Objectives

The It Gets Better Project is a 501(c)(3) with a singular focus on empowering LGBTQ+ youth around the world to embrace and celebrate their authentic selves. It fulfills its mission to uplift and connect LGBTQ+ youth through storytelling and community building. 

The It Gets Better Project partnered with Media Cause on the 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. campaign — an initiative aiming to use school-based projects to empower LGBTQ+ youth in all 50 states and bring awareness to grant opportunities. 

For the 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. campaign to be successful, It Gets Better Project needed to get on middle and high schoolers’ radar, and TikTok was chosen as the channel most popular with this audience, specifically leveraging TikTok influencers in the education space. The aim was to encourage students to participate in the campaign by submitting an application in partnership with one of their teachers. 

Strategy and Execution

One of the main obstacles to the campaign was a lack of awareness. With so much content competing for our target audiences’ attention, we knew that we needed to make the campaign personal and authentic to ensure it stood out. We decided to explore an influencer marketing campaign on TikTok to target the younger audiences, as well as millennial educators, meeting them where they are and speaking their language. 

We established and leveraged partnerships with TikTok creators, specifically educators, to launch the #FavoriteTeacher campaign. #FavoriteTeacher was designed to give users the opportunity to acknowledge the important role of educators in the lives of teens and how essential it is for LBGTQ+ youth to have supportive adults in their schools, in addition to bringing awareness to The It Gets Better Project grant opportunities.

• Influencer Identification + Activation Strategy — We researched and identified creators, specifically educators, who identified themselves as advocates for LGBTQ+ youth and frequently created thoughtful and interesting content. We developed an activation strategy, giving users the opportunity to acknowledge the important role of educators in their lives, called #FavoriteTeacher. Each creator shared a special story on TikTok about the role of an educator in their life, especially as an LGBTQ+ youth, and the positive impact of this person.
• Influencer Strategy Execution + Reporting — As we began working with the creators, we provided a complete brief, including a campaign overview, links, deliverables, and timelines. This ensured that each creator was equipped with a full understanding of the campaign and had the tools needed to develop and deliver content in a timely and efficient manner. 

We worked with creators to come up with unique concepts for their posts that would catch the attention of our target audiences as they rapidly scrolled through TikTok. As content was being developed, we ensured all influencer posts included the appropriate messaging that would resonate with the students and educators we were trying to reach. We also monitored the development of the content so that all questions could be answered, rounds of revisions could be made, and The It Gets Better Project team had time for approval of each phase of development. 

Once content was created and approved, we strategically timed the release of each post to fall within a time frame that allowed for the best chance of increased reach and awareness.

Results

By establishing relationships and leveraging partnerships with creators to launch the #FavoriteTeacher campaign through TikTok, we achieved our goal by driving awareness of The It Gets Better Project and the 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. grant opportunity for teens and educators. 

After the content publication, we delivered a report to the client midway through and at the end of the campaign, detailing the results. Our campaign reached millions and engaged thousands of LGBTQ+ youth, educators, and allies across the United States, resulting in 128 complete applications from 40 different states—including some from conservative-leaning locations.

The following are a few highlights detailing the positive impact that this TikTok influencer marketing campaign had for The It Gets Better Project and their overall 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. campaign.

• 1,304% increase in profile views

• 214% week-over-week change in video views

• 104M Total views on #FavoriteTeacher on TikTok

• 66% increase in net follower growth week-over-week for It Gets Better

• 41% increase in follower growth week-over-week, compared with 8% growth for the previous weeks

• 500% increase in site traffic information

Media