Chipotle’s #GuacDance Challenge

Here’s a TikTok growth-focused newsletter edition for you:

🧠 Today’s Growth Insight

Experiment: Leverage TikTok Challenges to Boost Engagement

TikTok thrives on trends and challenges. Participating in popular challenges—or better yet, starting your own—can increase your visibility and engagement on the platform.

Steps:

1. Research trending challenges in your niche using TikTok’s Discover tab or tools like TrendTok to stay on top of viral content.

2. Create your version of a trending challenge, adding your brand’s unique twist or message.

3. Encourage followers or customers to join in by offering prizes or shoutouts. Use a branded hashtag to track participation.

Expected Outcome: TikTok challenges are a great way to increase your reach, potentially driving thousands of new eyes to your content in a short time.

Disclaimer: Joining a dance challenge is great, but maybe skip it if you haven’t practiced in front of a mirror first. TikTok isn’t as forgiving as you think.

⚡ Marketing Power-ups

Campaign Spotlight: Chipotle’s #GuacDance Challenge

In 2019, Chipotle launched the #GuacDance challenge, inviting users to show off their avocado-inspired dance moves in celebration of National Avocado Day. The campaign went viral, resulting in 250,000 video submissions and Chipotle’s biggest guacamole sales day ever.

Why It Worked: Chipotle tapped into TikTok’s dance culture and paired it with a fun, low-barrier challenge that encouraged participation. The brand also capitalized on a national day (Avocado Day) to tie the campaign to a theme.

How to Replicate: Build your TikTok campaign around a fun, accessible challenge that encourages users to showcase their creativity. Offering a simple reward, like a discount or freebie, can incentivize participation even more.

Witty Comment: Who knew guacamole could inspire more dance moves than your high school prom?

📈 Data-Driven Insights

Stat: 35% of TikTok users have made a purchase after seeing a brand on the platform.

TikTok has become a powerful platform for driving purchase behavior. Users trust recommendations from creators and brands they follow, and they often make impulse purchases after seeing products in TikTok videos.

Tip: Use TikTok’s In-Feed Ads or Branded Hashtag Challenges to promote products directly to your target audience. Partnering with creators to showcase your product authentically is also a great way to build trust and drive conversions.

Fun Fact: TikTok might be known for dance moves, but it’s also turning into a digital shopping mall—prepare to empty your wallet after scrolling!

🔧 Tools & Resources Spotlight

Tool: TrendTok

If you want to stay ahead of TikTok trends, TrendTok is your go-to tool. It tracks emerging trends, helping you hop on viral content at just the right moment. You can filter by location, industry, and content type, making it easier to find trends that match your niche.

Key Features: Real-time trend tracking, trend predictions, and custom recommendations based on your account’s engagement.

Why You’ll Love It: Timing is everything on TikTok, and TrendTok helps you catch the wave of trending content before it’s oversaturated.

Light-hearted Comment: TrendTok helps you jump on the trends early—so you’re not the person posting a dance challenge after everyone’s already moved on to lip-syncing memes.

👥 Community Voices

Question: "How can I grow my TikTok following quickly?"

Solution: Growth on TikTok is all about consistency, creativity, and authenticity. Posting regularly (ideally once a day) and engaging with your audience in real-time can help you get noticed by TikTok’s algorithm.

Steps:

1. Post 1–2 videos a day to stay relevant. TikTok’s algorithm rewards consistency.

2. Experiment with different types of content—try tutorials, behind-the-scenes videos, or duets with trending creators.

3. Engage with your audience through comments, replies, and live streams. The more interaction you have, the higher your chances of appearing on the For You page.

Pro Tip: Use trending sounds, effects, and hashtags to get your content seen by more people outside of your follower base.

Humorous Observation: If TikTok is your morning ritual, don’t worry—it’s probably helping you grow faster than a cup of coffee.

📚 Must-Read Articles & Books

Read: “TikTok Boom” by Chris Stokel-Walker*

Takeaway: This book dives deep into how TikTok became a global sensation and its impact on culture, media, and business. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to understand the platform’s algorithm, audience, and potential for growth.

Actionable Advice: Stokel-Walker emphasizes the importance of authenticity and community. On TikTok, users want real, relatable content—so the more human your brand appears, the better.

Fun Note: After reading this, you’ll stop thinking TikTok is just for kids and start seeing it as the business powerhouse it truly is.

💡 Founder Spotlight

Founder: Alex Zhu, TikTok

Alex Zhu co-founded TikTok (originally known as Musical.ly) with a vision to combine short-form video content with music and creativity. His goal was to give users a platform to express themselves in fun, unique ways, and the result has been one of the most culturally influential apps of the decade.

Key Growth Strategy: Zhu understood that the future of social media was visual and fast-paced. By focusing on short, snackable content and making it easy for users to create, TikTok revolutionized how people engage with social media.

Quote: “Creativity is the foundation of everything we do.”

Humorous Note: Thanks to Alex Zhu, millions of people now believe they’re professional lip-syncers—TikTok really does make dreams come true.

🔄 Trend Watch

Trend: TikTok SEO is on the Rise

TikTok is not just about fun videos anymore—it’s becoming a search engine in its own right. More users are turning to TikTok to search for product reviews, how-to guides, and educational content, which means optimizing your content for SEO on TikTok can give you a massive visibility boost.

Impact: Brands that create educational or informative content can take advantage of this trend by optimizing their captions and descriptions with relevant keywords and hashtags.

Advice: Treat TikTok like you would YouTube—include keywords in your video titles, captions, and hashtags to increase your discoverability. Focus on evergreen content that answers common questions or solves problems in your niche.

Humorous Prediction: In a few years, TikTok might just replace Google as the go-to search engine for finding out what’s cool—and how to cook dinner.

🧠 Mental Health & Productivity Tips

Tip: Manage TikTok Time Creatively

TikTok is addictive—it’s designed that way. If you’re spending more time watching dance trends than creating content, set time limits. Use tools like App Detox or TikTok’s own screen time management feature to control your usage.

Work-life Balance: Block off 30 minutes each day for TikTok content creation and engagement, but limit your scrolling. Instead of getting sucked into endless videos, focus on researching trends or engaging with your followers in a meaningful way.

Light-hearted Comment: Scrolling through TikTok until 2 a.m. might be fun, but it’s not a growth strategy—save that time for watching cat videos on the weekend.

🔧 Best TikTok Growth Tools

1. TrendTok (Trend Tracking)

Track viral trends and jump on them early to maximize your content’s reach.

2. Tokboard (Sound and Trend Discovery)

Discover trending songs and audio clips on TikTok, and use them in your videos to stay relevant and engage more users.

3. InShot (Video Editing)

A user-friendly video editing app that allows you to easily cut, merge, and add effects to your TikTok content.

4. TikTok Analytics (Performance Insights)

Use TikTok’s native analytics tool to monitor video performance, engagement rates, and audience growth.

5. Hootsuite (Social Scheduling)

Schedule and manage your TikTok content across platforms, keeping your posting consistent and strategic.

Light-hearted Note: These tools will help you stay ahead of the TikTok game, but remember—no tool can replace creativity and a solid dance move or two.

🛠 DIY Growth Experiments

Experiment: A/B Test Different TikTok Styles

TikTok’s algorithm loves variety. A/B testing different content styles—whether it’s storytelling, humor, or direct product demos—can help you figure out what resonates most with your audience.

Steps:

1. Choose two different content styles (e.g., tutorial vs. humor).

2. Post similar content using both styles over the course of a week.

3. Track engagement metrics like views, comments, and shares to see which style performs better.

4. Refine your content strategy based on the results.

Outcome: This experiment will help you discover the kind of content that leads to more engagement, followers, and shares, allowing you to grow faster.

Disclaimer: If you’re trying to test content styles and your only prop is a half-eaten sandwich, you may want to rethink your strategy.

That’s it for today’s TikTok growth-packed newsletter! Whether you’re creating viral challenges, optimizing your profile for search, or experimenting with new content styles, TikTok offers limitless growth opportunities for creators and brands. Just remember—consistency, creativity, and a little fun will get you far on this platform. Keep experimenting, and let the algorithm work its magic!