Sunday Recap: Lessons from 5 Brands Crushing It on Social Media
It’s Sunday, the perfect time to step back, reflect, and gather inspiration for the week ahead. Whether building your brand’s presence from the ground up or looking to level up your existing strategy, there’s no better teacher than real-world success.
Today’s Sunday Recap dives into five brands that are crushing it on social media in 2025. From authentic storytelling to community-driven content, here’s what they’re doing right and what you can learn from them.
1. Duolingo— Embracing Edgy, Platform-Native Content
Platform: TikTok
Why It Works: Duolingo’s TikTok strategy is less about language lessons and more about entertaining, culturally fluent content. Their mascot, Duo the owl, has become a chaotic, meme-worthy star that users genuinely love.
Lesson:
✅ Loosen the reins and lean into humor. Social media isn’t always the place for polished perfection — it’s for personality. Duolingo nailed TikTok by embracing trends and speaking the platform’s language.
Try this: Don’t just post—play. Use native platform trends, audios, and memes to connect with your audience in an authentic, relatable way.
2. Glossier — Building a Brand Through Community
Platform: Instagram
Why It Works: Glossier has built its brand by showcasing its customers. Their feed is full of user-generated content, real reviews, and reposted selfies. The result? A brand that feels inclusive, human, and aspirational.
Lesson: on Lessons from 5 Brands Crushing It on Social Media
✅ Put your customers at the center of your story. Social proof isn’t just effective — it is the brand for Glossier.
Try this: Start a hashtag campaign and encourage your audience to share how they use your product or service. Repost their content and make them feel seen.
3. Domino’s — Tech-Driven Storytelling That Delivers
Platform: X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram Stories
Why It Works: Domino’s excels at combining convenience with fun. From order-anywhere tech integrations to clever Twitter replies and Stories showcasing behind-the-scenes content, Domino’s makes ordering pizza feel interactive and frictionless.
Lesson: on Lessons from 5 Brands Crushing It on Social Media
✅ Your product isn’t boring, it just needs a better delivery (pun intended). Make your value prop visible in ways that are engaging and easy to access.
Try this: Highlight how your service works through short video demos or interactive stories. Use polls, stickers, and replies to engage customers in real time.
4. Away — Aspirational Aesthetics Meet Functional Value
Platform: Pinterest & Instagram
Why It Works: Away, the travel brand, nails the aspirational lifestyle imagery game. Their content evokes a sense of wanderlust while subtly showcasing the practicality and quality of their luggage.
Lesson: on Lessons from 5 Brands Crushing It on Social Media
✅ Show, don’t just tell. Away tells lifestyle stories where their product fits naturally, not through hard sells but soft placement and stunning visuals.
Try this: Create a “vibe” around your product. Curate visuals that tell a story about how it fits into your customers’ ideal life.
5. BarkBox — Owning the Niche (and Having Fun Doing It)
Platform: Facebook, Instagram, Email
Why It Works: BarkBox understands dog lovers to the core. Their witty, pun-filled content speaks directly to pet parents with humor, relatability, and just the right amount of absurdity.
Lesson: on Lessons from 5 Brands Crushing It on Social Media
✅ Know your niche, and speak their language. BarkBox doesn’t try to appeal to everyone; they go all in on their ideal customer, and it works.
Try this: Dial into the humor, tone, and specific culture of your audience. Niche doesn’t mean small it means focused.
Final Thoughts on Lessons from 5 Brands Crushing It on Social Media
These five brands prove there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to social media but there are consistent traits:
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Authenticity over perfection
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Community over control
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Consistency with a human voice
As you head into a new week, ask yourself: What’s one lesson from these brands that I can apply to my own strategy?
Whether it’s showcasing your audience, embracing platform-native content, or storytelling through visuals — the magic happens when you stop broadcasting and start connecting.
