Inside Duolingo's Winning Social Media Strategy
Since early 2021, Duolingo’s business has skyrocketed, growing their social platform from 50,000 to 8 million followers, and in August 2023, Duolingo reported a whopping 5.2 million paid subscribers, up 59% from the previous year. Monthly active users also saw a 50% year-over-year increase. This remarkable growth is largely attributed to their social strategy, with a significant emphasis on TikTok. Clearly, their content and social strategy is working.
This marketing strategy is a masterclass in blending creativity and the cultural zeitgeist to create an entertaining narrative for the brand. Our CEO had the opportunity to do a deep dive with their head of social, Zaria Parvez so we wanted to share the key takeaways.
Here are a few that stood out:
💡 Be brave & lean into what is already working
Zaria started as a social media coordinator straight out of college in 2020. She had limited marketing experience, zero production skills, no budget and no strategy. She just leaned into what was already working on TikTok and went for it.
💡 Creative freedom is key
Sometimes less money and more creative freedom is all you need. Many companies try and create content with budget and brand constraints. This model doesn't work. If you are limited in budget, you have to be brave with your content.
💡 Just do it
They have a "ship it" mentality. There is limited brainstorming and more content creation based on trends and team ideas. Don't overthink it, just be present. To quote Zaria "it's not that deep." Your content is about 15 seconds of someone's day.
💡 Community first
They use the comment section to come up with creative ideas and also engage with their community. They show up outside their own account. This extends the brand's visibility and allows them to further participate in conversations.
💡 Leadership support is key
This is a big one. By building alignment and trust with key stakeholders, the marketing team is able to understand the guardrails without the redtape slowing them down.
Duolingo's story is a testament to the power of creativity, courage, and community-centric approaches in social media and content marketing. It demonstrates that even with limited resources, a bold strategy can have a significant impact.
