Go viral or go home: The TikTok strategy progressives need
- Philippe Bossin
- Jun 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 4
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, TikTok has emerged as one of the most influential platforms shaping public opinion. With over a billion active users globally, it's not just for teens showing off dance moves—it's a powerful channel to connect with voters, especially younger, politically-engaged audiences.
In this post, Philippe Bossin, a senior organizer at ECDA and former digital lead for a Belgian policymaker who fully embraced TikTok, explains how to master the platform. If your candidate or MP isn't on TikTok yet, this success story might just convince you!
Why progressives need TikTok
TikTok is often dominated by far-right narratives, precisely because progressive voices have historically avoided using the platform for campaigning purposes or approached it without much thought or preparation. By shying away, progressives consciously leave younger generations exposed to one-sided political messaging that is carefully curated and often extreme in nature.
Progressive politicians frequently struggle on TikTok because their content tends to feel overly structured, rigid or "cringe"—leaving untapped the platform’s potential as a space to share authentic, engaging and spontaneous communication. But it doesn’t have to be like that: Petra De Sutter, former Belgian deputy prime minister from the Flemish Green Party (Groen), managed to ‘win’ the platform. On a platform where users generally scroll passively through a feed of rapid-fire clips set by an algorithm, Petra managed to go from zero to 26.000 followers in just about a year.
Spotlight: Petra De Sutter—Queen of TikTok
Petra De Sutter’s TikTok journey exemplifies how progressives can flourish on the platform. What set her apart was not just her personal charisma but also strategic understanding, trust in her digital team, and wholehearted embrace of TikTok's culture.
From dance challenges to insightful policy explainers, Petra—or “Queen P” as her TikTok community affectionately called her—effortlessly balanced humor, authenticity and substance. Her approach was personal, often playful, and perfectly tailored to the platform, making complex policy issues easily digestible and genuinely entertaining.
What can your MP learn from Petra’s approach?
Be yourself: Petra thrived by being genuine. Authentic behind-the-scenes glimpses and spontaneous interactions gave her content a human touch. She had little hesitation in joining in the latest trends.
Trust the experts: Petra’s strategy succeeded because she empowered her digital team, allowing creative freedom and trusting their insights into trends and engagement. She hired young creatives, including Gen Z’ers, to work on her social media content, which helped keep her plugged in to the latest trends.
Policy simplified: Petra successfully explained complex issues succinctly, turning challenging topics into short, engaging clips without sacrificing depth.
Humor and trends: Participating appropriately in popular trends and memes gave her visibility and connected deeply with younger audiences.
Thanks to these methods, Petra’s follower count skyrocketed, solidifying her status as Queen P or “the Prime Minister of TikTok” and demonstrating that following these principles can really achieve results on the platform.
Practical TikTok tips from Petra’s strategy team
Here's advice directly inspired by Petra De Sutter’s successful campaign:
Keep it short and punchy: Aim for 15-60-second clips. Hook viewers in the first few seconds or lose them to more engaging content.
Make the most of TikTok tools: Edit directly in the app or use user-friendly tools like CapCut and Splice for advanced features.
Use clear subtitles: Include captions as many watch videos without sound. Automated AI captioning tools are a great help.
Use natural lighting: Simple, natural lighting is essential. Film facing windows or outdoors. Using a high quality phone camera is perfectly fine, don’t overshoot.
Identify trends with purpose: Get involved with relevant hashtags or challenges to boost visibility—just stay authentic and strategic about which trends to engage with and which to skip.
Stay consistent: Post regularly to build a loyal audience. Staying silent for a few weeks at a time is deadly for your organic reach. Remember: political ads are banned on the platform. Zero to low organic reach means no views.
A bigger battle: Why TikTok matters
Progressives often hesitate to engage on digital territory where far-right groups predominate. Yet, TikTok represents a critical front in the battle for young voters. If progressives don’t actively participate, they risk conceding significant ground in shaping future political discourse. Petra’s example proves that strategic, sincere engagement is both possible and extremely rewarding—highlighted by her remarkable performance at the latest national elections, where she managed to outperform the incumbent Belgian prime minister in their shared electoral district.
Final thought: Authenticity is a skill
While TikTok’s strength lies in authenticity, achieving genuine connection isn’t always intuitive. It requires a strategic yet flexible approach, understanding platform nuances, and sometimes even personalised support to help politicians find their own digital voice. Politicians—and their teams—must overcome fears about appearing genuine online. Once this barrier is crossed, as Petra De Sutter has shown, TikTok can become an extraordinary campaigning tool, reshaping not just a politician's image, but entire elections.
Ready to master TikTok for your campaign?
Reach out to the ECDA—we'd love to talk strategy and help you turn TikTok into your campaign’s secret weapon. Contact us at: info@centerfordigitalaction.eu
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