Submitted by Brave Bison

The Times and Sunday Times Instagram and TikTok Creator Campaign

Influencer Marketing

Brave Bison worked with six female UK creators on Instagram and TikTok to broaden readership for The Times and Sunday Times, reporting 1.2M views.

1.2MViews
34.9KEngagement
1,481Link Clicks

Case in 60 seconds

The Times and Sunday Times set out to broaden readership, which meant shifting perceptions of their journalism and building trust in it among people who were not yet reading the publications.

The campaign turns on borrowed trust, because a creator showing how the publications inform everyday lifestyles reaches new readers through a voice they already follow rather than through the titles' own promotion.

Influencer storytelling would show the quality and real-world relevance of The Times and Sunday Times, presenting the publications as a source for smarter, healthier and more curious lifestyles.

Brave Bison worked with six female UK creators across nano, micro, mid-tier and macro audiences and a diverse range of content verticals, who published stills, videos and Stories on Instagram and TikTok for The Times and Sunday Times.

Brave Bison reports 1.2m views, 34.9k engagement and 1,481 link clicks, while the page carries no subscription figure against a goal that named subscriptions alongside awareness and traffic.

Strategy Breakdown

Prospective readers beyond the existing readership of The Times and Sunday Times, reached through the followings of six female UK creators working across a diverse range of content verticals.
A news publisher depends on trust in its journalism, so the page frames the task as shifting perceptions and building that trust rather than simply announcing the publications to a wider audience.
The Times and Sunday Times are cast as a tool for everyday life, with creators showing how the publications could inform smarter, healthier and more curious lifestyles.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Instagram
  • TikTok

Partners

  • Brave Bison

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Views1.2M views
Engagement34.9K engagement
Link Clicks1,481 link clicks

Why Brave Bison's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Casting across nano, micro, mid-tier and macro creators spreads a publisher's message over audiences of different sizes and interests, so the titles are tested with several reader groups at once rather than one.

  2. 2

    Framing journalism through lifestyle outcomes gives creators from unrelated verticals a way into a news brand that fits their own content, rather than asking them to review the news itself.

  3. 3

    Reporting link clicks alongside views ties a trust campaign to traffic, although a brief that names subscriptions needs a subscription measure of its own before the commercial return can be judged.

Related Case studies