#FavoriteTeacher TikTok Campaign

Despite all the progress that’s been made, many LGBTQ+ youth still face a society that doesn’t recognize or value their identity. At an age when so many things feel uncertain, having a supportive and affirming community, especially at school, is not only life-changing—but also life-saving.

To help make these communities available to more teens, The It Gets Better Project (IGB), a nonprofit focused on empowering LGBTQ+ youth, partnered with Aerie and American Eagle to offer middle and high school students across the country $10,000 grants to build inclusive spaces and programs within their schools. The challenge, however, was ensuring that the funding wasn’t concentrated to areas with progressive views, but that students from states where LGTBQ+ youth struggle the most were seen, represented, and rewarded.

Together with IGB and its retail partners, Media Cause created and launched the 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. campaign, focusing advertising efforts on reaching teens where they’re already highly-engaged: social media. Audience research confirmed that peer-created content would be the most successful approach to delivering our message. But, what we didn’t know, was how essential teachers are in creating safe spaces—and how much of a difference these educators can make in kids’ lives.

We brought these insights together in a powerful influencer initiative, leveraging partnerships with creators to launch the #FavoriteTeacher campaign on TikTok. #FavoriteTeacher invited and inspired users to celebrate the impact that educators, mentors, or advisors had in their lives, and reinforce how important it is for LBGTQ+ youth to have supportive adults in their schools.

Through our influencer campaign, supporter emails, paid media, and a custom microsite, we reached millions of LGBTQ+ youth, educators, and allies across the country. In the end, IGB, Aerie, and American Eagle awarded fifty $10,000 grants to students in 40 states—including many from conservative-leaning locations—which proved that acceptance, inclusion, and life-affirming support can make a difference everywhere.

Along with the grants, the campaign produced:
-104M #FavoriteTeacher total views on TikTok
-28M impressions (paid media + TikTok)
-1,304% profile views increase
-66% increase in net follower growth week-over-week for IGB