Over the past year, the objective when leading the community management strategy for Tinder was to reposition the brand as the authentic, Gen Z-centric platform where dating isn't about perfection, but about real, relatable experiences. We recognized an opportunity to connect with Gen Z across the brand’s social media platforms, especially on TikTok, where the heart of the conversation often happens. Our goal was to speak to this audience with an authentic voice that reflects their dating experiences and interests. Tinder needed to embrace bold, unapologetic content that mirrored the reality of modern dating.
We aimed to drive engagement by participating in viral trends, fostering conversation, and using humor to connect with Gen Z. By placing a primary focus on TikTok and expanding the strategy to Instagram and Threads, we sought to not just reach our audience, but engage them deeply. The content needed to feel personal, not product-driven, and portray Tinder as a regular social media user and person, rather than a brand pushing a service or product (which is so often seen across social platforms). This approach was key to creating more authentic interactions and cultivating brand love through organic conversation, humor, and cultural relevance.
Our community management strategy was driven by a deep understanding of where Gen Z lives online and how they communicate. Over the past year, we shifted Tinder’s tone and engagement approach across TikTok, Instagram, and Threads to build a more authentic and engaging presence.
On TikTok, we leaned into trends and community interaction to speak directly to our audience in their language. We recognized that Gen Z gravitates towards content that is bold, fun, and real, both unfiltered and imperfect. By engaging in the depths of TikTok’s comment sections, we found that responding to user-generated content (UGC) in a playful, sassy, and relatable way sparked conversation. This community-first tactic has driven incredible engagement.
We adopted a "creator-first" approach, understanding that Tinder’s role was to participate in the conversation, not just broadcast it. We fostered an environment intended to make our users feel like Tinder is more of a peer than a brand. We consistently leveraged the comment stitch and response tool to engage with Gen Z’s humor, leveraging current trends with humorous and relatable dating takes like “He sent me a voice memo and I responded “OK”, and “making my boyfriend do an interpretive dance” that resonated with the Gen Z female demographic.
This strategy extended to Instagram, where we embraced Tinder’s underdog status. We found that static posts, especially ones that tapped into cultural moments, performed extremely well. For example, a billboard post on Instagram was so successful that it led to a series called “Hot Takes Made Cute,” which became one of Tinder’s top-performing content series. In Threads, Tinder embraced the casual, conversational nature of the platform, where grammar was secondary and speed was everything. Tinder became part of the daily conversations of its audience, sharing quick, witty comments on trending topics and staying in tune with the cultural zeitgeist. The focus wasn’t on pushing Tinder’s service but on fostering genuine interactions with Gen Z. Through this approach, Tinder became an early adopter of Threads and built a strong, engaged following there.
Our community management strategy successfully achieved the goal of repositioning Tinder as an authentic, Gen Z-centric platform, driving engagement and fostering positive sentiment across social media. On TikTok, our approach generated over 1 million comment likes in September 2024 alone, proving the effectiveness of engaging in authentic, community-driven conversations. One particular comment amassed over 300,000 likes in less than 24 hours, demonstrating the viral potential of our strategy and the depth of engagement with Gen Z. This engagement has helped elevate Tinder’s relevance in the cultural conversation, especially in the context of dating. Our content around current trends also saw significant engagement, for example, our “Women in Male Fields” video had an eRate 100% above benchmark with views 96% above benchmark.
On Instagram, we saw impressive results with content that spoke directly to Gen Z's humor and relatability. A Thanksgiving post reached 68% above the benchmark engagement rate, and a Voting Billboard post exceeded 285% above the benchmark in reach.
Tinder’s Threads strategy also yielded strong results, contributing to a more relatable and conversational presence on the platform. This helped establish Tinder as a trusted voice in the Gen Z community, where quick, relatable content continued to spark interactions and sharing. Some examples of successful Threads posts:
