receive the better content.

A/B testing can be used with influencer content and non-influencer content. And it isn’t 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.

Social media A/B testing: a step-by-step guide

Define your objective.

The first step is to decide what goal you’re trying to achieve with this piece of content. Of course you want it to get plenty of likes, comments, follows, link clicks… everything! But choose one thing as the priority.

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’ll know that A is the winning version because it aligns with your objective.

Don’t decide your objective at random. It should align with a larger goal in your marketing strategy. This is a good time to take another look at your KPIs or develop some if you don’t have any yet.

Decide on content variables.

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’s being sent out.

Be careful with this though: If there are too many differences between A and B, you’ll know which version performed better, but you won’t understand why it was better. You won’t be able to learn from that result and use that knowledge in future campaigns.

If you make only one thing different between A and B, you’ll know exactly why the winner performed well. For example, if A and B are the same except the CTA is worded differently, you’ll 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.

Segment your audience.

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’s possible that it won’t accurately represent what the whole audience thinks, which defeats the whole point of A/B testing.

The opposite of this would be A/B testing the entire audience. That would mean half the entire audience gets A and half gets B. You’d 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.

(Different A/B testing tools work in different ways. Some A/B testing tools will automatically segment your audience so you won’t have to decide how much of the audience will be involved in the test.)

Set up your A/B test on Instagram.

To set up an A/B test on Instagram, you can use the Trial Reels 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.

Another option is to use the A/B testing feature in Meta Ads Manager, so you can A/B test paid ads on Facebook as well as Instagram. There’s more than one way to create an A/B test 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.

Set up your A/B test on TikTok. 

To set up an A/B test on TikTok, go the TikTok Ads Manager and create a campaign. After choosing an advertising objective, click the option that says “Create a split test.” Follow these steps to set up your test. The most important step is choosing a Key Metric, since that’s what will determine the winner.

Set up your A/B test on YouTube.

To set up an A/B test on YouTube, you can use the Test & Compare feature in YouTube Studio. This lets you test up to three thumbnails to see which one leads to the highest watch time. When you’re uploading a thumbnail for a new video or looking at the Video Details page of an existing video, you’ll see a “Test & Compare” button. This is where you can upload your thumbnail choices and set up your test.

Analyze your results.

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’ll have to manually choose which one to send.)

Look at all metrics, from views to shares to follows and everything else. It’s possible that A performed better with some metrics while B performed better with others. So it may seem like there’s not one clear “better” version.

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 “losing” version may have done better in other ways – and it’s important to take note of those – your objective defines the winner.

Use the insights to optimize your strategy.

Don’t just A/B test and move on. The results are valuable data to take note of for future campaigns. Do several tests over time and look for patterns. The more A/B tests you do, the more of a clear picture you’ll have of what appeals to your audience and what doesn’t.

For example, let’s 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.

Best practices for social media A/B testing

Know exactly what you’re testing for. 

What are you trying to prove? It can help to come up with a hypothesis before creating a test. Example: “I believe posting in the morning will make my post get more views than in the afternoon.” Do a test to prove or disprove that hypothesis.

Give yourself a week (at least)

Instagram/Facebook and TikTok 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.

Go from old to new on YouTube. 

Youtube recommends 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.

Experiment with tools. 

There are third-party tools that have A/B testing features. One example is ThumbnailTest.com for YouTube videos. Try out different tools and see which one works for you.

Don’t make this mistake!

One A/B testing mistake to avoid is ignoring external factors that affect test results, like seasonal trends, algorithm changes, competitor campaigns, and industry events. Timeliness and relevance is huge. 

What if a social media A/B test ends up not having a clear winner?

Sometimes the different versions of content will all perform about the same. In that case, you can choose either one. Next time, you can try a different type of variable for your test.

Key takeaway: Social media A/B testing helps you understand what your audience really wants.

Do you have to A/B test all your influencer marketing content? It’s not a requirement. But it’s worth it because it can dramatically affect your results, like this YouTuber who used A/B testing to get his video to over a million views.

So if you’ve never done an A/B test before, your next influencer campaign is a great place to start. Influencer marketing A/B testing helps you more deeply understand what your audience wants to see – and that’s always a win.