Link: Duolingo’s TikTok Famous Owl Is Spending More Time on YouTube

Duolingo has made its TikTok account a hit with users, emerging as an example of how companies can find a voice on short-form video. It’s got a plan for a potential TikTok ban. The language learning app, best known by its pushy owl mascot, has been expanding its presence on YouTube Shorts since early last year. For example, it ran a 10-part sitcom-style series on Shorts focusing on another one of its mascot characters, Lily, and why she inexplicably has a human family. “We’re focusing more on how we keep creating entertaining content and how that can translate across platforms,” said Zaria Parvez, Duolingo’s senior global social media manager, who is the mastermind behind the company’s TikTok success. “I don’t think any brand has cracked [YouTube Shorts] yet.” But Duolingo is not backing away from TikTok in the interim. “We’re treating it as if nothing has changed,” until something does, she said. Her team is taking some precautionary measures though, such as making sure they save all their TikTok videos, so they don’t lose access to them if the platform were to disappear. That strategy tracks with what I’m hearing from other creators and brands on TikTok: continue to publish on TikTok as usual but making sure you’re engaged on rival apps. I’ve also felt a sense of fatigue from account holders about preparing for a ban—some still don’t think it will happen despite being law because of all the previous stops and starts in the past four years.  #

--

Yoooo, this is a quick note on a link that made me go, WTF? Find all past links here.