Picking up on viral trends can help supercharge visibility for your brand — if you do it well. This practice, known as “trendjacking,” enables businesses to insert themselves into newsworthy narratives, latch on to cultural moments and reach untapped audiences. But mistakes happen, and a tone-deaf post can rupture trust in short order.
In the high-speed, hivemind world of social media, how do you trendjack responsibly while maintaining your brand authenticity and integrity?
What Is Trendjacking, and Why Is It Important?
Trendjacking is the process of inserting your brand into a trend to increase engagement and reach. Whether it’s a viral meme, a breaking story or a hashtag challenge, trendjacking is most effective when it’s topical, relevant, and aligned with your audience values.
Trendjacking can increase a brand or company’s visibility up to 45% if done well, says HubSpot. But there is a fine line between clever and cringe.
The Risks of Irresponsible Trendjacking
Before embracing the new whatsit (hear me, Silicon Valley?!) percolating out from the current locust swarm of trends, alas, be advised of the potential downsides:
Brand mismatch: R forced or off-brand trendjacks will only serve to confuse stakeholders.
cultural insensitivity: Making light of trigger topics can get you into trouble.
Timing: It’s possible for an act to appear inappropriately opportunistic if it gets involved too early (or too late).
Audience alienation: Not everyone follows the same trends.
The trick is to move quickly without losing your brand voice or values.
When (and How) to Trendjack Intelligently
To land the hit, treat trendjacking as a playful, creative extension of your own brand, rather than a visibility grab. For instance, Duolingo has been known to offer content based on popular audio clips on TikTok that feature its quirky owl mascot in order to feel current, while reinforcing its fun attitude.
Your trendjacking approach should:
- Align with your brand personality
- Feel authentic, not forced
- Add value to the conversation
- Be executed quickly—timing is critical
Useful tools like Google Trends and Trendwatching can help catch on to trending topics early.
Responsible Trendjacking Builds Trust
Done right, trendjacking establishes relevance and trust. In Meltwater’s guide to responsible trendjacking, for instance, experts point out that timing, tone and transparency are key. They suggest asking these questions before sharing:
- Is this trend consistent with our values and mission?
- Are we contributing something of worth or are we hoping to go viral?
- Is this going to bother somebody in our audience?
Think brand equity, not clicks.
Anchoring Your Brand In The Right Conversations
Good trendjacking ties your brand and/or product into bigger stories that are of interest to your audience. For example, fashion brands may latch on to posts about award shows or cultural festivals; tech brands might piggyback product launches or artificial intelligence chats.
Reminder: They can’t all be a fit. Know when to jump in — and when to wait your turn.
5 Expert Tips on Ethical Trendjacking
Listen first: Watch how your audience and peers are engaging with the trend.
Be original and make it your own: Add to the post, don’t just repost it.
Be nimble: Develop a workflow for fast content production and approval.
Develop a crisis plan: Have a plan for what you would do if your post doesn’t land well.
Measure impact: Utilize analytics tools to measure engagement and sentiment.
Sprout Social and Hootsuite have excellent dashboards for tracking posts performance and trending reach.
Trendjacking That Lifts, Not Hurts, Your Brand
In other words, in today’s social media world, it still is relevant, but authenticity also matters now. When done tastefully, trendjacking can open large doors to visibility and engagement. By picking the right trends, staying true to your voice and staying away from gimmicks, you’ll keep your brand timely and trustworthy.
Trend smartly — because not every hashtag is worth the risk.
