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AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics?
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.
Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.
Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Have you been lifemaxxing lately? Or how about fibermaxxing? Would you say you’re readingmaxxing right now? If you haven’t yet, you can expect new and unexpected phrases ending with “maxxing” to come across your social feeds in 2026. Our Media Intelligence analysis found that usage of, and engagement with, the emphatic suffix have surged in the first five months of 2026. 

Culturally, this growth signals the explosion of a niche turn of phrase beyond its problematic origins to mainstream usage. And for marketers, the rise of “maxxing” illustrates how niche internet language can re-emerge as mainstream trend vocabulary once platforms, creators, and audiences reinterpret it. Read on to learn more about what the rise of all things “maxxing” reveals about the lifecycle of modern digital trends.  

Usage of “maxxing” words increased by 96% between January and May 2026

How are social media users using the term “maxxing”?

Which social media platforms use “maxxing” words the most?

What the “maxxing” trend signals for brands

“Maxxing” trend insights: Marketer questions about emerging internet language

<table style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial, sans-serif; font-size:14px;">
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold; width:30%;">Capability</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;"><a href="https://www.meltwater.com/en/capabilities/media-intelligence">Media Intelligence</a></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold;">Analysis window</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">January 1 – May 25, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold;">Data sources</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">
        Reddit, X, Forums, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitch, TikTok, Facebook, Sina Weibo, WeChat, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Comments, Blogs, Product Reviews, Red, Bilibili, Douyin, LINE, Threads, and Telegram
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold;">Keyword tracked</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">*maxxing</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold; vertical-align:top;">Key term definitions</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">
        <p><strong>Engagement</strong>: the number of shares, comments, likes, retweets, replies, direct messages, etc.</p>
        <p><strong>Mentions</strong>: the number of instances when key words and phrases appeared within a piece or collection of content</p>
        <p><strong><a href="https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/share-of-voice-definition-measurement">Share of Voice (SOV)</a></strong>: the percentage, or share, of total mentions attributed to a particular brand, market, or entity</p>
        <p><strong>Estimated Media Value (EMV)</strong>: a metric quantifying the <a href="https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/measuring-influencer-marketing">ROI of influencer marketing</a> by showing what it would cost to achieve the same reach and engagement through paid media</p>
        <p><strong>Subreddit</strong>: a user-created community on Reddit dedicated to a particular interest or topic</p>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Usage of the suffix “maxxing” has nearly doubled across social media sources, including X, TikTok, Pinterest, and Reddit since January 2026. Much of that conversation is related to the phrase’s primary association with looksmaxxing, a controversial, online trend focused on obsessive improvement of one’s appearance. The trend got its start on extremist message boards nearly a decade ago but gained attention this year due to the highly publicized legal troubles of its controversial leading influencer Clavicular as well as increased concern about the impact on teen boys. However, as we’ll explore next, usage of the phrase has expanded beyond looksmaxxing to become a new part of internet semantics. Hence the 96% growth in mentions and 208% growth in engagement from January 1 to May 25, 2026.

In a combined sample of 2,000 of the most engaging posts and 2,000 randomized posts mentioning “maxxing”, about 36% of them were appearance related, including looksmaxxing and its similarly controversial derivations of heightmaxxing and hairmaxxing. However, the remaining 64% were unrelated to appearance, showing just how much the phrase has become a cultural catchall for focusing on a topic or interest to an extreme.

<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@jesssfamofficial/video/7623133797562830093" data-video-id="7623133797562830093" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@jesssfamofficial" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jesssfamofficial?refer=embed">@jesssfamofficial</a> A midnight SURPRISE (or 3am) setting up + giving my twins 14 gifts the night before their 14th birthday 🥺❤️‍🩹  birthdaymaxxing?? 🤭 I AM UNWELL! Tears and it’s not even tomorrow yet 😭 <a title="millennialmom" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/millennialmom?refer=embed">#millennialmom</a> <a title="birthdayfairy" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/birthdayfairy?refer=embed">#birthdayfairy</a> <a title="healing" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/healing?refer=embed">#healing</a> <a title="twinmom" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/twinmom?refer=embed">#twinmom</a> <a title="genalpha" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/genalpha?refer=embed">#genalpha</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Nice and Easy - Louis Adrien" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Nice-and-Easy-7187898690403567618?refer=embed">♬ Nice and Easy - Louis Adrien</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

For example, the most engaging “maxxing” post during the time period analyzed (the first five months of 2026) mentioned “birthdaymaxxing”. The TikTok from mom influencer Jessica Skube, featuring her setting up for her twin children’s 14th birthday, generated over three million engagement actions. 

That attention, and the resulting $7.5 million in EMV generated, was an especially significant win for the brands featured as Skube showed off the gifts, including items from Timberland, Steelseries, Zumiez, DC Shoes, Valentino, and over a dozen more. 

Overall, in our 4,000-post sample, about 23% of “maxxing” uses were generic ways of emphasizing doing a particular activity to its most intense extent. And notably, this usage was largely a joyful, or even ironic, reframing of its harmful origins. 

Take #tiramisumaxxing, as found in the caption of second-most engaged post: a TikTok of the world’s longest tiramisu, which debuted in London this April. Or #boomermaxxing, tagging the third-most engaged post: a TikTok skit about getting older and adopting the mannerisms of your parents. Or more generally, lifemaxxing, mentioned across a handful of high-performing posts in reference to relishing simply living life. Even celebrities are getting in on the new lingo: Pop star Dua Lipa mentioned “funmaxxing” in the caption of a recent Instagram post showing her vacationing with friends.

To be sure, maxxing isn’t always used to emphasize positive topics. However, it has expanded to describe everything from workplace trends (tokenmaxxing, 0.57% of sampled posts) to wellness initiatives (sleepmaxxing, fibermaxxing, proteinmaxxing, and other variants, 1.6% of sampled posts) to embracing specific cultures (Chinamaxxing, 0.8% of sampled posts).

Reddit and X are the dominant homes for maxxing conversation, with about 34% SOV each. Bluesky is a notable third at 8% of total mentions, punching significantly above its overall social media weight. It is followed by YouTube, with 6% of total mentions.

Though maxxing mentions are concentrated on text-heavy platforms, it’s the video-first ones that drive the most engagement. TikTok accounts for only 2% of total mentions volume, but produces some of the highest-engagement individual posts, as noted in the previous section. Pinterest, meanwhile, dominated the top-engagement sample overall, accounting for a majority of the top 2,000 posts, followed by TikTok at 18.4%. 

So while Reddit and X are where maxxing discussion is happening, TikTok and Pinterest are where the term is being disseminated to wider audiences. That difference in context is reflected in the sentiment data. Reddit and forums had the highest share of negative “maxxing” mentions, at 34% and 36% respectively. On Pinterest, where uncritical looksmaxxing and wellness routine boards dominate, the phrase has 63% positive sentiment. Meanwhile, TikTok mentions, where the phrase is skewered or used humorously, are 42% positive.

For marketers, the rise of “maxxing” is a notable example of the boundlessness of today’s internet trends. Language, memes, and other in-group signals are dynamic in digital spaces, rarely staying exclusive for long. Instead, they can evolve quickly from niche to mainstream discourse, often taking on entirely new meanings along the way. 

That makes early trend detection more critical than ever for brands keeping up with digital culture. Understanding not just what is trending, but where trends originate, how they spread, and how audiences reinterpret them across channels can help brands identify emerging opportunities before they peak. Media and consumer intelligence tools play a key role in that process, enabling marketers to track fast-moving conversations in real time. With that intelligence, marketers can more quickly contextualize cultural shifts, and make more informed decisions about when, how, and even if to engage.

Whether you’re identifying the next viral moment or evaluating how your brand should respond, Meltwater can help you turn cultural intelligence into smarter marketing decisions. 

Get in touch to see how Meltwater can help your team stay ahead of what’s next.

“Maxxing” is increasingly used as shorthand for pursuing an interest, identity, or activity to an extreme degree. According to Meltwater Explore+ data, usage of “maxxing” terms nearly doubled between January and May 2026, reflecting how internet-native slang evolves into mainstream social media vocabulary.

Which platforms use “maxxing” the most?

Reddit and X account for the largest share of “maxxing” mentions online. Meltwater Explore+ data shows those platforms each drove roughly 34% SOV for “maxxing” conversation, while TikTok and Pinterest generated outsized engagement relative to mention volume.

Is “maxxing” still mainly associated with looksmaxxing?

No, the term has expanded far beyond appearance-focused communities. According to Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis of a randomized 4,000-post sample, most “maxxing” usage in 2026 was unrelated to physical appearance and instead focused on humor, lifestyle, wellness, hobbies, and everyday experiences.

What kinds of “maxxing” terms are trending?

Lifestyle and humorous variations are among the fastest-growing uses. According to Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis, phrases like “birthdaymaxxing,” “lifemaxxing,” “fibermaxxing,” and “tiramisumaxxing” demonstrate how users adapt trend language into playful expressions of identity and enthusiasm.

How can brands use trend detection to monitor internet slang?

Cross-platform monitoring is critical for understanding how online language evolves. Meltwater Explore+ and GenAI Lens analysis help marketers track emerging keywords, measure sentiment shifts, identify high-engagement creators, and contextualize how trends spread across Reddit, X, TikTok, Pinterest, and other platforms.

Why does platform context matter for emerging trends?

The same trend can carry different meanings depending on the platform. Meltwater Explore+ data shows “maxxing” conversation on Reddit and forums skewed more negative, while TikTok and Pinterest usage was more humorous, aspirational, and engagement-driven.

Explore how internet slang spreads and what brands can learn from online trends.

Why 2026 Is the Year of “Maxxing”

What did marketers do before they had campaign management software? Over the years, marketing teams have traded sticky notes, paper files, and massive spreadsheets in favor of dedicated campaign management tools. 

Marketing campaign software has made the work of campaign measurement and tracking easier, more efficient, and more accurate. 

Campaign software offers a central place to plan, organize, and track marketing campaigns. Teams can see where each campaign stands, what remains to be done, and how their efforts are paying off, all while keeping each other on the same page.

Here’s a closer look at the best campaign management tools for 2026 and how they can empower your marketing.

Features to look for in campaign management software

FAQs about Marketing Campaign Management Software

Campaign management software helps businesses plan, execute, organize, and analyze marketing campaigns from a centralized platform.

By bringing campaign operations into one place, teams can improve efficiency, visibility, and campaign performance across channels.

Marketers are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing marketing campaign management software. Here are our top picks for campaign management tools in 2026.

Meltwater offers a complete campaign management platform, powered by AI and rich in data. Our platform handles a wide range of data-driven marketing campaigns, including brand awareness, social media marketing, influencer marketing, and media outreach. 

Campaign intelligence: Monitor campaign performance across news, social media, and digital channels

Social listening: Track audience conversations and sentiment around active campaigns

AI-powered insights: Identify trends, emerging topics, and campaign performance drivers

Social media management: Schedule, publish, and measure campaign content across platforms

Influencer campaign tools: Manage influencer discovery, outreach, approvals, and reporting in one platform

Best for: Mid-sized to enterprise marketing and communications teams managing multi-channel campaigns with real-time audience insights

Meltwater’s consumer intelligence capabilities make it a key part of any brand awareness campaign. Data about your target audience gives you a quick read on how people think and feel about your brand and potential gaps in the market that you can fill. 

Regardless of campaign types or goals, Meltwater offers insights into your audience, trending topics, reputation, and competitors, giving you a strong starting point from which to make campaign decisions.

You’ll have a better idea of how to position your brand so that your target audience will take notice.

The Meltwater platform also includes influencer campaign features and the biggest database of media contacts, journalists, bloggers, podcasters, and more to give your campaigns more reach.

Want to see Meltwater's suite of marketing solutions in action? Click here and fill out the form below for a personalized demo!

ProofHub gives marketing teams a single place to plan campaign timelines, assign deliverables, review creative assets, and move campaigns from brief to launch. It provides a single platform for task management, proofing, approvals, and team collaboration, so nothing gets lost across multiple tools.

Multi-project management: Run multiple campaigns simultaneously with separate workspaces, task lists, progress tracking, and client access for each 

Creative proofing and approvals: Review and mark up campaign assets with built-in annotation tools and approval workflows

Gantt charts and timelines: Visualize campaign schedules, dependencies, and milestones in one view

Team collaboration: Real-time chat, threaded campaign discussions, file sharing, and feedback without switching between tools

Custom workflows and roles: Define campaign stages and control access based on team roles and responsibilities

Best for: Marketing teams managing campaign delivery workflows with built-in creative review and approvals

ProofHub keeps everyone involved in a campaign on the same page. Team members see what's on their plate, managers get a clear view of where things stand without chasing updates, and clients or external stakeholders can review and approve deliverables without needing a separate tool or a paid seat. It gives you one centralized place to coordinate, communicate, and organize everything, 

The platform offers a flat pricing model, which means teams can add collaborators, clients, and stakeholders without per-user costs affecting the budget. For marketing teams coordinating among internal members and external contributors, such as freelancers or agencies, this keeps campaign collaboration simple and cost-efficient.

Trello is free campaign management software that helps you organize your campaign content, ideas, and action steps. It uses a Kanban board system to visualize each campaign pipeline and what needs to be done. At a glance, you can see where each campaign step is at, tasks assigned to each team member, deadlines, and other details.

Visual campaign boards: Organize campaign workflows using Kanban-style boards

Task management: Track campaign deliverables, owners, and deadlines in one view

Workflow automation: Automate recurring campaign tasks and status updates

Collaboration tools: Keep campaign stakeholders aligned with shared boards and comments

Timeline views: Visualize campaign schedules and launch timelines

Best for: Small to mid-sized marketing teams managing collaborative campaign workflows

Trello is known for its user-friendliness, with nearly no learning curve. Users can create lists or cards with as much or as little detail as they need. As they complete tasks, they can drag the card to the next step, which can automatically update deadlines or task assignments. 

Changes are updated in real time so everyone has the most up-to-date information. Trello is free to use, although they do offer paid plans with extra features. 

Made for marketing, CoSchedule offers an all-in-one campaign management platform that focuses on content calendars. It offers calendars for specific marketing areas, such as content or social media marketing, to give users a bird’s eye view of their marketing efforts. User can easily see what they need to do, what’s coming up, and potential gaps in scheduling that need to be filled.

Marketing calendars: Centralize campaign schedules, publishing dates, and deadlines

Content coordination: Manage campaign assets across blogs, email, and social media

AI-powered scheduling: Optimize campaign timing and publishing workflows

Task management: Assign campaign responsibilities and monitor progress

Workflow visibility: Give teams a unified view of campaign execution

Best for: Marketing teams focused on content-driven and editorial campaign planning

The platform infuses AI to help with content creation, scheduling posts, and optimizing posting times and other campaign info. It can also draft copy and optimize it for conversions, streamlining the workflow for in-house teams. 

ClickUp offers marketers a way to create workflows, calendars, task lists, and more in a way that works for them. It’s highly customizable and flexible, which makes it a helpful app across multiple use cases, like campaign management. 

Campaign planning: Organize campaign timelines, deliverables, and dependencies in one workspace

Custom workflows: Build campaign processes tailored to team needs

Multiple project views: Visualize campaigns using boards, calendars, lists, and Gantt charts

Automation tools: Streamline repetitive campaign management tasks

Collaborative docs: Centralize campaign briefs, assets, and notes

Best for: Teams needing highly customizable campaign and project management workflows

Users can create spaces for each type of campaign and each channel, then break down spaces into specific teams and tasks. Get a view of everything happening in a given space in seconds and see how campaigns are making progress.

Catering to small and medium-sized businesses, ActiveCampaign empowers users with marketing automation. It offers features for omnichannel marketing, content creation, email marketing, audience management, and personalization. Users can build personalized content, landing pages, and forms within the platform, giving you ways to reach more audiences in ways they care about.

Top tools to help marketing teams plan, execute, coordinate, and track campaigns from a centralized platform.

11 Best Marketing Campaign Management Software & Tools 2026

Consumer and media discussions of TikTok Shop have surged significantly since late 2025, according to new data from Meltwater Explore+. Despite being a relative newcomer in the ecommerce platform landscape, TikTok Shop is now a genuine force to be reckoned with, generating about a fifth of all social commerce sales in the US in 2025. 

That revenue growth has helped attract bigger brands, with Samsung, Philips, Glossier, Crocs, and more all setting up their own storefronts on the platform over the past couple of years. More recently, Ulta made headlines when it became the first major beauty retailer to set up a TikTok Shop, followed by Mac Cosmetics soon after, signaling a new era in the platform’s commercial legitimacy. 

Our Meltwater Consumer Intelligence & Trend Detection analysis revealed just how much the buzz around TikTok Shop has really grown, along with what this increased popularity means for marketers and brands. The findings point to a platform largely shaped by creators and audience behavior, not to mention the algorithm, rather than traditional brand marketing alone.

Mentions of TikTok Shop increased by 110% in just six months

Why unbranded content dominates TikTok Shop discussion and demonstrable products win

Which platforms have the most meaningful TikTok Shop discussions?

How Meltwater Consumer Intelligence and Influencer Marketing helps brands win with TikTok Shop

FAQ: Brand Visibility and Perception with TikTok Shop

<table style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial, sans-serif; font-size:14px;">
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold; width:30%;">Capability</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">Explore+</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold;">Analysis window</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">November 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold;">Data sources</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">
        30 sources, including broadcast television and radio, online and print news, blogs, comments, reviews, forums, podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, Pinterest, X, Douyin, Red, YouTube, and more.
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold;">Brands / entities tracked</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">TikTok Shop</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc; font-weight:bold; vertical-align:top;">Key term definitions</td>
      <td style="padding:12px; border:1px solid #ccc;">
        <p><strong>Engagement</strong>: the number of shares, comments, likes, retweets, replies, direct messages, etc.</p>
        <p><strong>Mentions</strong>: the number of instances when key words and phrases appeared within a piece or collection of content</p>
        <p><strong>Share of Voice (SOV)</strong>: the percentage, or share, of total mentions attributed to a particular brand, market, or entity</p>
        <p><strong>Estimated Media Value (EMV)</strong>: a metric quantifying the ROI of influencer marketing by showing what it would cost to achieve the same reach and engagement through paid media</p>
        <p><strong>Subreddit</strong>: a user-created community on Reddit dedicated to a particular interest or topic</p>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Mentions of TikTok Shop increased by 110% in just six months 

Discussions of TikTok Shop more than doubled across traditional, digital, and social media sources between November 2025 and April 2026, compared to the six months prior. During the same time period, however, overall engagement actions fell by nearly a third, even despite a 24% surge in January 2026.

Still, the global conversation around TikTok Shop has grown dramatically in recent months, suggesting three factors:

increased popularity, with more buyers trusting the platform for shopping

higher saturation, with more sellers competing for attention 

more scrutiny, with wider audiences evaluating the platform’s ecommerce experience

Why this matters: For brands, the opportunities to be found in TikTok Shop are growing more numerous and competitive. Standing out will rest on creative differentiation, particularly the visual demonstrability of featured products, along with strong influencer partnerships that lead with creativity.

1.83 million — TikTok Shop mentions from November 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026

+36.7% — Mentions increase in March 2026, higher than any other month

149 million — Engagement actions at their peak in January 2026

Only 7.5% of the top 160 TikTok Shop posts mentioned a specific brand. Instead, the overwhelming majority of the top performing posts are completely brandless. About 24% mentioned a general product type, but nearly 70% had no commercial specificity whatsoever. Instead, they featured unrelated content, like dance and humor videos, using the hashtag #tiktokshop solely for algorithmic reach.

However, those leading posts that did feature specific brands drew engagement with clearly, quickly demonstrable items with some kind of wow factor. One standout example comes from family content creator @familytalesdiary. Her post using SheGlam’s hair curler to do her daughter’s hair generated over 2.04 million engagement actions. 

The post worked through a combination of authentic, unfiltered presentation and clearly conveyed efficacy. No glam squad or curated set, just a real mom doing her daughter’s hair in the bathroom and getting great results. As a result, the post generated over $5 million in EMV for the Shein-owned cosmetics brand.

Why it matters: TikTok Shop audiences reward product-led moments, not brand presence. Creator posts succeed when products are instantly, visually demonstrable; extra points for an element of surprise or emotional resonance. In this ecosystem, brand presence may lend posts some element of trust, but only after attention is already won.  

TikTok Shop brand and product category stats:

68.8% — of the top 160 posts mentioning TikTok Shop didn’t feature a product or brand 

32% — of the 25 highest-performing posts featured toys and novelties

20% — of the 25 highest-performing posts featured beauty and hair products

16% — of the 25 highest-performing posts featured gadgets

Mainland China saw the most dramatic surge in TikTok Shop mentions, with its share of the global conversation increasing by 77% from November 2025 to April 2026. That rise outpaced other strong increases, like Germany’s 55% growth and Brazil’s 48%. So while the United States is still by far the leading market for TikTok Shop mentions by volume, the conversation has grown more dispersed. 

Notably, in Mainland China, where the ecommerce platform doesn’t even operate (its regional equivalent being Douyin Shop), the conversation focus is on supply chains, cross-border order fulfillment, and other seller and exporter concerns. 

The strong growth of TikTok Shop mentions in Brazil is particularly striking given otherwise low representation in South and Latin America. As a result, the nation stands to be one of the most promising for brands and creators looking to claim early mover advantage in the region. Across the Atlantic and the Equator, Germany emerged as the standout market, contrasting with France, whose SOV sank by 27%. Overall, Europe remains early-stage with uneven adoption across the region. 

Why it matters: TikTok Shop visibility and awareness is dispersing rapidly beyond its anchor audience in the US, with Brazil and Germany being the standout markets to watch. Brands that establish creator relationships and localized strategies early will be better positioned as adoption keeps accelerating around the world.

TikTok is the leading platform for consumer discussions about TikTok Shop, accounting for about half of all mentions from November 2025 to April 2026. However, that dominance is a recent phenomenon. In November, TikTok represented 33% of all TikTok Shop mentions. By April, it represented 67%.

As TikTok’s share of Shop conversations grew, every other platform’s declined, with X going from 20% SOV in November to only about 5% in April. To be clear, it’s not that X’s audience stopped talking about TikTok Shop. It’s that the discussion on TikTok itself has grown so much that it has dwarfed conversations happening everywhere else. 

Still, X’s audience of early tech adopters, journalists, and media-adjacent commentators are worth paying attention to for their role in shaping brand perception. More than other platforms, it is a hub of enthusiasm for TikTok Shop, with 76% positive sentiment. 

By the same token, Reddit is also a platform to keep an eye on despite its relatively low SOV of about 4%.  Unlike X’s optimism, Reddit discussion had one of the highest negative sentiment rates at 16%. Its active communities of TikTok Shop buyers and sellers concentrated in focused subreddits aren’t breathless cheerleaders of the ecommerce platform. Instead, each one offers brands important insight into the TikTok experience “on the ground”: 

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