Since 2023, October 1st has become an important date to add to your TikTok content calendar. Whether you're a social media manager, influencer, or small business owner, there are many ways you can capitalize on today's trend to sell products, go viral, and share inspiring brand stories.

In meme culture, October 1st represents the start of pre-Halloween hype and cute Fall aesthetics such as spiced lattes and pumpkin-print pajamas. On TikTok, the date is known as an unofficial 'National Day Girlfriend'.

What is the meaning of October 1st on TikTok?

The date October 1st is trending on TikTok as an unofficial 'National Girlfriend Day'. Users are sharing pictures and videos of their girlfriends with the caption 'October 1st', meaning a public declaration of love.

Originally, the trend started in 2023 and was primarily used for women in same-sex relationships. However, the trend evolved in 2024 to include other relationship variations that include girlfriends.

Norwegian singer Girl In Red often provides the backing track to trending October 1st videos with the song 'We Fell In Love In October'. The track climbs billboard charts across the world each October, with TikTok a likely catalyst to success.

We fell in love in October
That's why, I love fall
Looking at the stars
Admiring from afar

Is the TikTok trend officially 'National Girlfriend Day'?

In the United States, the official date for National Girlfriend Day is August 1st, while National Boyfriend Day is on October 3rd.

However, that doesn't mean you can't capitalize on the TikTok trend. In fact, the official August 1st date leads to a lot less social chatter, so you may want to create a video sooner rather than later — here's how!

Jump on a huge TikTok trend as an influencer

If you're an influencer then you're going to want to ride the wave of a viral trend and cash in some significant views along the way.

The 'National Girlfriend Day' trend has more than 50 million posts on TikTok combined with 40,000+ searches for 'October 1st', according to AnswerThePublic figures. With Google search volume currently eclipsing daily search volume for 'Wendys', it should be all systems to announce your best 'girlfriend' story to the world.

Capitalize on the easy audience target of boyfriends

Those in relationships across the country are going to be an easy marketing target for an exclusive 24 hours. Think of October 1st as Valentine's Day for a 14-24 demographic — there are more Gen Z users on TikTok than there are on Instagram, too!

For businesses offering products related to relationships, gift-giving, or romance, October 1st is a prime opportunity to tap into TikTok trends and boost visibility. Leveraging trending content around this date can help generate improved engagement and attract more eyes to your product, making it a perfect moment to connect with your audience in a fun and creative way.

Nevertheless, selling a 'product' doesn't have to be confined to physical gifts. October 1st is an excellent opportunity for content creators to go viral with digital offerings like card templates, caption ideas, and romantic quotes. Millions of TikTok users will be looking for the best way to articulate their feelings towards their partners, and a large percentage will be looking for guidance.

The art of storytelling for entrepreneurs and business owners

The best viral videos often come down to the storytelling at the heart of the content. You have a great story, but can you market it in the right way?

Today's National Girlfriend Day trend gives entrepreneurs and business owners the platform to voice messages of success and inspiration that center around their partners, such as a heart-warming ode to how your girlfriend's support helped you establish your own business.

Better yet, if your business is co-owned by a couple, today is the perfect day to share your brand story on TikTok.

Take blogging, vlogging, and podcasts to new heights

Whether you specialize in blogging, vlogging, or podcasts, you can leverage the TikTok trend to help market your key content. Perhaps you have a 'girlfriend' story that makes a brilliant podcast segment, to which you can clip the main hook and post to TikTok (obviously you can use Kapwing's video editor for this).

And it's not just people in relationships who can make use of the TikTok trend, with many viral videos bringing attention to the life of a singleton on October 1st.

For bloggers and journalists who already have articles that fit the bill, you can use Kapwing's AI Video Generator to quickly convert stories into videos. Upload your URL and Kapwing will turn the text into a multimedia-rich video that fits TikTok's dimensions, complete with subtitles, B-roll footage, and music.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe to the Kapwing Resources library for more articles about how to navigate the changing landscape of social media using free online tools. Also, check out our post on TikTok's Pitch Perfect Challenge if you want to explore more content marketing opportunities.