3 Trends Gen Z is obsessed with

The go-to formats driving growth for Gen Z brands on social media

April 19, 2025

Read Time: 1 Minutes 30 Seconds

Hey — Ryan here.

In today’s edition we’ll be covering:

  • 3 video styles dominating April

  • Breakdown of why this content is blowing up

  • Proven formats you can try today to grow your brand

So…

We’ve analyzed top-performing creators and brands on social media this month,

and we’ve identified 3 video styles that Gen Z creators like Hannah Trenches, Cosmic Skeptic, and Edward So are using to drive insane organic reach that you can steal

Let’s get into it.

Style #1: AI Narration

This one’s going crazy viral.

Oh, and there’s more

Like this one that received 1.7M views

And this one with 10.5M views of back-and-forth banter with ChatGPT

There’s two things that they all have in common:

Their content provides (1) authenticity and (2) novelty

Why it works:

  • Novelty: The best content is novel aka it’s ‘never been done before’, these creators are pushing the creative limits of what’s possible using AI

  • Authentic Storytelling: There’s one thing no one can ever copy, YOUR story, plus audiences love a great ‘hero’s journey’ arch

  • Nostalgia: It takes inspiration from legacy media, think of the opening credits of your favorite TV shows (for ex. Full House’s intro)

How to apply it:

  • Twist the ordinary: Add an absurd, humorous spin to your hook (first 3-8 seconds of your video)

  • Self-deprecate smartly: Don’t be afraid to poke fun at yourself or your product—it humanizes your brand and builds trust

  • Nostalgia: Think about your favorite shows growing up and how you can reignite that magic on short-form

You see, if you’re building an online presence, taking creative risks puts you ahead of the curve.

Style #2: Hopecore

Trends comes-and-go, your job is to join the conversation while it’s still relevant.

Top-of-funnel aka viral brand awareness pieces is a perfect way to warm up your audience before ever promoting your product or service

‘Hopecore’ has been a huge trend the past 3 months…

This app @Hopecore_app grew to 74.4k followers using this same format

It started out as inspirational content like this Kai Cenat clip 

But it quickly turned into parodies that are only getting more and more creative

Like this one by @edwardkso that’s at 800k views

Or this one on the topic of ‘iPad Kids’ at 3M views

Why it works:

  • Built-in attention: Trends already come with an audience

  • Instant relatability: People immediately connect and are drawn to content because they’ve seen the trend before

  • Parody: People love to poke fun on trends - it’s similar to all the Ashton Hall parodies (my favorite is Zach King’s version at 22.3M views)

How to apply it:

  • Act fast: The earlier you hop on a trend, the higher your chance of standing out

  • Turn it into a parody: Don’t just copy—shock the viewer with a topic they wouldn’t expect you to talk about using ‘hopecore’ music

  • Stay on-brand: Only join trends that fit your tone and audience. Forcing it feels inauthentic

Style #3: Series-Based Content

Series-based content has taken the internet by storm

This strategy transforms short-form content into TV episodes…

@Chloeshih hit 1M followers in less than a year with her ‘30 Lessons by 30’ Series

@Mylenesmind grew to 526k followers following the exact same method

Even one of our clients @profitplugg’s did it with his ‘20 Money Lessons Series’ !!

Why it works:

  • Episodic Content: This style of content ‘breaks the algorithm’ by developing deep buy-in from the audience to want to follow/stay tuned for the entire series (similar to how Netflix reels you in)

  • Repeatable Idea: Eliminates the burden of worrying about the video concept since the overarching theme guides every idea

How to apply it:

  • Identify your audience’s struggles: List as many problems as possible that your ideal viewer is facing

  • Outline their dream outcome: What are you uniquely positioned to share to solve those problems? What would their life looks like after solving those problems?

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Thanks for showing up this week. We’ll see you in the next :).

Sincerely,

Ryan

P.S. If you're ready for more, we’ve got you covered:

  1. Access case studies - Breaking down how top creators and brands grew 7-8 figure businesses off of organic content.

  2. Work with us 1:1 - For those serious about adopting next-gen content & marketing strategies.