Crocktober: a slow-cooker dinner every day. Home cooks posted a crockpot dinner a day from Oct 1, with millions of views; Google searches for Crocktober rose almost 4x from late September to Oct 4
The spike
Social followed search this time: searches peaked on Oct 4, social views on Oct 13.Verified: the top posts on the social peak day were hand-checked and are about this trend.
Why it’s trending
After a long day, people want dinner that makes itself and still feels like a hug.
What’s happening
October is 'Crocktober'. Home cooks post one slow-cooker dinner every day, numbered 'Day 1, Day 2', with soups, chicken and pot roast. Posts get shared widely, and commenters say they are 'so here for' the series and ask for the recipe.
What content is working
Trending hashtags
The tags people used most on posts about this trend, ranked by number of posts. Generic tags like #fyp and #viral are left out.
- #crockpotrecipes 241 posts
- #slowcookerrecipes 228 posts
- #crockpot 119 posts
- #fallrecipes 54 posts
- #comfortfood 81 posts
- #easyrecipe 67 posts
- #dinnerideas 61 posts
- #easydinner 59 posts
- #slowcooker 40 posts
- #crockpotmeals 74 posts
Sentiment
Automatic sentiment labels across 746 posts and 400 comments.
The other side · what’s negative
Some grumblingMostly positive. The grumbling is small: some viewers say beef roasts are too pricey, some skip beef or pork, and a few criticise processed ingredients or how the dish looks.
Offer budget and no-beef or no-pork versions, and keep ingredient lists simple and honest. Do not lead with expensive cuts.
What people are saying in comments
I am SO here for crocktober
Very nice love crocktober! Cant wait to break mine out
Yesssss Im so here for this series!!
Ive needed this series reboot so bad
Crockpot dinners are my favorite!
Made this tonight and it was so easy and delicious!
Thank you, my family loved it
Yum the perfect fall dinner
These are the dinners I need!
Ooo! I know what Im eating tomorrow!
Love a dinner the crockpot handles for me!
My slow cooker is basically my favorite coworker this time of year. This one is going on the list!
On the menu this week
Ive never thought to use the bagged diced potatoes! Super smart!
Who can afford a roast?????
Some of us dont eat beef or pork
Except that can of biscuits is full of awful ingredients.
The content strategy we observed
Top videos open on a slow cooker or finished dish, add a day number or series name, and show the dump-and-go steps.
They start with the series name or the result: 'Super Easy Sundays' with a 15-minute promise, a close-up of finished miso beef bowls, or a light pink slow cooker.#1 #2 #3
Simple steps in order: chicken, broth and seasonings go into the pot, or raw chicken, carrots and celery, then the finished soup is plated. Ingredients go in, dinner comes out.#1 #3 #4
Recipe demos on TikTok and Instagram, often hands-only, with the full recipe in the caption. Two are numbered, 'Day 6' and 'Day 2', so people follow for the next one.#1 #2 #3 #5
Cozy and easy. Cozy-sweater soup, a fancy name with simple steps ('Neiman Marcus Chicken'), and a busy-parent angle on a Sunday dinner.#2 #4 #5
The top videos went up between Oct 4 and Oct 8: all 10 on or after the Google peak (Oct 4). Social views peaked on Oct 13.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10
Number your Crocktober dinner, open on the finished dish or the pot, and show three simple steps with the recipe in the caption.
What can brands do?
Crocktober: one dump-and-go dinner a day
“Day 1 of Crocktober. Three things in the pot, dinner done by six.”
- Format
- Numbered 30-second hands-only reels, one per day
- Platform
- TikTok and Instagram Reels
- Who posts
- Soup, sauce or seasoning brand with home-cook and busy-parent creators
- Caption
- Crocktober day 1: dump, press start, dinner's done. What should day 2 be?
- When to post
- All of October; the first two weeks matter most
- Watch out
- Show cooking safety and real recipes; avoid health or 'clean eating' claims for sauces and soups.