I’ve got a blank space baby, and I’ll write your… [trending content]
Contributed blog by Ariana Donley, Social Media Manager at Government Social Media
Let’s start with the obvious (as if the title of this blog didn’t already give it away!). For months, Taylor Swift inspired many social media trends across all popular platforms. While most trends fade, it seems Taylor foreshadowed her trending success with her 2014 hit “We Never Go Out of Style.”
The singer and songwriter recently added another Grammy award to her legacy and announced a new album coming soon. Coming off a Super Bowl LVIII weekend with her beau Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, I predict you will keep seeing Taylor on your socials for a while.
Countless government agencies have already maximized on the Taylor fervor, but what else is currently trending? Let’s get into it! Continue reading for the latest trends and examples on some popular platforms (or use these links to jump straight to TikTok, Reels or X).
Note: This blog is part of a series. For previous supplemental guidance on how to discover trending content on various social media platforms, visit our first blog in this series and don’t forget to check out more content by visiting our GSM blog and subscribing to our newsletter.
TikTok
TikTok’s Creative Center is interactive and allows you to browse trending hashtags, songs, creators and videos and filter results based on country, industry and time period (last 7 days, last 30 days, last 120 days).
Note: Previously, “yesterday” was the most recent available results you could pull; however, that’s been replaced with “last 7 days.”
Below are the top five trending songs from the last seven days (currently listed at the time of publication of this blog):
- Dance You Outta My Head by Cat Janice
- 2 days into college by Aimee Cartee
- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
- Back It Up and Dump It (Dump Truck) by GC Eternal and Kinfolk Thugs
- Yeah! By Usher (featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris)
Trending audio is a common challenge for government agencies on TikTok due to copyright concerns and lack of access for business accounts; however, you can filter top trending audio results by what’s been approved for business use. Whether you use a creator or a business account, the burden is still on you to ensure that the use of any audio is free from copyright infringement.
Universal Music Group recently pulled its music from the popular app – meaning all creators are now unable to use any audio owned by the group. That even applies to the artists who created the songs, as OneRepublic comically pointed out in this viral concert video featuring a dupe audio version of their hit song “Counting Stars.”
@onerepublic we’ll always be Counting Stars
♬ original sound - Mikael Arellano
While the loss of this audio on TikTok presents a unique problem, it also is an opportunity for smaller artists to have their work recognized and for the app’s experimental artificial intelligence tool to generate prompt-based audio in the future. Just remember to always double-check any fine print before using any audio that you didn’t create (even if you paid for it!) to avoid any copyright violations of the terms of use. Also, when using AI, make sure to review TikTok’s AI disclosure requirements to determine whether you need to add an AI label to your content.
The key to creating engaging content on any social media platform is often being relevant and timely. Add humor and you’re almost guaranteed to celebrate a touchdown.
The City of Las Vegas (@cityoflasvegas) recently combined all three of those elements for a Super Bowl LVIII-inspired public service announcement. You may think, well, they hosted the big game, so that was an easy one, right? But this PSA relates to sewage – so it was thinking outside of the box (or should I say outside of the bowl?).
@cityoflasvegas A new meaning for “time outs” during the Big Game!🏈 The #superbowl ♬ original sound - City of Las Vegas
Humor is always trending on this platform. If you hope to add more humorous content to your government account, check out TikTok’s best tips.
Reels
It’s been a while since the Instagram Creators account dropped a trends report. Here are the details from the latest Reels Trend Report from @creators posted on December 20, 2023:
- “Things I Suffer From” - Create a unique acronym for a funny take on what you “suffer from"
- Instagram’s pro tip: Use “Murder on the Dancefloor” by @sophieellisbextor for your audio and use a text overlay to spell out your acronym
- “Coquette Makeup” - Add bows to your makeup looks to mimic the coquette aesthetic
- Instagram’s pro tip: Make sure you have good lighting!
- “Randomly Bumping Into Each Other” - Act like you’re in a romantic comedy and act like you bumped into someone you love for some PDA
- Instagram’s pro tip: Use “Out of My League” by @fitzandthetantrums for your audio
Sorry socialgovies, not a lot of standout options that scream government on this trend report. The first one is a great reminder to always check the title and audio of trending audio before using it. As a former law enforcement public relations manager, I could see many audiences rightfully considering the use of a song with “murder” in the title as insensitive and offensive.
Still, there are other opportunities to hop on viral trends and stay true to your agency’s mission. Take this example from the City of Anna, Texas (@cityofanna) which incorporates trending audio to humanize employees at the agency while also providing a PSA in the caption to promote events for senior citizens.
View this post on Instagram
Trends on Reels are often inspired by the same trends on TikTok. So if your agency isn’t allowed to have a TikTok account, Reels are a great way to join in the fun.
X
At the time of publication, here are the top five trending topics in the United States:
For detailed instructions on how to check trending topics regularly and filter by your location, take a look back at this previous trends blog.
Number 2 on the trending topics list is definitely low-hanging fruit for a government agency. You could post almost anything for that, but I’d recommend using camel case when adding that hashtag for accessibility reasons (#TuesdayVibe). Number 1 and 4 also seem like good options for agencies, depending on whether it’s relevant to your location and/or audience.
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (@neorsd) is well known for its humorous and educational content that’s often timely and relevant. The agency was even recognized as having the Best Twitter Presence at the 2023 Golden Post Awards.
The agency diversified its Super Bowl LVIII content with plain text, images and even a video and tied many of the posts back into the agency’s services.
best $7 million we never spent pic.twitter.com/9xnE2gM5wQ https://t.co/wB50ZeTk2E
— NE Ohio Regional Sewer District (@neorsd) February 12, 2024
The 30-second video received many positive comments, sharing how a commercial of the same length for the big game cost $7 million and in the same amount of time, the agency treated over 82,000 gallons of water for just $236.
The text-based, trending posts also shared educational information about the agency’s services.
Is the high worth the pain?
OK – that was my last Taylor Swift lyric metaphor, I promise.
I know it can be a struggle to get leadership or other staff onboard with trends and, once you do, there may be a lengthy approvals process and you may miss your window to be timely and relevant.
Sometimes, the effort it takes to create trending content just isn’t worth it if you don’t have the necessary support and buy-in from other staff (or even your audience) when you already juggle too many responsibilities.
On the flip side, when you can join a fleeting trend in a way that’s true to your agency’s voice, tone and mission, the long-term payoff could mean increased reach, discovery and engagement that could improve the lives of your local audience and beyond.
Feel like you need somewhere to bounce ideas, seek advice or build who you know in the socialgov space? The GSM professional association may be just what you’re missing! Meet for monthly webinars (and quarterly regional meetups!), get access to your region’s space and share ideas with fellow government social media pros.
Want to be featured in a future trends blog? Send me an email at [email protected]!
Meet the author
Ariana Donley
Social Media Manager–Government Social Media LLC
Ariana graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Human Rights. She spent several years in the TV news industry and also served the Birmingham Police Department initially as a Crime Prevention Officer and later as the first Public Relations Manager. She is passionate about GSM's mission and and enjoys the positive and supportive team work environment.
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