Key takeaways
- One main channel, one supporting channel and a backup will usually get you further than four channels at half speed.
- Profile visits per hour of work tell you more about a channel than views do.
- If one source brings in most of your new subscribers, losing that account would hit your revenue directly.
Why is one channel a risk for a page that already earns?
Accounts get restricted, and that hurts the most when the account in question brings in most of your fans. A look at where your new subscribers came from over the last 90 days shows how exposed you are. If one source brings in most of them, it helps to set your own limit, say 60%, and to treat anything above it as a reason to build the next channel before you need it. Our guide to protecting your Instagram covers how to reduce the risk on that platform.
What does each channel ask of you?
Each channel does something different and takes a different kind of work, so it’s more useful to ask which one fits your content and your week than which one is best.
| Channel | What it tends to do well | What it takes | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A recognizable look and short video | Regular filming and profile upkeep | Being allowed to post and being recommended are two different things | |
| Niche communities where readers know what they want | Reading each community’s rules and taking part instead of dropping links | Rules differ by community, and moderators decide | |
| TikTok | Being discovered for your personality | Filming and editing at a steady pace | Strict rules around adult content |
| X | Ongoing conversation with a crowd used to adult creators | Regular posting, replies and moderation | Rules and reach shift over time |
Before a test, look up what each platform currently allows in posts, promotion and links, and read the rules of any community you join. Link-in-bio tools organize your links, but they don’t change what a platform allows in your content or at the destination.
How do you test a channel in four weeks?
A test is easiest to read if you stick to one main channel and one supporting channel, and leave your offer and destination page alone while you try out formats. Each channel gets its own tracked link, and you log the minutes you spend next to the profile visits and new subscribers it brings. After four weeks you can work out profile visits per hour and see which channel is worth the time.
A channel that sends more visitors can also take up far more of your week, so the totals alone can mislead you. If you can’t tell where some visitors came from, write “unknown” rather than giving your favorite channel the credit. Our guide to a social media system describes a routine for the posting side.
What does a healthy mix look like?
As a made-up example rather than a target, say that over 90 days 55% of your new subscribers came from your main channel, 30% from the supporting one and 10% from the backup, while 5% couldn’t be attributed. Nothing is above the 60% limit, and if the main account disappeared tomorrow, 40% of your new fans would keep coming.
The exact split matters less than whether you could get through a month without your biggest source and whether you know where your next 20 subscribers will come from. If the answer to either one is no, that’s the next thing to work on.
When should you add or drop a channel?
It helps to look at where a channel loses people, and our guide to where fans drop out of your funnel shows how to measure that. If people see your posts but don’t open your profile, the content is the issue, and if they open it but don’t click, you’d look at your bio. A new platform wouldn’t fix either problem. A channel is worth dropping when it brings the wrong crowd, causes moderation trouble or costs more hours than it returns.
If you’d rather not do this yourself, we take care of ideas, planning and posting on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and X, always after your approval, and go through the results with you in the weekly review. You can read more on our social media growth page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need all four channels?
No. One main channel you can keep up will do more for you than four you post on now and then. A second one makes sense when the first runs reliably or when one source carries too much of your traffic.
Which channel brings the most subscribers?
There’s no ranking we’d stand behind, because it depends on your content, niche and audience, and the same format can work on one channel and flop on another. Four weeks of testing with your hours logged will tell you more.
What if my main account gets restricted?
Keep records, use the platform’s official review options and move your effort to your supporting channel in the meantime. That’s the main reason to build one before you need it.
Would you like a traffic mix that doesn’t depend on one account? Tell us about your page and we’ll get back to you within 12 hours.