I’ve spent 12 years in the trenches of content marketing, and before that, I was a newsroom editor. I’ve seen thousands of "brilliant" brand posts die a quiet, invisible death because they lacked a distribution strategy. But even worse? I’ve seen brands jump on a trend with the grace of a toddler on a treadmill. It’s the kind of content that makes the collective internet cringe.
We’ve all seen it: a B2B SaaS company trying to meme a cultural moment that doesn’t fit their brand voice, or an agency trying to force a current event into a whitepaper that nobody asked for. It’s not just ineffective—it’s brand-eroding. Let’s talk about how to tackle trendjacking without losing your soul (or your audience).
1. The "Cringe" Threshold: Why Brands Fail at Trendjacking
The "cringe" factor usually stems from one thing: desperation. When a brand treats current events as a checklist item rather than an opportunity to offer a unique perspective, the audience smells it immediately. If your brand voice is professional and measured, trying to jump into a chaotic TikTok trend is like a librarian trying to crowd-surf. It’s just not your environment.
As the experts at Content Marketing Institute consistently teach, content must be helpful, relevant, and consistent. If you aren't adding value to the conversation, you aren't "participating in the trend"—you’re just cluttering the feed.
Before you publish, ask yourself these three questions:
- Does our brand have a legitimate stake in this conversation? Are we saying something that hasn't already been said by 50 other brands? Is this consistent with our established voice, or are we just trying to be "loud"?
2. Distribution is Not an Afterthought
In my career, I’ve learned that the best story in the world is worthless if it doesn’t have a distribution strategy. Distribution is the other half of content marketing. I have a quirk I’ve maintained for over a decade: I never hit "publish" on a high-stakes post until it has lived in a private Facebook post and a specific Slack channel I use for peer review first.
Why? Because a piece of content needs to survive the "sniff test" in a closed environment before it faces the public. Furthermore, you need to tailor your delivery to the platform:
Platform Best Practice Why it matters Twitter (X) Use inline images High-velocity news consumption; visuals break the scroll. Facebook Lean into video Algorithms prioritize native video, especially for narrative content. LinkedIn Text-first, professional context B2B audiences want depth, not just a link dump.3. The Art of the Visual: Stop Posting Walls of Text
One of my biggest pet peeves is the "wall of text" social update. If you are trying to lean into a trend, you cannot be lazy with your visuals. Images increase engagement and attention—that is non-negotiable. If your page load speed is slow because you uploaded a 10MB unoptimized image, you’ve already lost the user who clicked your link.
When you look at news outlets like CNET, you notice how they frame their news coverage. They understand that the image is the headline’s partner. They don't just pick a stock photo of someone looking at a laptop. They use images that add context, show the product, or highlight the human element of the trend. Your brand should do the same.
Optimization Checklist:
Compress your images: Use modern formats like WebP. A slow site is a distribution killer. Platform-specific previews: Use Open Graph tags to ensure your meta-images render perfectly on social feeds. In-line engagement: For platforms like Twitter, using inline images instead of just a link preview creates a more "native" feel that doesn't scream "advertisement."4. Lessons from the Pros: Spin Sucks and the Power of Transparency
Gini Dietrich’s Spin Sucks is a gold standard for a reason. They don't jump on trends for the sake of impressions. They use their platform to call out industry nonsense, provide transparent advice, and build a community around integrity. When you align your trendjacking with your core mission—rather than chasing the algorithm—you avoid the cringe factor entirely.
If you want to comment on a trend, do it with authority. If your brand is about data, provide the data-backed perspective on the event. If your brand is about service, provide the "how-to" guide that helps people navigate the trend.
5. My Secret Weapon: The Headline Rewrite
I have a rule: if a headline feels PESO Model Spin Sucks "too generic," I rewrite it Find out more three times. If I can’t get it to a point where it sparks curiosity *and* accurately reflects our brand voice, it isn’t ready.
Don't just write "What we think about [Trend]." That’s boring. Try:
- "Why [Trend] is a massive signal for [Your Industry] pros." "Everything you’ve heard about [Trend] is wrong (Here’s the data)." "Beyond the hype: How to actually use [Trend] in your workflow."
6. Creating a Re-share Culture
Content isn't a "one-and-done." I keep a running list of posts that are worth re-sharing across different time zones or repurposed for different platforms. If a post performed well, why wouldn't you share it again in a different format?
For example, take a high-performing blog post about a current trend and turn it into a Twitter thread a week later. Then, create a short video summary for Facebook. Distribution isn't just about the first share; it’s about the longevity of the message.
Final Thoughts: Just Post Less, But Better
The advice to "just post more" is one of the most destructive things you can tell a content team. Posting more without fixing the underlying asset is just filling the internet with more noise. If you want to talk about trends, do it because you have something to add, not because you’re afraid of being left out of the conversation.
Take the time to optimize your images. Ensure your site speed is snappy. Test your content in a private group before you let the public see it. When you focus on the quality of the asset rather than the volume of the output, the "cringe" naturally fades away, replaced by the kind of authority that actually builds a brand.