How Kapwing Hacks Meme Virality using Trends

Kapwing, the online meme creation platform, used a marketing strategy that hopped on viral trends to grow their own business.

Their approach combines speed, timing, and user education to capture attention at the peak of meme popularity.

The Simple Formula Behind Kapwing's Success

Kapwing's strategy follows a clear pattern. First, they spot memes as they start to gain traction. Then, they create YouTube tutorials showing people how to make these memes.

As interest in the meme grows, people search for ways to create it themselves. These searches lead them to Kapwing's tutorials, which showcase their meme-making platform in action.

Speed Matters: The Wombo AI Example

The Wombo AI case demonstrates Kapwing's rapid response capability.

When Wombo AI app launched on March 11, 2021, Kapwing took just 6 days to release their tutorial.

The video, published on March 17, 2021, earned 222,390 views.

This quick turnaround let them capture the peak of public interest.

Riding the Bernie Sanders Mittens Wave

Kapwing repeated this success with the Bernie Sanders mittens meme. The image of Bernie in his mittens went viral on January 20, 2021.

By January 23, 2021, Kapwing had published their Bernie Sanders mittens meme tutorial.

The 3-day response time paid off, with the video reaching 98,906 views on YouTube.

Building a Meme Template Library

Kapwing has created tools for numerous viral trends like:

• How to Do the Pinterest Trend on TikTok (Lookalike Photo Search Challenge 2021)

• How to Use the Ted Talk Filter on TikTok and Instagram (Ted Talk Filter Tutorial)

• How to Do the My Elf Challenge on Instagram and Twitter (Elf on the Shelf Meme)

• How to Make the Oh No TikTok Meme (Oh No TikTok Trend Challenge Tutorial)

• How to Make the Cat Vibing Meme (CatJam Green Screen Meme Template)

There is an entire playlist of these memes.

You’ll notice the titles and thumbnails emphasize clarity and follow the YouTube SEO best practices:

• How to Use the Wombo AI App and Animate Any Face (Deepfake Maker Tutorial)

• How to Make The Bernie Sanders in Mittens Chair Meme (Easy Template)

Each title clearly mentions the meme, while the thumbnails display the same in bold, eye-catching text.

Each video shows of their own product Kapwing in action.

The success of this strategy lies in its timing and execution. By creating content when interest peaks, Kapwing positions itself as the solution people find when they need it most. Their growing template library shows their commitment to staying current with internet culture and providing tools that match user needs.

Top Tweets of the day

1/

Internet forums to visit. Right now, you have to sift through a lot of garbage to find gold in these forums.

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I have essentially replaced Google Search with Gemini in AI Studio now. Very rarely I use Google now.

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Jeff Bezos has some great writing in his shareholder letters. Listen to Jeff Bezos episodes on Founders podcast.

I love the Handstand example.

Warren Buffett has the perfect quote on the same topic: "No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."

Rabbit Holes

1. Meme Marketing - Use Internet Trends To Boost Your Business! by Trent Kennelly

2. Link Building in 2025 - Strategies for success, and what's changed? by /r/SEO

3. Cursor by Anysphere: The Fastest Growing SaaS Product Ever by Spearhead

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