the edit for all things social media, marketing and content creation.

One of my favourite accounts to follow is the Rhode Island coffee shop, The Nitro Bar. Their Instagram and TikTok pages are a masterclass in social media strategy. Whether your business is in the hospitality space or not, here are the lessons that any brand should apply to their content strategy:

Hooks hooks hooks 

The Nitro Bar has mastered the art of engaging content and provides a lesson in great hooks. By consistently starting videos with intriguing ‘what’-based questions, The Nitro Bar hooks viewers’ attention at the start. This keeps audiences curious and more likely to watch the full video, increasing the engagement rate.

Creating their own trends/signature series

The Nitro Bar strikes the perfect balance between jumping on relevant trends, but also creating their own ones and having several ‘signature series’. For example, “recent slays”, where they post a carousel of photos of recent fun drinks they made. Their signature interview-style content with staff members is instantly recognisable, creating familiarity with their audience.

Using shock factor

They use the shock factor to engage their audience, by making videos like “what’s the weirdest drink order you’ve gotten recently?”, they cleverly play on people’s strong opinions on coffee/drink choices, using it to encourage comments. Showing peculiar, unusual or unique items sparks interest and invites people to share with friends and comment opinions, boosting engagement. They regularly show fun and unusual drink combinations – creating a sense of novelty that differentiates them from competitors.

Using humour & sarcasm

People come to social media to be entertained and The Nitro Bar creates content that is guaranteed to make you smile. Their tone of voice is cheeky, playful and sarcastic – this ‘funny’ experience adds to the allure of the brand.

Showing the faces behind the business

The Nitro Bar involves their staff in all of their videos, showing off their personalities. Now, they have become almost like characters in a show. Revealing the faces behind the business makes you feel as though  you know them and allows  followers to feel connected to the brand.

Consistency

The Nitro Bar posts every single day, ensuring that they are constantly showing up on the feeds of their audience and retaining their spot at the forefront of their viewers’ minds.

The Nitro Bar proves that a local coffee shop can build a global community and repeatedly go viral with the right strategy. From the catchy hooks that pull you in, to their unique trends and signature series, they’ve created an engaging experience that keeps their audience coming back for more. The blend of humour, shock value and a personal connection with their staff gives The Nitro Bar a distinct, authentic style that’s impossible to ignore.