How to Turn Viral Trends Into Paid Social Ads That Convert

Viral trends can elevate paid social campaigns by driving engagement, visibility, and cultural relevance. But if the trend doesn’t fit your brand or audience, it can feel forced (and flop). This guide covers when to embrace trends, when to skip them, and how to turn the right ones into conversions.

Data shows 90% of consumers rely on social media to keep up with cultural moments.

Brands can use viral trends in their social ads and content to tap into a larger audience and boost brand awareness — especially when paired with real-time insights and automation to keep content fresh.

That said, trends can also disappear overnight. And when executed poorly, hopping on a viral trend can come across as inauthentic.

So before you rush to learn a new TikTok dance, it’s worth asking: Will using a viral trend help my brand or miss the mark?

HawkSEM Head of Paid Social Nicole Goodnough lends her expert tips below to help you decide when to take part in the latest viral trends and when to sit out.

Benefits of using viral trends in social media advertising

When done right, using a viral trend can help your brand reach new audiences, earn credibility, and increase engagement — typically for a lower cost than standard ad campaigns.

Here are the pros of using viral trends in paid ads for social networks:

1. Instant attention and cultural relevance

Social algorithms prioritize trends — and trending video content already has audience interest, so your ads are more likely to capture attention quickly and drive traffic.

2. Accessible formats

Trends usually revolve around popular formats (like sounds, memes, or challenges). On platforms like Instagram or Snapchat, that often means using carousel ads, trending topics, or placements that feel native to the channel.

This means you don’t need a lot of resources for conceptualizing your messaging or production. Instead, you have a template to follow.

3. Increased engagement

Users prefer to interact with familiar formats. Ads using trends can see higher likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates.

4. Cultural relevance

Creating trend-driven content makes brands feel approachable and in tune with online culture.

(Image: Scrub Daddy)

The risks of trend-driven ads

Paid social campaigns involve strategic planning, from targeting audiences to testing bid strategies. Viral trends, on the other hand, are unpredictable and can disappear overnight.

“If you have to force your brand to fit a viral trend, it’s probably best to let it go,” says Goodnough. “Your audience will know it’s forced, and it will likely fall flat.”

Here are some risks involved with creating advertising content based on viral trends:

1. Trends are short-lived

By the time you create content based on a viral trend, it may already feel stale and out of touch.

2. Feeling forced and irrelevant

Not every trend aligns with a brand’s voice or audience. Forcing participation can come off as inauthentic and damage your reputation.

3. Oversaturation

While viral trends can boost engagement, it can also be impossible to stand out when so many other accounts are participating.

4. Pressure to produce reactive content

Feeling pressure to produce content quickly shouldn’t be an ongoing social media strategy. Not only does it deplete the creative team and strain resources — but it might not even provide long-term value.

5. A boost in vanity metrics alone

Trends can spike engagement, but that may boost conversion rates. Think of these trends as an opportunity for brand visibility that enhances more sustainable paid social strategies.

When should brands use viral trends in social ads?

Brands should use viral trends in their paid social content when it aligns with their audience and brand voice — without straining their creative team and resources.

“No need to jump on every single trend. In fact, please don’t,” says Goodnough.

“An example from AdWeek: hundreds (or thousands, more likely) of brands jumped on ‘Life of a Showgirl’ content in August, and again with the Taylor-Travis engagement. But which ads and posts are you actually going to remember?”

(Image: Instagram screenshot)

Think a viral trend might be right for your brand? Here’s how to be sure:

1. Your audience is young and trend-driven

Younger audiences (like Gen Z or Millennials) on TikTok or Instagram are more in tune with the latest trends. If your target audience is within that demographic, creating trendy content is worth considering. For audiences on LinkedIn, on the other hand, it may be best to reconsider.

2. You have agile creative teams

While your audience may be young and up-to-date with the latest trends, your creative team also needs to be culturally in touch and agile enough to create social media content spontaneously. Content creation (even short-form videos made for short attention spans) is still time-consuming.

3. The trend is relevant to your brand

If you have the right audience and a capable creative team, using a viral trend could be an option — but only if it fits your brand’s vibe. If it feels off-brand, pass until a new one comes around.

When to avoid viral trends in social campaigns

Brands should avoid viral trends in their social ads when the content feels forced or if there aren’t enough resources to churn it out quickly.

Trends move fast. For businesses with slower creative approval cycles, there probably isn’t enough time to hop on a trend before it’s over.

Similarly, businesses that rely on more evergreen campaigns are focused on steady return on investment (ROI), so a viral trend might be a waste of resources.

But perhaps most importantly, mismatched tone (or trying too hard) can ultimately hurt your brand. When in doubt, wait it out — another viral trend will pop up soon.

How to use viral trends in social ads

“Find a trend that’s relevant to your brand and your audience,” says Goodnough.

“Then, find a way to cleverly incorporate your product or service into an authentic piece of content — the key to fitting into a trend is authenticity!”

Not sure how to do this? Here’s how to use social media trends in your advertising campaigns effectively:

1. Spot trends early

Trends come and go fast, so it’s critical to catch on early in order to gain the most engagement.

Here’s how to catch on to the latest trends:

Use discovery tools offered within your social media platforms

• TikTok’s Discover page for trending sounds, hashtags, and challenges
• Instagram Reels trending audio and hashtags
• YouTube Shorts trending tab
• Pinterest trend reports and trending pins

Check in with trend tracking tools, podcasts, and newsletters

Leverage trend tracking tools like Trendalytics, Exploding Topics, and Google Trends. Additionally, sign up for relevant newsletters and subscribe to podcasts.

Social listening

Monitor relevant hashtags, keywords, and conversations to spot early signals of a trend.

Monitor competitors and creators

Follow competitors, influencers, and creators in your space to see what’s gaining traction and how audiences react.

2. Test organically first

While time is of the essence for viral trends, you can publish your new content organically first to see how it performs. If the content resonates, you can streamline workflows to adapt the format into paid placements quickly.

“The biggest difference between using trends for paid social vs organic social is that we’re not trying to get an ad to go viral,” Goodnough explains. “We’re trying to blend into the native content and stay relevant and authentic.”

3. Blend with brand storytelling

While keeping your content fresh with viral trends can make your business culturally relevant, it’s important to integrate this with content to humanize your brand and build trust.

4. Consider longer-lasting trends

While most trends come and go quickly, others have a longer shelf life.

“A long-lasting trend like ‘POV’ or the meme with the ‘change my mind’ sign can run longer as an ad without feeling outdated like a trend surrounding an event,” says Goodnough.

5. Invest in influencer or content creator partnerships

Content creators can produce high-quality user-generated content (UGC) faster and in a more authentic way.

If you don’t have the resources, UGC video ads may be an option. Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for trendy social media ads as well.

The takeaway

Trying to keep up with viral trends and social media marketing can be exhausting.

Goodnough’s biggest piece of advice? Don’t overthink it.

Stay true to your brand’s voice and storytelling to create content that your audience will enjoy. If following a trend feels effortless and blends in with your digital marketing content, it has the potential to expand your reach.

But it shouldn’t be your primary marketing strategy.

From platform-specific content to ad spend, there’s a lot to consider. At HawkSEM, we work with ecommerce and lead generation brands to craft and optimize paid social media campaigns that go beyond vanity metrics to bring in a higher return on investment.

From PPC to SEO to social media management, our clients see an average 4.5X ROI.

If you’re ready for your marketing campaigns to yield real results, reach out.