Offcut

Offcut set out to report current affairs the way Gen-Z actually consumes them: short, opinionated and made for the feed.

As Marketing Manager, I took it from an idea to a channel with over 12,000 followers in under three months. I recruited Gen-Z reporters in Manchester and led the brand build, daily operations and growth strategy, leading to viral social media content on current affairs.

A brand built for the feed

Before a single video went out, I built a brand that could hold its own on TikTok and Instagram with a name, look and mission statement that gave every piece of content a clear point of view.

Offcut branded condoms for safe sex event

Creating a team that gets the job done

I recruited six Gen-Z reporters from across Manchester. They had to be people our audience would actually listen to, and be able offer a diverse perspective to give a balanced view that represented Gen-Z.

Then, I managed the team day to day, briefing them, planning shoots and organising content days around the city.

Made for the algorithm

I edited every piece of content, cutting each clip for how TikTok and Instagram decide what to push: a strong first second, a clear point of view and a reason to keep watching. Our most successful clips amassed thousands of views, with the most watched video reaching over 564k views on Instagram.

Topics divided opinion, and that was the point. Comment sections became part of the content, with over 10k comments on videos across the accounts.

Extending the reach

Once the organic content was working, I deployed various marketing tactics to get Offcut content in front of even more of the right people:

Launched a paid ad strategy on TikTok and Meta.
Collaborated with influencers to reach an audience that we knew would resonate with our content.
Appeared in the press with a compelling story that got the Offcut name in local Manchester media.

Off the screen and into the city

A media channel can be easy to scroll past, so I gave Offcut a physical presence with a student nightclub takeover at Cargo Manchester.

Offering free tickets to followers and using the night as a content generation opportunity, the event turned followers into a real crowd and a real crowd into new followers, all whilst providing a night’s worth of content to bring back to the feed.