October’s social media trends are serving up everything from cheeky sales pitches and workplace confessions to pumpkin-headed colleagues. Yes, really.
And the good news for small businesses? You don’t need a professional film crew, a ring light the size of Essex or a degree in video editing to get involved.
Here’s ten trends worth trying this month.
Trend One – “Please Keep Me in Your Thoughts”
This Instagram trend starts with what sounds like a rather serious announcement. Someone asks viewers to keep them in their thoughts, suggesting something terrible has happened.
Then comes the reveal. Nothing’s wrong. They’d just quite like you to remember them the next time you need their services. It’s a wonderfully cheeky way of promoting your business without launching into a full-blown sales pitch.
It works because the opening creates curiosity, and the punchline turns an ordinary call to action into something people might remember.
How to use it
Small businesses: “Please keep me in your thoughts. Nothing’s happened. I’d just like you to remember me when you need a new website.”
Tradespeople: “Please keep me in your thoughts. I’m absolutely fine. Just remember me when your boiler packs up in November.”
Accountants and consultants: “Please keep me in your thoughts. No emergency. Just hoping you’ll remember me before your tax return becomes one.”
Trend Two – “The Process”
People love seeing how things are made. This Instagram trend takes viewers behind the scenes, showing the tools, materials and individual steps involved in creating something. The finished result appears at the end, giving people a little payoff for watching.
It works particularly well for businesses where customers only see the final product and have no idea how much effort goes into producing it.
And if you’ve ever had someone tell you they could get it cheaper elsewhere, this might be the trend for you 😉
How to use it
Makers and product businesses: Show your product going from raw materials to the finished article. Include the fiddly bits that customers don’t normally see.
Trades and home improvement businesses: Film the stages of a renovation, installation or repair. The preparation and attention to detail are often just as impressive as the result.
Bakers and food businesses: Show the ingredients, mixing, preparation, decorating and final presentation. A few short clips can tell the whole story.
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Trend Three – “Be OK”
This TikTok trend uses Ingrid Michaelson’s upbeat song Be OK alongside someone looking cheerful, relaxed or dancing away without a care in the world. Meanwhile, the text on screen reveals a situation that’s considerably less cheerful.
The contrast is the joke. Everything looks perfectly fine on the outside, while the caption describes a minor disaster, an awkward moment or something that would test the patience of a saint.
It’s especially good for businesses because we all have those moments.
How to use it
Small business owners: Film yourself happily working away with the caption: “Me pretending everything’s fine after sending an email saying ‘please see attached’ without attaching anything.”
Service businesses: “When the client says they’ve made one tiny change and sends over an entirely new brief.”
Retail and hospitality businesses: “When someone asks if you’re open while standing directly underneath the enormous OPEN sign.”
The more recognisable the situation, the better. You don’t need to exaggerate much. Running a business provides enough material on its own.
Trend Four – “Once a Day, Once a Week, Once a Month”
This TikTok format divides a routine into three simple categories: something to do every day, something to do every week and something to do every month. It’s straightforward, educational and particularly useful for businesses that want to demonstrate their expertise.
People are more likely to save content they can refer to later, especially when it helps them remember what to do and when. There’s no complicated filming involved either. A few clips and some text will do the job.
How to use it
Accountants and bookkeepers:
- Daily: Record your business expenses.
- Weekly: Reconcile your transactions.
- Monthly: Review your cash flow.
Beauty and skincare businesses:
- Daily: Apply SPF.
- Weekly: Check how your skin is responding to your routine.
- Monthly: Review which products you need to replace.
Marketing businesses:
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- Daily: Respond to comments and messages.
- Weekly: Review your best-performing content.
- Monthly: Plan your next batch of posts.
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Trend Five – “Gossip Girl’s Fall”
Autumn has arrived, and Instagram has decided to make the most of it. This trend uses a Gossip Girl-inspired voiceover announcing the arrival of autumn, accompanied by cosy, seasonal footage. Think changing leaves, warm drinks, autumn outfits, seasonal decorations and anything that makes people want to put on a jumper.
It’s a simple way to show that your business is moving with the seasons, particularly if you’ve got new products, a refreshed space or a seasonal menu.
How to use it
Cafés and restaurants: Film your autumn menu, hot drinks, seasonal dishes or cosy interiors. A few close-up shots are all you need.
Retail businesses: Show your autumn window display, new arrivals or seasonal product collection.
Beauty and wellness businesses: Feature autumn nail colours, treatments, seasonal skincare or a cosy treatment room.
The trick is to make the footage feel inviting. Nobody needs a ten-minute tour of your pumpkin collection.
Listen to the Gossip Girl’s Fall audio on Instagram
Trend Six – “Answer in One Word”
This TikTok trend involves asking ChatGPT, or another person, to answer a question using just one word. The fun comes from the unexpected responses. Creators start with the instruction, “I’ll ask you a question. Answer in one word”, before asking something personal, unusual or deliberately ridiculous.
For businesses, it’s an opportunity to show a bit of personality while giving followers a glimpse into what you do.
How to use it
Small business owners: Tell ChatGPT what your business does, then ask it to describe your working day in one word. Share the response, particularly if it’s painfully accurate.
Food businesses: Ask ChatGPT to describe your signature dish in one word. Compare its answer with what your customers say.
Coaches and consultants: Ask ChatGPT to describe the biggest challenge in your industry using one word, then use the response to start a conversation.
You can screen-record the interaction or simply show the question and answer on screen. And if ChatGPT comes back with something completely ridic, even better.
Explore Answer in One Word on TikTok
Trend Seven – “What Do You Bring to the Table?”
This TikTok trend takes a familiar question and answers it literally. Creators place items on a table, one by one, usually timed to the music, revealing what they bring to a particular situation.
The format is simple, satisfying to watch and surprisingly adaptable. For businesses, it’s a way to show your products, tools or expertise without making another video of someone talking directly to the camera.
How to use it
Beauty businesses: Empty your professional kit onto the table, one item at a time. Show the tools and products you couldn’t work without.
Tradespeople: Lay out the equipment you take to a typical job. You could even include that one tool nobody else is allowed to borrow.
Coaches and consultants: Use objects to represent what you bring to a project. A notebook for planning, a laptop for research, a diary for organisation and perhaps an enormous coffee for everything else.
Retail businesses: Build a collection of complementary products, revealing each item on the beat.
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Trend Eight – “Pumpkin Head Illusion”
It wouldn’t be October without someone finding a new use for a pumpkin.
This TikTok trend creates a simple visual illusion by holding a pumpkin close to the camera so that it appears to replace someone’s head. The person behind it then dances or moves around, creating the impression of a human body with a pumpkin for a head. It looks more complicated than it is, which is part of the appeal.
All you need is a pumpkin, a willing colleague and no sense of shame.
How to use it
Retail businesses: Film your pumpkin-headed colleague browsing the shop, inspecting products or helping prepare a Halloween display.
Hospitality businesses: Have your pumpkin-headed team member welcome customers, inspect the menu or dance through the restaurant.
Small teams: Introduce your newest member of staff. They’ve got a good head for business, apparently.
Remember, you don’t have to join every trend that comes along. Particularly if it involves dancing in public.
