Home » News » 3 Social Media Trends Brands Should Be Using This Month

3 Social Media Trends Brands Should Be Using This Month

We may receive a commission from our partners if you click on a link and purchase a product or service on their website. Learn more

Written by

Published on May 8, 2026

Person in beige blazer holding a laptop and looking at their smartphone outside a modern building.

Growing your business on social media takes time and effort. To save you half the job, I’ve collected a list of the top TikTok and Instagram Reel trends for May.

Read on for a full breakdown of the social media trends, including the ways brands have been using them and how you can recreate them yourself.

TikTok Trend: Hallelujah

🎵 Trending sound: Everything Hallelujah by Justin Bieber

Creators, including popular celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Lewis Capaldi, have been using Justin Bieber’s song “Everything Hallelujah” to show the things they love or are grateful for.

This TikTok trend for May is easy for businesses to recreate in a number of ways, including showing gratitude to customers, admitting guilty pleasures, and even to highlight discounts, restocks, or benefits of products.

Hallelujah TikTok Trend May — This trend can be adapted to any type of business, from a marketing agency to beauty services. Source: TikTok users The Digital Native TLD and Mauvella Lash Academy

How To Use This TikTok Trend

Click the linked audio and select “Use sound”
Film a candid video of yourself working
Write out a list of things you love or you’re grateful for at work and finish each line with “hallelujah”
Examples I’ve seen from brands include:
- Show gratitude: Sold out/fully booked — hallelujah
- Highlight perks: Free shipping — hallelujah
- Promote product benefits: Reduced fine lines — hallelujah

Instagram Reel Trend: This Looks So Cool, I have To Capture It

🎵 Trending sound: Be Like a Woman by Chris Rainbow

In true Instagram fashion, this trend is all about sharing those “wait, this looks cool” moments — aka your Pinterest board brought to life. Creators have been sharing montages of beautiful sunsets, extravagant meals, and core memories to the beat of the trending sound.

Brands should use this Instagram Reel trend for May to show a collection of their most visually appealing products. To make your shots even more “Instagrammable”, use a complementary backdrop, such as a sandy beach to display your new summer jewelry line.

This Looks Cool Instagram Trend for May — This beverage company showed the process of making their most impressive summer drink. Source: Instagram user Getdrnk.in

How To Use This Instagram Reel Trend

Click the linked sound and select “Use audio”
Film yourself until the beat drops (around three seconds)
Cut to a montage of your aesthetically appealing product pictures and short clips
Add the text “Wait this looks so cool I have to capture it” in a pastel yellow Calibri font for the duration of your first clip

TikTok Trend: My Top 5 Horror Movies

🎵 Trending sound: The One That Got Away by Katy Perry

List-style videos are popular on TikTok this month, and this one takes an opposite approach to the “Hallelujah” trend I mentioned previously. Instead of sharing their blessings, creators are ranking their biggest pet peeves or nightmare scenarios as a list of their top five “horror movies”.

This trend is widely relatable and adaptable for every niche. Generic annoyances, such as late shipments, are great for mass appeal, but you can also tailor your list to your industry, such as CafeSporelmundo, who called out her least favorite drinks orders to make:

Top Horror Movies TikTok Trend May — Relatable and controversial opinions work well in this trend, such as the examples above. Source: TikTok users Pink Coast Boutique and Cafe Sporelmundo

How To Use This TikTok Trend

Click the linked audio and select “Use sound”
Film a video of yourself working or posing with a frustrated expression
Add five frustrating work-related scenarios or customer requests
Ideas include:
- Corporate: A meeting on Friday at 4pm
- Hospitality: Dropping cutlery while clearing plates
- Ecommerce: Bank chargebacks

What Should I Post on Social Media in May?

May’s social media content calendar provides businesses with the chance to boost engagement and share their professional values through challenges, appreciation posts, and sharing their positive working relationships.

Here are easy content ideas for the key dates in May:

📅 Date	📌 Event	💡 Content Idea
May 8	Victory in Europe Day	Share a throwback picture of your town in the 1940s
May 10	Mother’s Day	Share a photo of "the CEO/founder Mom" to spotlight their achievements, or post a self-care discount to all the moms in your local area
May 15	International Day of Families	Post a “family photo” of your staff to show appreciation for your work family
May 16	Armed Forces Day	Highlight your military discount or share a “thank you” graphic
May 20	World Bee Day	Share your top “busy as a bee” productivity tips for staying productive as a team during peak season
May 22	National Maritime Day	Post a photo of your outgoing packages or a map of where you ship your products internationally
May 24	National Scavenger Hunt Day	Post a photo of your office with a product hidden in it and offer the first three commenters who spot it a 10% discount code

For May’s social content calendar, I recommend scheduling multiple list-style videos around various themes (e.g. gratitude, love/hate, ins/outs) and finding a trending TikTok sound or Instagram audio to attach close to the date. Not only is listed content trending at the moment, but it’s also a cheat code for businesses wanting to batch create easy content.

Written by:

Annie Angus Writer

Annie Angus is a Writer for Website Builder Expert with a passion for shaping jargon-heavy research into digestible content. She has previously researched and written about industries ranging from tech to fashion, and now, after testing our top website builders such as Wix and Squarespace, she is enthusiastic to share her findings with our readers. With first-hand experience in utilizing social media and online marketplaces to grow a small handmade clothing business, Annie understands the priorities and concerns held by SME owners, and knows precisely what they look for in a website builder. She combines this unique perspective with her knowledge of website builders to produce engaging content spanning all areas of the small business journey, from creating a strong website to growing and maintaining an audience.