Welcome to #VIRAL, The Newsletter from Girl and the Gov®, sharing need-to-know content trends and concepts for Dem social media, digital, and comms professionals. For 1v1 tailored help building out your social media, book an Office Hours Session or an Audit here.
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TikTok Content Trends
Give these a whirl (and post them on Reels & Shorts too)
→ “Come on superman, say your stupid line” Trend: This trend has creators sharing that one-liner they say all the time – good or bad. For example: “I’m cold” for someone that’s always complaining about the temperature, or “did you vote yet” for someone that works as an organizer. The format of the trend looks like this, and uses this audio cut. It’s an under 10-second trend, so quick, easy, and made complete with this text on screen formula:
:00-:03: “come one superman, say your stupid line”
:04-06: “XYZ line that you’re known for saying”
The trend could be used to showcase someone’s personality, and fit outside the lines of direct political content, orrr be made political niche specific with “lines” like so:
“Pass Medicare for all”
“Are you registered to vote?”
“Billionaires need to pay their fair share”
→ “Hegseth is a fucking douche” Audio: South Park released an episode featuring a new jingle that we’ll refer to by its crown jewel of a chorus, “Pete Hegseth is a fucking douche.” Then the Pod Save America boys reviewed it, bringing a part of the audio to TikTok – and enough of that audio, for a creative to use in their own TikToks. The audio could be used in at least two different ways…
…over a compilation reel of Hegseth doing idiotic things at baseline; that compilation could be amped up with the addition of headlines sharing Hegseth’s idiotic moves.
…with a carousel of examples of Hegseth being bad at his job.
Because the audio also includes the podcast commentary, be sure to clip it down so that it only includes or runs through the “Pete Hegseth is a fucking douche” piece.
→ “They were charming…” Audio: This old RHONY reunion clip is making its rounds as this meme video and thus, so is this audio from it. The clip shares a situation where one bestie is describing a person or group of people as charming/great/wonderful, and the other bestie calls out their friend’s delusion realllll quickly with “they were mentally ill.” The audio and its dynamic are illustrative of anytime your friend talks about their ex positively, or a wackadoodle that crossed your friend in some way. From a political application pov, the audio could be used by two friends working in the field together to…
…share what it was like working with someone that went off the rails and now works for the opp
…share a time where y’all met someone that’s notoriously nuts, but one of you is trying to give the memory a positive spin
→ “When aren’t fossils on your mind” Audio: The audio from this interview of Joe Burrow talking about his love for fossils can be easily clipped and used in a video that has a creator sharing something that’s 1. Cool to them 2. Always on their mind. The style of the video would be the creator lip-syncing to the following part of the audio: “I don’t know because they’re cool? When aren’t fossils on your mind.: And then, added to the video via text would be the ‘thing’ that the creator thinks is cool and is always thinking about – ex: flipping seats from red to blue.
→ “What did you hope to learn about here?” Trend: Millennials and Gen-X rejoice – the following trend involves this old Matchbox 20 song. The audio is being clipped around these lyrics: “straight up, what did you hope to learn about here?” and then made into a video like this. The premise of the trend is to point out a straightforward situation that’s getting a perplexing reaction – like a reaction that feels like they didn’t read the back of the book, or hey, the dvd box. The trend could be used to highlight a hearing, a press conference dynamic, a local board meeting, and more.
→ “you just said..” Audio: This confessional-based audio highlights a moment when your friend clocks your change in energy or a moment where someone says one thing, and then does the opposite. The audio can be used to create a video like this, illustrating a moment where you clocked the opposition’s BS. The BS should be shared on the screen via text or with a screenshot image added – whichever makes more sense and feels most poignant.
TikTok Audios
Trending TikTok audios for BTS and b-roll vids
AUDIO → American Dream Trajectory
AUDIO → Noah kahan archive
AUDIO → Long cool woman in a black dress
AUDIO → Every woman bynx
AUDIO → Pink Lemonade
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Instagram Trends
Creative content concepts to try
→ “2020 to 2025” Trend: This trend has creators simulating what it would be like to share what has happened in the last five years with the “2020 version of themselves.” In most cases, like seen here, it’s pure disbelief and some of the highlights are included in the post’s caption. The trend doesn’t need a specific political tie to do/be relevant, in a way it naturally leans political. For the trend, use this audio.
→ “Pit of despair” Audio: This audio has been used by creators, political and not, to show what it’s like logging back in after a holiday weekend – cue, the pit of despair. That concept is quite evergreen, and can apply to other long weekends or holidays, and the experience of seeing what one missed in the news or their inbox. Some of the items “missed” can be highlighted in the post’s caption or the caption can be used to direct viewers to a link to see what “they” missed.
→ “My husband grabbed my phone…” Trend: This trend has creators sharing the “embarrassing” thing that their spouse would find if their spouse looked through their phone. In some cases, it’s a Zillow deep dive, in others it’s using a calculator to do basic math – it’s light hearted and at the same time, uses what feels like a juicy hook to bring people into a piece of content that shares a little bit about themselves that others may be able to relate to [ex: “omg I’m always on zillow too”]. If used by a politico, it should share something silly like a game they love to play or a deep dive on a hobby like fishing.
IG Reels Audios
Background audios that make Reels move
AUDIO → charleen murphy original audio
AUDIO → vivarmacost original audio
AUDIO → Ain’t nobody Stoppin’ Us Now
AUDIO → Minding My Goddamn Business
Threads to Thread
Reply or Repost to these digital notes on Threads
The Thread → Reply OR repost by discussing the details of the DREAM Act and what it would take to get it passed.
The Thread → Reply OR repost and further share who in the Republican party the dual citizenship ban bill would impact.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing economic news and numbers, like the jobs lost in the last month.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing some of the CEOS and their companies that should be buying knee pads.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing what you would say to Ted Cruz if you were on his flight.
Skies Are Blue
Trending topics ATM on Bluesky
Eurovision 2026
Kash Patel
Cotton
Star Trek
Costco Tariffs
AEW
BEFORE YOU GO…
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