How To Know When You Should Sit a Trend Out

By: Riley Behm

If you’ve spent any time on social media in the past few years, you’ve witnessed it: a major cultural moment happens, and suddenly every brand on the internet is scrambling to make a post about it. A celebrity makes an announcement, a meme goes viral, and within hours your feed is flooded with brands desperately trying to be a part of the conversation.

But here’s what most brands don’t want to hear: you don’t need to comment on everything. In fact, sometimes the smartest move is knowing when to sit one out.

So how do you know when your brand should jump on a trend versus when you should stay in your lane?

Step 1: Ask Yourself If The Trend Actually Relates To Your Brand

Does this trend have anything to do with what you sell, who you are, or what you stand for? If you’re a music streaming service and Taylor Swift drops an album, that’s your moment. If you’re a law firm or a doctors office, it’s really not.

Before creating content related to a trend or cultural phenomenon, ask yourself: would my audience expect me to comment on this? Does this fit naturally into the type of content we already are posting? If the answer is no, simply move on and stick to your regularly scheduled content.

Step 2: Evaluate If Your Brand Hopping On The Trend Adds Any Actual Value

Can you actually contribute something worthwhile to the conversation, or are you just adding noise? Is your take on the trend beneficial and unique? Or does it feel forced and like a grab for likes?

If you can’t add value, you’re just contributing to the noise; your audience will likely see right through it. It’s not worth it.

Step 3: Check If It Aligns With Your Brand Voice

Every brand should have its own personality and voice on social media. Trendy content needs to match it. Audiences appreciate consistency from brands and it is important to maintain a consistent brand voice.

Before you post, ask: Does this sound like us? If you’re suddenly acting completely different just to chase a trend, your audience will notice, and not in a good way. Also some trends and popularly discussed topics can hurt your brand to join the conversation on.

Step 4: Ask What Happens If You Don’t Post

What actually happens if you sit this one out? Probably nothing. Your audience isn’t checking your feed expecting you to weigh in on every cultural moment… unless your company specializes in pop cultural no one is expecting your brand to chime in.

The fear of missing out drives a lot of bad content decisions. But the truth is, not participating in a trend rarely hurts you other than possibly losing some potential extra engagement. Participating poorly in a trend and looking desperate? That actually does damage your brands image on social media.

Next Time Think Twice Before Jumping On A Trend

In an era where every brand thinks they need to comment on every cultural moment, the smartest brands are the ones who know when to sit out. Sitting some out and not seeming desperate also makes the ones you choose to participate in that much better and enjoyable for audiences.

Relevance without authenticity is just noise. Before you jump onto the next big trend, be honest with yourself about whether it makes sense for your brand.

Sometimes the best content strategy is knowing when to stay quiet and focus on what you actually do well. Your audience will likely respect you more for it.

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