Daryl is currently an Investor at Trihill Capital, investing in early-stage startups across South-East Asia & Founder of The Next Batch.
He was previously at Hypotenuse AI (YC S20) and Deskimo (YC S21), wearing multiple hats across Growth, Product, Partnerships, Marketing and Analytics.
Guest Author: Daryl Lim
How did Duolingo scale to ~10 million TikTok followers?
🌟 The person behind it? Zaria Parvez
What initially began as an experimental endeavor has evolved into Duolingo’s most triumphant social media campaign, driven by Zaria’s profound instincts.
❓Why Tiktok?
As a platform native, Zaria recognised the power of TikTok’s billion-strong user base. It became evident that engaging users on TikTok could redirect attention back to Duolingo’s language-learning app.
Embracing TikTok’s culture of remixing content, Duolingo initially borrowed trends before developing its unique narrative style. Treating TikTok as a sitcom, each video becomes an episode, contributing to a larger storyline that engages followers.
🖼 Art vs Science in content creation
While understanding the platform’s mechanics is crucial, true success lies in the ability to merge creativity with trend awareness, resulting in entertaining and engaging content.
👨💼 Agencies
Zaria suggests that the best content is created by individuals who are deeply connected to the brand’s mission and values. While agencies may offer expertise, internal teams often have a better understanding of the brand’s essence and can create more authentic content.
🥊 The Secret -> Power of Youth
“I think it was the naive day of like being in an office for the first time. Like I always say, the reason why our TikTok was so successful is because I didn’t really know all that much about advertising if I’m being honest. “
Zaria believes that the lack of money is what inspires creativity and the young and poor have that in abundance. That is why there is probably more innovation coming from younger people cause they have a lack of things.
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Photo Credits: Duolingo Super Bowl Ad
#tiktok#duolingo#viral#marketing
