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As a creative strategist, you have to make ads — a lot of ads.
And you have to do it fast.
Swipe files are great for inspiration, but where do you go for new ideas when you’ve tapped the ordinary sources?
TikTok, of course. 💁
With an infinite stream of new trends on the platform, it's an ideal place to find the next great idea that will cut through the noise and speak to your audience.
But — trends are fleeting (and many use copyrighted audio 👀), so are they really a viable inspiration source for your brand? And if so, how do you go from idea to ad?
Let's explore...
Mirella Crespi (Founder of Creative Milkshake, one of the largest performance creative studios in Europe) knows a thing or two about using TikTok to make winning ads.
One of her key points from Make Ads That Convert → You need to have the right reason for using trends.
The biggest mistake is trying to hop on a trend in hopes of making an ad that goes viral. That’s a misguided goal that relies on luck.
The goal of using trending audio or formats should be to make an ad that blends into the feed.
An ad that doesn’t feel like an ad.
I sat down with our resident social media icon and ad professor, Travis Tyler, to talk trends.
His explanation for why trends work so well is that they tap into the peripheral route to persuasion.
This means taking an indirect, subtle route to influence someone’s thinking. Using a trend or pop culture reference helps reach your audience on their terms.
Most brands make the mistake of believing what they have to say is inherently important enough for people to pay attention to them.
When really, marketers need to earn people's time in spaces they aren't necessarily welcome in.
How do you do that?
Lean into the kinds of content people are actively seeking on different social channels.
Mirella shared this graphic that outlines a high-level framework for turning trends into ads.
Let's drill deeper into each step.
The best way to find trends is to scroll your For You Page on TikTok. This is most effective if you have an account tailored to your audience.
The July 7th edition of Thumbstop covered this in more detail, but it’s as simple as creating a fresh account and only following or interacting with creators in your brand or product’s category.
Set some time aside to scroll through your FYP and see what patterns emerge. Just make sure you set a timer so you don’t get sucked in!
📝 Note from Travis: TikTok lets you save posts. Save what you find funny or interesting and share the top 2-3 with your team to spark ideas.
Also watch out for trends that are too general, as these are likely to attract a lot of brands and get overdone quickly. The recent "very demure, very cutesy" trend is a prime example. It made sense for beauty and fashion brands, but felt inauthentic when all the b2b SaaS companies jumped on it.
Don’t try to force your product into every trend that comes along. Look for trending audio, hooks, or formats that give your product a clear in.
Mirella shared an example of a trend with the caption, “My girlfriend has two boyfriends.” The video starts with a person looking less than their best and transitions to them looking great, usually dressed up or with better lighting, etc.
There was a clear use for Mirella’s client, a mens apparel brand. Their take: My wife has two husbands — one who wears this suit and one who doesn’t.
Here's the template she put together to build the creative:
When you find a trend that fits your product well, break it down and recreate it.
Don't forget to use a similar sound for the ad — it's a huge part of making the content feel native.
TikTok trends are unpredictable and can even backfire if you're not careful about how you engage with them (watch out for corporate cringe 😬).
There won’t always be one that fits your brand. And, it’s hard to ship an ad quickly enough before the trend becomes old news.
Fortunately, social media has some evergreen “trends” that aren’t really trends. They’re more like formats that have become staples of these platforms.
A great example is the “I’m lost” filter, which lets you overlay your mouth and eyes on a still image. You can literally speak for your product.
Travel company Kayak used this filter to reply to TikTok comments, doubling down on the native-to-platform feel.
Why does every other UGC ad include shots of the creator clacking their nails on the product?
Because ASMR is a TikTok staple that costs nothing, fits almost any product, and helps you blend into the feed.
Another TikTok staple that sees lots of mileage in ads. Often as simple as, “POV: you finally got ___,” and filling in the blank with your product.
A fun twist could be shooting a video from your product’s point of view.
Say you run creative for a pet brand → Attach a GoPro to a dog toy and caption it “POV: your dog’s new fav toy.”
On top of evergreen formats, there are also what I’ll call trend archetypes.
Essentially these are categories of trends where the structure or intention is the same but it comes across differently.
Within these archetypes, new trends and formats pop up constantly that allow you to make new content with the same message.
TikTok often has some form of audio that implies the same simple message: “This thing good, this other thing bad.”
The archetype just begs for "Us vs. Them" product comparison ads. Here’s an example I came up with for Motion:
Glow ups are another TikTok staple and there’s always a new trend that gives you an excuse to post one.
Use it to show the potential transformation your product can provide.
It's a great way to use emotional triggers in your ad, showing someone go from one emotional state to another.
TikTok’s algorithm loves choose-your-own-adventure type posts because they generate a ton of interactions from people commenting their answers.
Some common prompts:
Some TikTok trends can flame out before even the fastest creative teams can act on them. If that happens to you, don't sweat it.
Trends often migrate to Reels 1-2 weeks after making the rounds on TikTok...
This means you could post your ad at the peak of a trend’s lifecycle on Instagram, even if it’s yesterday’s news on TikTok.
Just make sure the trend actually made it to Reels. (Also, don’t use TikTok fonts or filters, unless they’re integral to the trend.)
Above all, remember the goal → You’re not trying to go viral, you just want to blend into the feed.
Hopping on the latest trend is a great way to do that, but it’s not the only way.
Be patient and take the long view. Your brand won’t gain trust overnight, you have to earn it by consistently showing up where your customers are.
It also helps to talk to them in a way they’re willing to listen.
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It originally appeared in Thumbstop—a free weekly newsletter filled with tips to help you ship winning Meta, TikTok, and YouTube ads.
By entering your info, you'll join 25k+ media buyers and creative minds reading Thumbstop for a weekly dive into everything creative strategy. (Unsub anytime in a click)
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