How a Budget Airline Won on TikTok by Finally Acting Like a Human Being

Most airlines treat social media like a place to post press releases with emojis.
Ryanair did the opposite, and it changed everything for them.

They didn’t chase viral trends, and they definitely didn’t try to make themselves look polished or premium.

They made one simple decision:

“If we’re going to be the butt of the joke anyway, we might as well own it.”

@ryanair

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That’s it. That’s the strategy.

And it worked because it matched exactly how people already talked about them.

Instead of the usual corporate tone, their social team leaned into:

• self deprecating humor

• low budget edits

• chaotic personality

• being in on the joke

• calling themselves out before the comments could

It was messy.
It was unfiltered.
And it was miles ahead of every competitor who’s still trying to sound like a customer service menu.

Here’s the part executives miss:

They didn’t change the airline. They changed the voice around it.

People don’t follow brands because they “care about the brand.”
They follow them because the content is entertaining.

Ryanair figured out the formula:

• Be honest about what you are

• Don’t pretend

• Make it fun to pay attention

• Talk like a human, not a brochure

• Do it consistently

A budget airline beat out global competitors on TikTok because they embraced the one thing every brand has but rarely uses. Personality!

They understood the platform. They understood the audience. And most importantly, they understood the joke.

And when you do that, the algorithm, and the culture, rewards you.

👇 The full breakdown is below

Inside the full version let’s find out:

• How Ryanair built a brand voice people actually want to follow

• The difference between “funny” and “trying to be funny” (most brands get this wrong)

• Why low production content performs better for 99% of companies

• The internal process they used to approve content without killing the joke

• How to apply the Ryanair model to any “boring” industry without looking unprofessional

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