The Publishing Industry Social Media Benchmark Report
Find out how your brand stacks up against publishing industry leaders.
Download the Benchmarks
Understanding your brand’s social media performance starts with knowing what's typical in the publishing industry. Download the report to explore comprehensive publishing industry benchmarks across key metrics and social channels, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Use the insights in this report to set clear goals, strengthen your content strategy and grow your audience faster.
Publishing Industry Benchmarks and Statistics
Average Monthly Social Media Growth Rate for Followers/Subscribers
TikTok
5.5%
0.5%
Youtube
1.7%
* Follower growth rate data taken from the March 2025 Publishing Industry Benchmarks. See the report for the full methodology.
The Average Monthly Growth Rate measures the rate at which a publishing brand increases its follower count month-over-month. Brands can expect different growth trajectories per channel, with TikTok still seeing significant follower growth. Publishing sees slower growth on TikTok and Instagram, but its YouTube growth is comparatively higher, indicating that users are engaged with longer form video journalism.
Publishing Industry Highlights From Leading Brands
The publishing industry shines on social media. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts are ideal formats for publishers to share their latest updates with audiences who like to stay in-the-know. Successful brands are using video content as an extension of their editorial content, delighting audiences in new ways.
Midwest Living delights TikTok users with heartwarming slices of Midwestern culture including cozy regional recipes and road trip highlights. The calm narration paired with charming visuals offers a comforting digital escape.
Midwest Living outperforms the Publishing industry by 83%.
GQ Sports transforms athletic stories into slick, style-savvy Instagram posts and Reels. High-profile athlete interviews, pre-game fashion looks and editorial photography keep fans hooked. The blend of sports and lifestyle coverage sparks lively comment threads and consistent audience likes.
GQ Sports outperforms the Publishing industry by 533%.
Vogue Japan harnesses YouTube Shorts to preview behind-the-scenes interviews with its cover stars. The brand’s creative flair in short-form video garners significant global viewership from fashion enthusiasts.
Vogue Japan outperforms the Publishing industry by 392%.
In this Publishing Industry Benchmarks Report you’ll discover:
- Benchmark KPIs across a number of social channels and metrics.
- Who your top competitors are on social media.
- Case studies exploring what top-performing brands in the publishing industry are doing well.
- Insights into what you could be doing right now to get better social media performance.
Dash Social pulled a sample of global companies across TikTok (n=1,170), Instagram (n=2,978), and YouTube (n=644), analyzing their activity between July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024, to determine average performance against a predetermined set of KPIs. These benchmarks include organic, boosted and promoted content but exclude paid ads. They apply to handles with at least 1K followers, covering both customers and non-customers.