#VIRAL, The Newsletter: February 18, 2025

Fresh video trends to use across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts; Capcut templates to use now and later; Threads to tap into

Author

Girl and the Gov®
February 18, 2025

Happy Tuesday and welcome to #VIRAL, The Newsletter, which shares need-to-know content trends and concepts for political social media, digital, and comms professionals. Dive into this week’s trends and content ideas below [and share with a social media manager in your network].

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TIKTOK CONTENT TRENDS

Give these a whirl (and post them on other platforms too)

“YOU’RE WEIRD" AUDIO: Surprisingly this audio is not from Gov. Walz. However, its premise of pointing out that someone or someone’s behavior is weird AF is easy to use, and can be applied to at least 15 news stories a day currently. A few formatting styles to consider:

  • The mime-style video like this that features a “POV” angle – ex: “POV: me when I see that a GOP member of Congress introduced a bill to make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday.”

  • A setting or b-roll video with either text added to the screen sharing the “who/what” that’s weird

  • A setting or b-roll video with an image sticker sharing the “who/what” that’s weird

“PARTIFUL” TREND: This trend has friends showing the “event” invites that they send each other to discuss comical, relatable, and yap-able moments in their dating lives, like this. This trend can be applied to politics. Two angles to consider:

  • “The opposition invite:” An elected or candidate can share a faux, sarcastic, spoof invite from the opposition asking them to discuss an insane policy idea, mend a fence, a weird action taken etc.

  • “The in-office spoof:” For offices with known or emerging dynamics between employee besties, invites can be sent/received that play into that dynamic. 

It can also be conceptualized in reverse, with the creator filming, showing that they’re “creating an invite” to send to the opposition about a political topic relevant to both parties involved. 

“SOME RAMEN AND A TRAP HOUSE” AUDIO: This audio of Southern Charm’s Madison LeCroy has her discussing the things that her ex boyfriend was able to offer her [hint: not much] and how it was thus a “no.” The audio can be used in a political sense to share something that the opposition offers – an amendment, an earmark, a concession in some way on a bill – that doesn’t hit the mark. The video can be simple in nature visually, with the creator miming the audio and text added to the video with a “POV lens.” The text for example could read like “ POV: when the GOP offers not to cut social security in exchange for cutting Medicaid.” 

“ME AGAIN” TREND: This audio is being used to highlight what it’s like to always be updating your friends on scenarios emerging in your life – it’s a constant tap, tap, tap on one’s phone, like this. This concept can be applied to politics in the following ways:

  • “What it’s like as a candidate constantly sending campaign texts”

  • “POV: you’re the comms director for XYZ person when XYZ type of story breaks”

  • “What it’s like responding to constituent emails on XYZ topic”

  • “POV: sending the group chat every political update on XYZ issue when new deats emerge”

“WHAT AN OFFER” AUDIO: This audio is being used to highlight a scenario where a creator is offered a shitty [or lackluster] deal – something less than desirable – and is sarcastically sharing that they’ll “sleep on it.” Politically-speaking, the audio can be used to share a situation where an elected official or political group has been offered something shitty by an opposing group, and what the “reply” is.

“WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME LIKE I’M NEW TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY” AUDIO: This audio is being used by creators to share a time that they were questioned on their experience level in an industry/work setting by someone that is in fact not experienced/new to that particular industry. On the politics end of things, this audio can be used to highlight a situation where someone new to politics thought they could trick you or trip you up. The TikTok video is you pointing out that they missed, hard. The essence of the video is a call out mixed with sharing the behind the scenes of what goes on in the political space. 

TIKTOK AUDIOS

TikTok audios for BTS and b-roll vids

AUDIO → son original

INSTA REELS AUDIOS 

Background audios that make Reels move

AUDIO → Small Change

AUDIO → Abracadabra

Creative content concepts to try

“WAIT A DAMN MOMENT” TREND: This audio can be used to share a situation where the reality of it dawned on you and/or you made a big realization of a current status quo that doesn’t add up. This creator threw shade at not having President’s Day off from school with this Reel, which also shares the format creators should use to draft their own variations.

“I MET MY YOUNGER SELF…” TREND: This trend is being used in two ways – one that’s reflective and one that’s self-deprecating. The reflective avenue has a creator sharing what it would be like if they took their younger self out to coffee, and what advice they’d bestow on their younger self. The self-deprecating avenue also has a creator sharing what it would be like to take their young self out to coffee, but instead sharing a reality of what they were like that’s more “eye roll” than it is “sentimental.” Either way, the video style for both video directions looks like this and uses this audio. For the political angle, the most logical route is one of inspiration and is more reflective in nature.

“I’M ASKING FOR 100K” AUDIO: This audio originates from a cultural moment turned saga that’s been documented on TikTok. Regardless, the audio’s bold financial asks are reminiscent of what it’s like to be on the receiving end of campaign texts. Campaigns can use the audio to spoof on having to send those texts or make those calls. The format of the video can be styled similarly to this one.

“WHICH PHOTO SHOULD I POST?” TREND: This trend has creators filming Reels like this, that have them depicting what it’s like to choose between two very similar images to post on social media. As shown, the first portion of the video shows the creator “pondering” and the second position of the video shows a screen recording a scroll through the creator’s photo roll. For a political application, the images included in the photo roll can be very distinct from one another, with the focus of the video being less so about showing two almost identical images, and rather about showing two important messages [via image] to a consumer audience.

“EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE” AUDIO: This audio from the classic movie The Emperor’s New Groove, has creators sharing a situation that they’re trying to solve for, that wakes them up in the middle of the night – and when they pop out of sleep for a few moments, they’ve figured the situation out. This reel, which shows the concept in action, can be replicated with someone that works in politics figuring out a solution to a political problem OR figuring out [i.e. sharing] the game of their opponent.

THREADS TO THREAD

Reply or Repost to these digital notes on Threads

The Thread → Reply OR repost in the same format “imagine not liking us, and we’re just…” and adding your own twist. For example:  “imagine not liking us, and we’re just trying to make sure prescription drug prices don’t go up.”

The Thread → Reply OR repost in the same format “micro dosing hell by” + some political activity you do/are in charge of. Disclaimer: this one should not be done by an elected official or candidate, just orgs. 

The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing another one of Trump’s unqualified nominees and a reason why they’re unqualified. 

The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing another “big but bad thing” coming from Trump on the horizon.

SKIES ARE BLUE

Trending topics ATM on Bluesky

Rubio

AOC
WWE Raw

Protests

Delta Airlines

Meta VR

Claudia Sheinbaum

CAPCUT TEMPLATES

Meme it

  • Use this template to share a political move that you didn't think someone knew how to do i.e. you didn’t think they were bright enough to know.

  • Use this template to joke about the mental state that this current political landscape has you in.

  • Use this template to showcase an event – a recap for a fundraiser, conference, creator/press event.

  • Use this template to share something that’s insane and that you’d be sarcastically reacting to as “that’s great” to.

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