How Is a Random Company Prevailing on Social Media?

I won’t lie. I’ve bought some sketchy things off Temu and Shein, and honestly, it’s paid off. I think a lot of consumers have indulged in the TikTok and Instagram shopping realm, and I really do question how these products blow up so quickly in such a short period of time.

There’s no better feeling than doom-scrolling on Instagram just before bed. It’s the time I finally get for myself to unwind - and maybe buy something random to look forward to in the next couple of days.

The other night, an interesting product popped up on my Instagram feed. It was called TryZeria, and it immediately caught my eye as a solution to my many porcelain skin problems - a way to look tan without having to apply self-tanner or burn in the sun.

Sketchy, right?

Of course, I was intrigued. I immediately started Googling “TryZeria,” hunting down its Instagram profile, and trying to figure out if this was legit. The product had a website, but it barely had any information and looked like a freshly made Shopify site. Their Instagram only had a couple hundred followers and wasn’t following anyone. Super sketchy.

So, at first glance, it seemed like this product was obviously a scam.

But their ads had me second-guessing.

TryZeria was everywhere on Instagram and TikTok, pumping out ads like crazy - exactly where their target audience spends their time. They had young female influencers and ambassadors filming themselves trying the product and showing their results. It appealed to specific communities and built a vibe around the brand.

And the thing is - I still see this product on my feed. They’re always posting, keeping their presence consistent. It’s clearly our generation’s version of the Shake Weight. But it’s crazy seeing how well they’ve reached so many people, and what’s even crazier is how I’m actively trying to convince myself not to buy it.

What I couldn’t shake was how well-known this product had become. Its digital footprint was spreading. I mentioned it to my lacrosse teammates, and their eyes lit up saying, “I saw that too! It doesn’t seem safe, but I’m so curious.”

They saw it too.

So how has some random product managed to reach so many people on social media when even some marketing specialists struggle to get interactions on their own company’s feed?

I worked for a photography company in Baltimore and was in charge of social media. Our content was made for Instagram. We had stunning videos and photos from all over the world. And yet, I couldn’t reach anyone outside of our existing followers.

So what was I failing to do that TryZeria pulled off?

For starters, I didn’t use ads. We didn’t want to pay to be seen, but we wanted to be seen. It may have been the boomer in the boss, but I was never confident enough to say we needed to invest to get results. I also couldn’t narrow down a wide enough but small enough audience to target. Our content could appeal to every age group, but I never fully committed to one, so the content was all over the place.

Our social media acted as a mirror for our work, but it never actually sold our services. I was posting the photos and videos, but no one ever thought, “I could actually hire this company for my own life or business.”

And honestly? I was stretched way too thin with other responsibilities to handle social media properly.

So, what did TryZeria get right?

They flooded Instagram and TikTok with ads instead of relying on organic reach. They knew their niche audience and went all in on it. They used influencers to make the product feel real and personal. They kept posting consistently, reinforcing their presence over and over.

And that’s what’s so fascinating - a random product with a sketchy website can go viral overnight just by nailing its marketing.

Meanwhile, I was struggling to push content that was actually high-quality.

So, is it the product that matters, or just how you sell it?