We share a lot about huge UGC networks, posting at scale and the power of compounding in organic marketing. That’s a big part of viral short-form marketing.
But sometimes, you don’t have to “go big” to win, at least not straight away. Small details, put out with intention and a growth marketer mindset, can take you a very long way.
These four quick tricks keep popping up on TikTok lately, so we figured we’d break them down for you.
App Notification
It looks like a text or app alert, but it’s actually bait.
Imagine this: you post a slideshow with a dramatic story as a lock screen notification, and right beside it, an app notification.
The slideshow doesn’t seem to be about the app at all, and nothing really gives it away. Other than the notification, there’s no mention of it, so people get curious, and that drives up engagement.
Check out this post, from the same creators as the picture above. Attention is triggered with the cheating confession, but have a look at the comments. No one cares, all eyes are on the notification:
Watermark
It really doesn’t get simpler than this. If you’re building any kind of tool, you should have a watermark on your clips. It’s like putting AdSense on a high-traffic site: easy, passive exposure.
A lot of apps are already doing this, though not always in such a direct way. It might not convert as well as other formats, but over time, the reach adds up.
When your content is created inside the app, you’re already ahead, because if the video takes off, your product does too. The only catch is that it’s harder to include a clear text CTA, so adding a watermark is the next best move.
Mathematical Bait
You’ve probably noticed more and more apps using numbers in their hooks. That’s not random.
Using math in hooks has always been a go-to move for engagement farming. People love correcting others and scream they’re smarter. That’s unlikely to change any time soon.
But now the tactic has leveled up. The real trick is using it in a way that naturally brings attention back to your app.
Onghost, a platform that connects creators with brand deals, is killing it with this approach. They use number-heavy hooks as bait in two clever ways:
- The basic one, with math that is clearly wrong, and people jumping in to correct it
- Claiming reply rates that are just too good to be true, especially to anyone familiar with the creator space (which just happens to be their exact audience)
We’ve broken down their strategy and shared examples—check it out here.
“Leaked” Discount
This one’s great for driving both comments and shares.
People can’t resist a secret or a deal that feels too good to be true. So if you show up as an insider from a brand or store, “leaking” a discount that’s not public (or not even supposed to exist), people will pay attention and want to try it.
How you set up the offer and still make it profitable is on you. But the key is to make it feel like viewers are getting away with something.
That tiny shift turns your content from a regular ad into an almost-illegal secret find. Which one do you think people are more excited to share?
Give one of these a try this week, and let us know how it went.
See you soon,
The Social Growth Engineers Team
Leave a Reply