20VC: How Duolingo Scaled to 8M TikTok Followers, How to Create Viral Content, Why Most Companies Suck at Content Marketing and How to Change & Why You Should Not Work with Content Agencies with Zaria Parvez, Global Social Media Manager @ Duolingo

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.

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?

2. 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”?

3. 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?

4. 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?