If you caught our Q2 breakdown of social media ad spend, you know we’re on a mission to make social ad data easier to find (and hopefully, easier to understand, too).
This is the second installment in that series.
Same formula: no paywalls, no “request a demo” loops.
Instead, clean data straight from official earnings reports and credible estimates.
In this round, we’re looking at Q3 2025 share of ad spend by social media platform.
Below, you’ll find updated ad revenues, plus a refresher on how to use this data to shape your own social strategy.
Social media ad spend by platform, Q3 2025
Here’s advertising revenue broken down by social media platform, along with year-over-year revenue evolution:
- Meta (Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Threads): $51.24B (↑10.05% QoQ)
- YouTube: $10.26B (↑4.69% QoQ)
- LinkedIn: $4.71B (↑1.95% QoQ)
- Pinterest: $1.05B (↑6% QoQ)
- Reddit: $0.58B (↑26.09% QoQ)
- TikTok*: $8.25B
Note: TikTok is not publicly traded; the number comes from third-party estimates.
And here’s the share of ad spend by social media platform:
In Q3 2025, Meta concentrated 67.3% of social media ad spend.
In the mid-tier, we have YouTube (13.5%), TikTok (10.8%), and LinkedIn (6.2%).
Trailing behind are Pinterest (1.4%) and Reddit (0.8%).
Q3 2025 social media ad spend amounts to 76.09 billion, or 7.64% more than the previous quarter.
Methodology
Just like in our Q2 report, we based this update on the advertising revenues each company disclosed in their Q3 2025 earnings reports.
For TikTok, which isn’t publicly traded, we used the most widely cited third-party estimates.
Formula used:
Market_Share(Platform) = (Platform_Ad_Revenue ÷ Total_Ad_Revenue) × 100
Note: This covers social media ad revenue only. It does not include Google Search ads, Amazon retail media, or CTV spend.
Why does this data matter?
This data captures the flow of marketing dollars across the world’s biggest attention platforms. For marketers, that means:
- Context: A picture of which platforms are gaining or losing share.
- Budgeting: How does your mix compare to where the market is investing?
- Foresight: Which platforms deserve your next creative test or pilot campaign?
And if you’re wondering what to do with this data
We recommend the following:
- Compare: Is your spend aligned with market share?
- Adjust: Platforms like Reddit may deserve fresh tests.
- Track: Important if you want to see where attention is going.
Ad spend data is, ultimately, a map of where attention is being bought and sold.
Use it to check your bearings — and if you need extra guidance, we’re always in for a chat.
Sources:
Alphabet Q3 2025 Earnings (YouTube)
