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 & Concepts
Give these a whirl (and post them on Reels & Shorts too)
→ “Rediscover Mode” Trend: This audio has been at the core of yet another “POV” trend, and this case one where creators are reacting to rediscovering something that they’d forgotten about and are remembering they love [ex: fro-yo]. The video style is simple like this [sped up video element is optional but certainly a way to hook people] with text added using this formula: “me when I rediscover XYZ.” The trend would be great for a gov agency that offers or runs programming. For example, “me every few weeks when I rediscover that the library offers free internet.”
→ “Hot Take” Trend: This Love Island audio has made a circle back, prompting a trend where creators are sharing their hot takes. The style of the trend is simpler than even the trend above – think a video like this with the hot take added with text on top [keep to one sentence]. Since politics is rife with hot takes and takes that aren’t necessarily “hot ones,” but will certainly get people chatting, the world is one’s oyster here.
→ “No political gap” Trend: This trend is an evolution of the more general “no swag gap friendship” trend from earlier this spring. This variation has pairs and/or groups of friends using b-roll of them like this with a number of things listed. Like with the example, “no humor gap, no political gap, no swag gap, etc”. Naturally, this trend can be done between a few or two political friends with “no political gap” as one of the sans gap types listed. For the other sans-gap scenarios, that’s where the principal(s) can add their own touch. To note, this trend is also having a moment on Reels.
→ “B*tches love a summa” Trend: Coming right off an iconic Real Housewives of Rhode Island episode is this audio, which is now being used over b-roll of classic summer places, spaces, and adventures proving the point that “b*tches love a summa.” The trend provides a lighthearted way to celebrate summer and showcase summertime places. That said, it certainly has a Northeast vibe to it, so think about that with regard to your audience.
TikTok Audio Trends
Trending TikTok audios for BTS and b-roll vids
AUDIO → original sound *use for content where the goal is showcasing fighting back [vibes: regal, classy, heads held high, don’t mess with us]
AUDIO → ECCHYMOSES (slowed reverb) *use for carousels
AUDIO → Boccherini: Minuetto *use to depict a situation that’s about to crash and burn in a funny, ironic way
AUDIO → Magnetic *use for b-roll videos featuring a large message added in text onto the video
AUDIO → Sand Drawing *use for posts that share a vulnerable story of the principals that connects to an issue they’re fighting for [ex: women’s healthcare]
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Instagram Content Trends & Concepts
Creative content concepts to try and post on TikTok too
→ “POV: writing a letter that won’t be read” Trend: This audio has been the source of this trend, which has creators making POV-style Reels like this, showcasing what it’s like to send an email/letter/text/message to someone that’s not going to reply. The reasons for no reply can range from being friends with someone who goes to bed early to being related to a bad communicator to having to work with someone unprofessional, and beyond. The political variation could come to be a few ways:
“POV: your emailing your Republican member of Congress knowing that they’ll never reply”
“POV: your inviting your Republican member of Congress to do a town hall knowing that they’ll never host one”
“POV: you have a suggestion for XYZ candidates’ team, but there’s only a form on their website”
→ “Whatever, let’s not talk about it anymore” Trend: This two-person trend features two friends in conversation beating the same old dead horse, and making a fruitless effort to move onto another topic. While there may be casual topics that really should be retired [up for debate] amongst some friends, most political topics should not be retired if any at all in terms of talking about them. Translation: the trend made political can feature a political duo emulating what these two are doing. Then the caption [long-format] can go into detail about a political issue/topic that the two talk about all the time and will continue to talk about, along with need-to-know details about that topic for the audience.
IG Reels Audio Trends
Background audios that make Reels move
AUDIO → Criminal Elements *use for time lapse videos that showcase something bad happening/developing
AUDIO → Losing You *use as background for videos that depict an upward, positive trajectory – ones where camaraderie and nostalgia merge
AUDIO → New York State of Mind *use for any post-Knicks win content, and/or any NY-spirit content
AUDIO → Golden Embers *use for carousels or b-roll based videos that are trying to project a sense of positive nostalgia
AUDIO → Ever Since U Left Me *use for any post-Knicks win content – think parade recaps
AUDIO → I Knew it, I Knew You *use for carousel that integrate a principal’s childhood pics; show a then and now
AUDIO → The Game of Love *use this to show the principal showing up to support a colleague
AUDIO → Original Audio *use for more generic b-roll videos or carousels [think the ones that you have to post even though they’re boring but someone super duper senior who doesn’t even IG is making you post anyway]
Threads to Thread
Reply or Repost to these digital notes on Threads
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing how you would invest $300B in taxpayer dollars restoring and improving the USA.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by adding something that else feels petty-meets-symbolic-meets-revenge by the universe.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing something else vital that the Trump Admin has cut funding for.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing something else the visiting Scotts should try while they’re in Boston.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing a fact about AI data centers that the public should know.
The Thread → Reply OR repost by explaining what Trump signed at Versailles.
Skies Are Blue
Trending topics ATM on Bluesky
Hillary Clinton
Social Security
Kristi Noem
Republican Policies
ArtFight
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