6 Lessons from Duolingo TikTok Strategist Zaria Parvez
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Last week, I was lucky enough to see Zaria Parvez, Duolingo’s TikTok strategist, give a fantastic keynote at AAF Greater Rochester’s R/AD Week. If you’ve seen the infamous unhinged owl on Duolingo’s TikTok account, you’ve likely either laughed, been shocked, or a little bit of both. Some may assume this is a chaotic and ill-advised approach to social media, but it’s actually incredibly thoughtful and strategic. Duolingo takes calculated risks with their brand on TikTok, delicately balancing their intentions with the impact they anticipate a bold move can have. Here are some key lessons I took away from Zaria’s keynote.
1) Low budget? Don’t let that stand in your way!
Ever since Zaria joined the team at Duolingo, they’ve been creating amazing TikTok content with just an iPhone and a janky old owl costume. Many of my clients fear that they can’t get on TikTok because they don’t have the budget to create lots of video content. You don’t need to hire a videographer or have a fancy camera! Videos shot on iPhone do just fine. TikTok has more of a casual vibe anyways–there’s no need to be ultra-polished. All you need is an iPhone and some creativity!
2) Chase ideas, then trends.
While many people think of TikTok as a place for dance trends and lip syncing audios, trends aren’t everything. Zaria and the social team constantly generate new ideas and develop them. When a trend comes about, they can pair a well thought out idea with the trend.
3) Keep your audience entertained.
People aren’t hanging out on social media to be sold to–they just want to be entertained. So be entertaining! At Duolingo, they think of their social presence as a sitcom with recurring characters. For example, it’s canon in their universe that Duo the owl is in love with pop star Dua Lipa. It’s okay to get weird with it! That makes it fun and keeps your audience engaged.
4) Intersectionality is key.
Zaria spoke about growing up Muslim-American in the Pacific Northwest as the youngest child of two Pakistani immigrants. The need to constantly adapt her identity depending on her context shaped the person she is today. Zaria argues that “the best power any social media manager can have is shapeshifting.” Folks from intersectional backgrounds are likely going to be able to bring that shapeshifting talent to the table! They also tend to have more unconventional ideas that others may not think of. Hire folks from intersectional backgrounds and pay them well!
5) The human truth of your brand is your shining star.
Every brand has a human truth at its core. For Duolingo, it’s “learning a language is hard, so that’s why we make it fun.” This made me consider–what are the human truths at the core of each brand I work with? Keep your human truth in mind when crafting content for your social channels.
6) Community management is invaluable.
As a community manager for a large brand myself, I loved that Zaria made sure to point out that community management is hugely important and often underappreciated. According to Zaria, “the comments section is your social brief.” Your community tells you exactly what they want to see. Listen to them! If you give them what they want, they’ll be delighted. Commenting on videos and posts can also be extremely valuable, so don’t underestimate it. Even a viral comment can cause a spike in active users on Duolingo!
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