#VIRAL, The Newsletter: July 1, 2025

The latest must-try trends on TikTok and Reels

Author

Girl and the Gov®
July 01, 2025

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 picks below.

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TIKTOK CONTENT TRENDS

Give these a whirl (and post them on Reels & Shorts too)

“YOU LOOK HAPPIER” TREND: This trend has creators utilizing this audio clip from Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” to share a reason they’re visibly happier – visibly to the point where someone would say to someone else’s face “you look happier, what’s the reason?” The reason can be something positive that’s on the real real making the creator happier or something toxic they shouldn’t be doing [ex: talking to your ex situationship]. In the lens of politics, this trend would work well with…

  • Sharing a program an elected made happen that makes you/your community/your org/the people you serve happier

  • Sharing details on a bill that passed that makes you happy (and its results will make a lot of people happy)

  • Sharing a campaign win that makes you happy or made a portion of the electorate happy

For the visual, the video could like this form, this form, or this form. The key tenants – they all include two layers of added text:

  • Line One: “You look happier”

  • Line Two: “Thanks” + the reason you’re happier

“QUICK ABOUT ME” TREND: This is a quick and easy static image trend that has creators sharing their tidbits about themselves via emojis like this, in the following categories: favorite color, favorite season, hair color, eye color, work goals, and birth month. The resulting post should be an image of the creator at the center of it and use this audio. Generally speaking, the categories should stay as-is, but if there's one or two that could be swapped out for something more relatable to the account, by all means, try it out.

“LEAVING SIDE OF YOU” TREND: Full disclosure – this trend should only be done by Southerners with a sense of humor. This song, “leaving side you” which almost no one can discern the words to by simply listening to it, has become the center of a reaction trend. Specifically, it’s had people asking their Southern friends and family to listen to it and react on whether they understand a damn word being sung like this. It could be funny to ask electeds across the south to react in the same way. P.S. if you do this one, tag @ girlandthegovthepodcast – I want to see it.

“OUR TRIP TO…” TREND: So, this is more an idea than an existing trend – hang tight. As seen with this video, the creator is poking fun at their mom via the mom’s photo roll from their trip – essentially making a classic joke on boomers not understanding how to use their phones or cameras. However, in the campaign trail version of this concept, “the mom” is actually the candidate and the videos/pictures taken are actually super great. The video thesis then essentially is what a part of the campaign trail or event looked like through the lens of the candidate. Make sense? Fab!

TIKTOK AUDIOS

TikTok audios for BTS and b-roll vids

AUDIO → marenmorris original sound *this is her stitching Tucker Carlson 

AUDIO → What You Need

INSTA REELS AUDIOS 

Background audios that make Reels move

AUDIO → For Good

AUDIO → Hell Yea

AUDIO → Manic Monday

AUDIO → Working on the Weekend *use this when the team is working on the wknd

AUDIO → In the summertime 

Creative content concepts to try

“SOMETHING TO TAKE THE EDGE OFF” TREND: This trend takes the old concept of when someone would say “they need a cigarette to take the edge off” and re-branding it. In its social media trend form, creators are showing something that they do or pursue to “take the edge off” by placing their fingers around that item like this – as if it’s a cig. It’s generally something positive, like a book or an ice cream cone, etc. For the political application it could be tied to a program or event be run, a proclamation, a copy of the Constitution, etc.

“I’M THE PROBLEM” AUDIO: This audio has its narrator realizing they are in fact the problem. And with that, the audio can be used a few ways. It can be used in a lip-sync way like this, where say an elected is the one vote block on a bad bill and they’re highlighting that they’re the problem for the opposition. It could also be used to highlight “being the problem” for an opposing candidate in the spring to the finish line. And thirdly, it could be used over a meme and/or imagery of the opposition saying/doing something that clearly makes them a problem in a truly bad way.

“OUT OF IDEAS” TREND: Businesses largely have been using this trend, which ironically shows their social media manager/comms lead outside of their business sharing that “they’re out of content ideas and to just come through.” This concept can be applied to event promotion as well. Instead of it being about coming to the establishment already, it can focus on RSVPing/buying tickets/registering already.

THREADS TO THREAD

Reply or Repost to these digital notes on Threads

P.S. Threads is rolling out DMS. Update your app and keep an eye out.

The Thread → Reply OR repost by discussing how Senator Murkowski has been playing both sides and your thoughts on her caving on Trump’s bill.

The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing what else politically-speaking you’d ask the sharks for (even Trump fanboy, Kevin O’Leary).

The Thread → Reply OR repost by elaborating on the inhumane detention center that was unveiled in Florida today.

The Thread → Reply OR repost by tagging/uplifting female candidates that are running for office – if that’s you, use it as a jumping off point for sharing your elevator pitch. 

The Thread → Reply OR repost by sharing your big three and how they make you successful at your job.

SKIES ARE BLUE

Trending topics ATM on Bluesky

Mariners

Nuggets

Caturday

Supreme Court

AND BEFORE YOU GO

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