How to Use Memes on Social Media

Using memes on social media can get your brand massive engagement, but doing it wrong can make you look completely out of touch. When you get it right, you tap into the language of the internet, making your brand feel more human and relatable. This guide walks you through exactly how to find, create, and share memes that connect with your audience - without feeling forced or cringey.

So, Why Bother With Memes Anyway?

Memes aren't just silly pictures with funny text - they are a form of cultural shorthand. They work because they are built on shared experiences and inside jokes. For brands, this offers a unique opportunity to stop talking at your audience and start talking with them.

Here's what successful memeing can do for you:

• Boost Engagement: Memes are highly shareable. When someone sees a meme that perfectly captures a feeling they have, their first instinct is to share it. This is an organic reach that ads can't buy.
• Show Personality: Memes give your brand a human voice. They show you don't take yourself too seriously and that there are actual people behind the logo. It's a fast track to building brand affinity and trust.
• Stay Relevant: Participating in current trends shows that your brand has its finger on the pulse of internet culture. It positions you as current and in-the-know, not a dusty corporation stuck in the past.

The Foundation: Know Your Audience and Brand Voice

Before you even think about using a meme, you have to nail down two things: who you're talking to and who you are. This is the step that separates a legendary brand moment from an embarrassing flop that ends up on a "brands trying too hard" compilation.

1. Deeply Understand Your Audience

Who follows you? What do they care about? What are their daily struggles and joys? What corners of the internet do they hang out in?

A meme that works for a gaming company targeting Gen Z will almost certainly fall flat for a financial services firm whose audience is primarily retirees. You have to speak their language. If you don't know what kind of humor your audience appreciates, your attempts will feel inauthentic.

Actionable Step: Spend time where your audience does. Read the comments on your posts, browse relevant Reddit forums, and pay attention to what influencers in your niche are sharing. Look for recurring pain points, inside jokes, and wins that you can tap into.

2. Define a Clear Brand Voice

Your brand's personality needs to be consistent. Are you witty and sarcastic? Wholesome and supportive? Quirky and energetic? Your memes must align with this established voice. If your brand is known for being serious and professional, suddenly dropping a bizarre, absurd meme will feel jarring and out of character.

Actionable Step: Write down three to five adjectives that describe your brand's personality (e.g., "Mischievous, Helpful, Unfiltered"). Every meme you consider creating should feel like it fits naturally within those descriptors.

Where to Find Winning Meme Formats

Meme trends move at the speed of light. To keep up, you need to know where to look. The best place to start is where memes are born and spread most quickly.

• TikTok: The undisputed king of short-form video is a meme factory. Sounds, filters, and video formats become global trends overnight. The "For You" page is your best research tool.
• Instagram Reels: Many TikTok trends migrate here. Keep an eye on the Reels tab to see what sounds and formats are gaining traction with the Instagram audience.
• X (formerly Twitter): Still a primary hub for instant, text-based, and reactive humor. This is where text-over-image memes and topical social commentary thrive.
• Reddit: Subreddits like r/memes or niche community subreddits are good for spotting new formats before they go mainstream.

Trending Formats vs. Evergreen Formats

It's helpful to think about memes in two categories:

Emerging Trends: These are formats that pop up suddenly and are everywhere for a week or two, then vanish. Think of the "Little Miss" or "She's a 10 but..." trends. They offer high reward if you catch them early, but they also have a very short lifespan. If you're two weeks late, it's better to skip it.

Evergreen Formats: These are the classics that have been around for years and are universally understood. Formats like Drakeposting, Disappointed Fan, or Woman Yelling at a Cat are so well-established you can use them anytime a fitting situation arises. They are safer bets and don't depend as much on split-second timing.

The Golden Rules of Using Memes for Your Brand

Once you've found a potential meme, pause. Just because you can use a meme doesn't mean you should. Follow these rules to avoid common pitfalls.

Rule #1: Timing Is Everything

The number one sin of meme marketing is being late to the party. An amazing meme from three weeks ago is already ancient history on the internet. Your team needs to be agile enough to spot a trend, create a relevant version, and post it within a day or two. If you can't move that fast, stick to evergreen formats.

Rule #2: Make it Relatable, Not Promotional

The purpose of a meme is to connect over a shared human experience, not to hawk your product. The best brand memes feel like they were made by a fan, not the marketing department. Your product or brand should either be subtly integrated or the "punchline" to a problem your audience faces.

Bad Example: A Drakeposting meme where Drake disapproves of "Other Brands" and approves of "Our Product." This is just a lazy ad.

Good Example: A "My Biggest Weakness In a Job Interview" meme where the answer is something hilariously specific to your industry. It says nothing about your product but everything about understanding a universal struggle of your audience.

Rule #3: Investigate Before You Participate

Do your homework. Before you use any meme, find out where it came from. Some have surprisingly dark or problematic origins. A quick search on a site like Know Your Meme can explain its context, origin, and spread. This simple step can save you from a major PR crisis.

Rule #4: Don't Over-Edit the Format

People recognize a meme because of its familiar structure. Don't add your logo everywhere, change the colors to match your brand guide, or fundamentally alter the image. The humor comes from applying your specific text to a universally understood format.

Rule #5: Stay True to Your Brand (and Platform)

A snarky, pop-culture-heavy meme might crush it on X but completely tank on LinkedIn. Adjust your approach based on the platform and what your audience expects to see there. LinkedIn is great for relatable workplace humor, while TikTok is prime for chaotic, fast-paced video trends.

A Simple 4-Step Process to Create Your First Brand Meme

Feeling antsy to give it a try? Here’s a straightforward workflow.

1. Identify an emotion or experience. What's a nearly-universal feeling for your customers? The relief when a bug finally gets fixed? The quiet panic of an approaching deadline? The joy of getting that package you've been tracking? Start with the feeling.
2. Find the perfect meme template to match. Scour a platform like Imgflip or Kapwing for a template that visually represents that feeling. Is it celebration? Anxiety? Frustration? The image and context should do most of the heavy lifting.
3. Write clear, concise copy. A great meme is all about brevity. The text should be instantly understandable. Say what you need to say in as few words as possible. Read it aloud. If it's clunky, trim it down.
4. Use a simple tool to build it. You don't need Photoshop. Meme generators like Imgflip are free and easy to use. Canva also has meme templates. Just pick your template, add your text, and export the file.

Who is Nailing Meme Marketing?

Looking for inspiration? Here are a few brands that consistently get it right.

Duolingo

Duolingo took its owl mascot, Duo, and transformed him into an unhinged, passive-aggressive character who relentlessly stalks users to do their language lessons. They brilliantly participate in almost every TikTok trend by inserting Duo into the mix. It works because it's oddly aligned with the app's notification system and they commit to the persona 100%.

Ryanair

Ryanair's social presence is as no-frills and self-aware as their airline. They use simple, low-fi memes with googly eyes Photoshopped onto their planes to joke about cheap travel, extra fees, and uncomfortable seats. Instead of hiding from their reputation, they lean into it with humor, making them surprisingly beloved online.

Wendy's

The OG brand for memes on social media. Wendy's defined an entire era of marketing with its sassy, sarcastic, and combative personality on X. They aren't afraid to roast competitors or their own followers. This works because a) their brand voice is incredibly consistent, and b) they are masters of quick, witty comebacks.

Final Thoughts

Creating memes that land isn't about having the best design software or a huge budget. It comes down to listening to your audience, understanding your brand's unique voice, and being agile enough to jump on a trend at just the right moment. Be authentic, be relatable, and don't be afraid to show the human side of your brand.

Mastering timely memes means being ready to publish while the conversation is still happening. Our team built Postbase for exactly this kind of modern social media reality. With our visual calendar, you can plan and schedule all your content, including video formats for TikTok and Reels, so you never miss an opportunity to join in when a trend takes off.