Zaria Parvez: How Duolingo Scaled to 8M TikTok Followers & How to Create Viral Content | E1105

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

January 19, 2024

Duration

56m

Channel

The Twenty Minute VC

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Captions is used by over five million people and businesses, and has investors like Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia & A16Z. Visit now captions.ai and try it for yourself. --------------------------------------------- Zaria Parvez is Duolingo’s Senior Global Social Media Manager where she is famed for scaling Duolingo’s TikTok from 50K followers in September 2021 to 8M followers today. The Duolingo TikTok has 143 viral videos (view counts of 1M or higher) due to Zaria’s creativity. What started as a test-and-learn initiative has become Duolingo’s most successful social buzz and word-of-mouth initiative to date – all because of Zaria’s insights, instincts, and expertise. --------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (01:08) Duolingo Introduction & Green Owl Story (05:52) TikTok: Art or Science? (08:23) Content Creation: Copy vs. Innovate (14:58) Office Culture & Creativity (17:07) Shorts vs. Reels vs. TikTok (19:51) The Science of Virality (21:18) Consistency in TikTok Success (28:38) Measuring Content Success (42:42) Creative Disruptions (47:00) Challenges in Content Creation (52:39) Quick-Fire Round --------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode with Zaria Parvez:

1. From College Student to TikTok Star: How did Zaria make her way into the world of social media and Duolingo? When did Zaria realize the power of TikTok? What did she do as a first step? What does Zaria know now about growing on TikTok that she wishes she’d known when she started?

1. How to Create a Viral Video: What have been Zaria’s biggest lessons in what it takes to create a viral video? What does Zaria mean when she says the best content is “medicine to candy”? What does the ideation process look like for new content ideas? How much budget should be set aside for new content? What does Zaria mean when she says Duolingo’s TikTok needs to view like a “sitcom”?

1. How to Tie Success in Content Back to Hard Dollars: How is “success” in content measured at Duolingo? How fast does Zaria know if a video is a hit or not? What is the right cadence to post? How should companies determine whether content is ultimately successful or not? What is the single metric that Zaria is focused on today?

1. How to Build the Best Content Team: Why should companies not work with content agencies if they want the best results? Why does Zaria believe you have to hire troublemakers if you want success in content? What are the single biggest mistakes companies make when hiring content teams? --------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Duolingo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/duolingo Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vchq Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact --------------------------------------------- #harrystebbings #20vc #duolingo #ZariaParvez

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Zaria Parvez

  guest

• Harry Stebbings

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Zaria Parvez and Harry Stebbings, Zaria Parvez: How Duolingo Scaled to 8M TikTok Followers & How to Create Viral Content | E1105 explores inside Duolingo’s TikTok: Scrappy Creativity, Sitcom Lore, and Real Impact Zaria Parvez, the social lead behind Duolingo’s 8.8M-follower TikTok, explains how a scrappy, experimental approach transformed a “Happy Earth Day” brand feed into one of the internet’s most influential accounts.

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