#VIRAL, The Newsletter: October 1, 2024

B I G Announcement enclosed <3

Author

Girl and the Gov®
October 01, 2024

It’s a B I G day for # V I R A L, because this newsletter, filled with need-to-know content trends and concepts for political digital and comms professionals, is now going to be available for free to all subscribers. If you’re new here, you can expect a variety pack of social media ideas that work for political applications, sent to your inbox every Tuesday. As they say, ~it’s like a reward~ and now it’s free, so you can have more free time back on your cal. Scroll for ideas and forward it to a social media manager in your circle.

Email forwarded your way? What a nice friend you must have! Subscribe here.

TIKTOK CONTENT TRENDS

Give these a whirl

“LET’S GO GRAB SOME COFFEE OUTFIT” TREND: This audio trend gives Instagram Reels energy more than it does TikTok vibes in our opinion. Regardless, the audio can be used to showcase an outfit you’d put on to go and get coffee. In the lens of a campaign, that means an outfit featuring the candidates’ merch or message.

“HE GETS FED TWICE A DAY” TREND: This trend is giving beloved stuffed animals their moment to shine. Using this audio, clipped from a podcast, creators are sharing the stuffed animal they love and that goes everywhere with them. If perhaps that angle is too personal, some creators are also using it to highlight their independence in their relationships, pushing back on the idea that their partners don’t get enough attention. Potentially, that second angle could be useful in pushing back on critics to women candidates that claim they’re not paying enough attention to their husbands’ needs by running for office. 

“I WANT TO BE YOUR PROTECTOR” AUDIO: The remixers of TikTok are back at it again, this time with a remix to Trump’s creepy declaration that “he wants to be your protector.” A hard ick, but when remixed with this response to it, it’s perfect for creating a video that points out how heinous he is.

“SHOW ME SOMETHING IN YOUR HOUSE” X VOTING AUDIO: Use this audio over a short-pan video of something in your house that clues people in on who you’re voting for. It’s quick, it’s fun, it’s giving the world’s easiest puzzle to solve in the format of a TikTok.

“THIS IS JERRY” AUDIO: This audio is REALLY specific – like as-in you need to have someone on your team named Jerry that brings this type of energy to the table. If you’re lucky enough to have a Jerry that has a reason to be on the screen – they’re the elected behind the account – this audio could be used to create a friendly introduction-style TikTok. 

“NO, I’M NOT” AUDIO: Got something you won’t be doing, like ever? Use this audio to create a video pointing that out. For the visual element, use this TikTok as inspo, as well as this one. The resulting video should include text added to explain what “you will not do” and the caption should expand on that with the why and a CTA.

CAPCUT TEMPlATES

Give ‘em a whirl

  • Use this template to highlight something that seems constant in politics, that the limit does not exist for.

  • Use this template to point out a challenging part of working in politics/gov that people should know is a part of it.

  • Use this template to showcase a decision that an opposing politician refuses to explain the ‘why’ behind.

STITCH THESE TIKTOKS

Newsjack with these vids

  • Stitch this video and share what voters are saying in your area and what issues are driving them to the polls this election season.

  • Stitch this video after “quick question” and pose a political question that you’d be interested in receiving insight on from your audience.

Creative content concepts to try

“WHERE THE WIND WILL TAKE US” TRANSITION TREND: This easy two-part transition trend has creators using this audio to create Reels like this. It’s done best with a duo to three people, but can certainly be created solo as well. The concept, politically speaking, could show two candidates campaigning together in one place and then ‘the wind taking them’ to a new place on the trail. 

“TWO ELECTED OFFICIALS, ONE AESTHETIC” TREND: This duo trend is best friend coded, and in its original aims to show how two besties have the same taste in material items, like seen here. That concept can be brought to two elected officials, showing items/POVs/interests they have in common. The goal of the video would be to show a friendship dynamic between two political figures that benefit from a mutual showing of them both together. Use this audio to make it happen.

“OH I WASN’T SAD” REMIXED AUDIO: This remixed audio of the “Oh I wasn’t sad I just needed a holiday” makes for a more accessible, every day edition of the trend. In this case, it provides the opportunity to point out four things that you needed that would make you the opposite of sad. From our lens, this could be four pieces of legislation passing, a combination of political actions happening, a set of events being added to the calendar, and so on. 

AESTHETIC INSTA REELS AUDIOS 

Use these over setting videos

AUDIO → Her

INFLUENCED

Inspo for the road

The partnership that gets four paws of approval, is this one featuring the well-known dog account, We Rate Dogs and Governor Tim Walz – wait, also featuring the Governor’s dog Scout too. The resulting videos showcased the personal and relatable side of the governor, reduced the temperature in the room [because that’s what dogs do], and highlighted how politics impacts our every day – like the mere existence of parks for the dogs to play in. This overall was an example of a thoughtful collab that reaches not just a large audience, but one that may not be overly civically or politically engaged on the reg – an important voter audience to reach for the campaign.

THREADS TO THREAD

Reply or Repost to these digital notes on Threads

The Thread → Reply OR repost with what you’re “locking in” to accomplish [politically] right now.

The Thread → Reply OR repost [NJ candidates/electeds/orgs] with a town in NJ that the burger should be named after and why.

The Thread → Reply OR repost the vibes of today in emojis and the vibes of election day in emojis in the same format as the original Thread post.

The Thread → Reply OR repost [former servers] a skill that you learned from your time waiting tables that has applied to working in politics/gov.

RECENT READS

Social media news to be aware of

  • Social Media Today: Instagram Chief Says ‘Following’ Feed Option Won’t Work

  • TechCrunch: Snapchat’s new Footsteps feature tracks your location history

  • Mashable: LinkedIn us using your data to train AI. Here’s how to turn it off.

  • Pew Research Center: Social Media and News Fact Sheet

THE CHATTER

What people are talking about on social media

  • VP Harris chatting about the experience of becoming a step-parent on this podcast is showcasing how podcasting has become a critical campaign outreach pillar.

  • This weird moment where Trump talks about his beautiful beach body… is causing a stir in the comments, even for a Daily Mail video.

  • The Chicago White Sox’s social media team pulled this genius reaction together.

  • Kamala Harris’s campaign ad that ran during the ‘Bama/Georgia game is raking in views across social.

  • This commentary on the evolving Chappell Roan sitch is going viral.

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