For These Sorority Women, Going Viral On RushTok Wasn't A Fluke. It Was Strategic

"Bama Rush may have made RushTok the internet phenomenon it is today, but this fall, another Southern school's standout recruitment season gave the sisters at the University of Alabama a run for their money. With eight nationally recognized Panhellenic chapters, roughly 20% of the student body participating in Greek life, and a six-day recruitment period that went absolutely viral this year, the College of Charleston dominated RushTok 2025. And the success was no accident."

"In fact, CofC's RushTok virality was months in the making, the payoff of academically informed marketing plans and professional-level social media strategy. But as with most colleges, the masterminds behind the scenes of your favorite CofC rush photo shoots and dance videos aren't paid consultants who've been doing this for years. They're college students just like everyone else - who have taken what they learned in class and in their sororities, and translated it into clicks and bids... and, maybe down the line, future career opportunities."

""Being in a sorority is truly like running a real-world marketing lab," Hannah Hicken, senior communications major social media chair of Kappa Delta at CofC, tells Her Campus. "You get hands-on experience with campaign planning, social media strategy, event promotion, and leadership - all skills that directly translate to careers in communications, PR, and marketing." Through uniquely styled Instagram photo shoots and themed TikTok videos, Hicken's desire to make her chapter stand out during recruitment certainly paid off. "Our very first shoot was such a hit and got so much engagement that I decided to keep going with the concept, and it quickly became one of our most recognizable marketing tools," she says. "Our engagement went up over 700%!""

College of Charleston's six-day recruitment went viral on RushTok after months of academically informed planning and professional-level social media strategy. The campus hosts eight nationally recognized Panhellenic chapters and about 20% of students participate in Greek life. Student leaders applied classroom marketing concepts to craft campaigns, produce Instagram photo shoots and themed TikTok videos, and manage engagement. Kappa Delta's social media initiatives notably increased engagement by over 700%. Students described sorority roles as practical marketing labs that develop campaign planning, event promotion, leadership, and career-ready communication skills.

Read at Her Campus