PR in the age of TikTok: How to balance between social media trends and your brand voice

Welcome to the age of TikTok dances and Instagram reels. In the past decade, high smartphone penetration rates have paved the way for content optimised for mobile screens. Short-form content now dominates as the main content consumed according to a report by We Are Social and Meltwater, so if your brand isn’t already creating short-form content, I’m struggling to listen and not judge.

In my humble opinion, social media content has arguably become the lifeblood of PR and marketing, allowing for greater reach and engagement with targeted audiences. Content is much easier to share and gain trendiness, and understandably it can be fun to have your brand ride on the bandwagon. But let’s take a step back. Jumping on the latest trend might get your brand more notice, but for many social media users, it could also come across as too “try-hard” and cringey instead.

So, how do you ride the trend without wiping out your brand’s credibility? Let me help you break it down!

Social media is a powerful tool for PR campaigns

Suffice to say, social media is now a way of life in Singapore, with 5.16 million social media users in 2025. That’s pretty much over 80% of the population scrolling, liking, commenting and sharing daily. With an oversaturation of content and shorter attention spans, short-form content has become a dynamic way to capture attention and convey messages effectively. In the early dawn of social media, platforms were simply used as a means to network. However, they have now evolved as new mediums for brands to connect with their audiences.

One of the biggest perks that social media offers is real-time communication with its audiences. This allows brands to cultivate an online community that can respond to comments, participate in conversations, and address any issues swiftly without risking losing the narrative control from other sources.

Additionally, social media video content offers a much more cost-effective approach to reach broader audiences. Now, even small businesses can produce various content types without sacrificing quality. The playing field is now more democratised, offering more equal opportunities for brands to compete in terms of visibility and impact.

Content creation can be challenging if you don’t know how to balance trends with corporate voice

One of the content types that many brands will be enticed to ride on would be trends. However, that’s kind of where things start to get tricky. Trending videos definitely give the brand a little boost to its visibility, but it must definitely be exercised with caution because if it’s not aligned with your brand voice, the engagement and relatability to viewers can fall off really quickly.

Take for example, dancing to Saja Boys’ “Soda Pop” from the Netflix show K-pop Demon Hunters. It was such a trend during the summer months of 2025, but if your brand is positioned to be a business news media that delivers only serious stock market and startup funding content, showcasing your staff shrugging shoulders to the beat wouldn’t really resonate with your target audience.

At SYNC, I lead a social media client that operates in the public transport sector. While the client is open to riding on trends at times, we need to be strategic and tactful in how it’s delivered and conveyed. Would tongue-in-cheek content be engaging, or would it come off as our client doesn’t care? For a specific client such as this one, the challenge is balancing the professional image of a company that offers a public good. The brand’s traditional tone often clashes with more playful trending content, and at times we’ll need to assess if such content pushed out could lead to a disconnect between the brand’s identity and the content’s intention.

Finding the sweet spot between trends and professionalism

The baseline is that it’s crucial to align your brand voice with the content that’s created. Always remember that not every trend is fit for every brand!

It’s essential to evaluate the potential impact before diving in. Here’s a quick guide to assess:

• Jump in when the trend aligns with your brand values, and is relevant to your target audience. In other words, start with the end in mind.
• Sit out when the trend feels forced, you find it hard to relate it back to your brand, or if it could potentially alienate your audience.

What this means is that you must develop the know-how to evaluate trends critically. The good news is that it’s not difficult to master, so long as you and your team have a clear understanding of what your brand’s tone and values are. 

Alternatively, trends are not necessarily content that must be followed to the letter. The wonderful thing about social media and content creation is that authenticity will always be valued above all else, so if the trend doesn’t seem to fit, you could explore adapting it to your brand instead of adopting it wholesale. 

The future of PR will be highly social, with the right touch of corporate speak

Brands that aren’t social, aren’t going to be seen. Short-form video content is slowly becoming the primary mode of communication, where audiences will rely on it to discover, connect, and follow brands. For PR professionals like me, it’s a clear sign that our PR efforts will increasingly live chronically online in the social world. 

It’s going to be tempting to chase every trending challenge or sound, but for brands, remaining professional with a consistent brand tone is a non-negotiable. Anyone may love a quirky viral dance, but brands must maintain a level of trust and reliability with the people that matter most – its target audience. It’s all about navigating the balancing act between content that’s engaging yet corporate enough to convey credibility.

At SYNC PR, we’ve got the expertise and know-how to help SMEs and businesses navigate their PR efforts in the era of social media dominance. If you’re keen to explore video content, but not sure how to keep the brand image and authenticity, we’re here to help! Drop us an email at hello(a)syncpr.co today, and let’s start crafting your brand’s story together.