Video Intelligence Report — Earned Media & Creator Landscape
Executive Summary
The boardroom version — what matters most in 30 seconds.
Shake Shack is earning 22 million views and a 10% engagement rate across 160 creator videos — and almost none of it is paid. Only 3 of 160 videos carry a sponsorship tag. The brand lives overwhelmingly in spoken conversation: 115 videos mention Shake Shack out loud but never write it in a caption or hashtag. That is 17.2 million views of “shadow reach” invisible to any text-based listening tool. The opportunity: Shake Shack’s owned channel barely exists in this data — 1 video, 62K views. The creator engine is running. The brand’s own megaphone is off.
The 17M-View Blind Spot
115 of 160 videos mention “Shake Shack” in spoken audio only — no caption, no hashtag, no @mention. These 115 videos generated 17.2M views completely invisible to Brandwatch, Meltwater, Talkwalker, and every text-only social listening tool. 72% of all Shake Shack video reach exists only in audio.
Instagram Punches Above Weight
TikTok drives 83% of volume (133 videos, 17.8M views) but Instagram’s 27 videos deliver 14.6% average ER — 60% higher than TikTok’s 9.1%. IG content tends to be polished food photography and Reels from dedicated food creators. The IG audience is smaller but significantly more engaged.
March Momentum Is Real
Video volume jumped from 64 in February to 94 in March, with engagement rising from 8.2% to 11.3% ER. Both volume and quality are accelerating — a signal of growing organic creator interest heading into spring.
March leads with 94 videos and 11.0M views at 11.3% ER. Data through March 23.
Competitive Intelligence
QSR brands co-mentioned alongside Shake Shack in creator videos.
McDonald’s, Five Guys, and In-N-Out form the “burger comparison triangle” — creators consistently rank these four brands against each other in taste tests and tier lists.
The “Burger Bracket” Format
Shake Shack most often appears in ranking or tier-list videos where creators compare multiple burger chains. The brand is consistently placed in the A-tier or S-tier of fast food, reinforcing its premium positioning without any paid effort.
Culver’s Is the Emerging Rival
Culver’s co-appears in 7 videos generating 3.0M views — the highest views-per-mention of any competitor (426K/vid). Midwest-focused creators are positioning Culver’s as the “underrated” alternative. This is a brand gaining earned momentum fast.
Content & Menu Intelligence
What creators talk about, which menu items trend, and where the gaps live.
SmokeShack: Low Volume, High Impact
SmokeShack appears in only 8 videos but generates 4.1M views — 512K views per mention, the highest of any menu item. Creators treat it as the “what you should actually order” insider recommendation. This is the product with the most word-of-mouth energy per impression.
Custard Is Nearly Invisible
Frozen custard — Shake Shack’s signature differentiator versus every other burger chain — appears in only 4 videos out of 160. The Concrete menu is barely part of the creator conversation. No competitor has a custard story at this quality level, yet creators aren’t talking about it.
30–60 seconds is the sweet spot at 13.5% ER — over 2x the engagement of sub-30s clips. Long enough to show the food, short enough for replay loops.
Creator Intelligence
146 unique creators driving Shake Shack’s earned conversation.
Macro and mid-tier creators deliver the strongest engagement. Shake Shack content resonates most with established food audiences.
| Creator | Videos | Views | Followers | ER | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @robegrill | 2 | 2.2M | 16.7M | 6.9% | MACRO |
| @discoverymatt | 1 | 1.8M | 56K | 7.7% | MICRO |
| @allisonkuch | 1 | 1.7M | 3.4M | 14.6% | MACRO |
| @ianjackedeats | 1 | 1.7M | 576K | 6.9% | MID |
| @karissaeats | 1 | 1.3M | 4.6M | 13.0% | MACRO |
| @daznboxing | 2 | 1.1M | 2.8M | 4.1% | MACRO |
| @brooklynandbailey | 1 | 848K | 7.4M | 6.7% | MACRO |
| @alessiamorellii1 | 2 | 727K | 645K | 12.0% | MID |
| @darylanndenner | 1 | 602K | 2.1M | 1.9% | MACRO |
| @timeoutdubai | 1 | 592K | 1.2M | 20.8% | MACRO |
Creators with 10K+ views and exceptional engagement — partnership goldmines.
| Creator | Views | Followers | ER | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @lovindubai | 215K | 1.6M | 91.9% | MACRO |
| @richladyproblems | 29K | 317K | 72.3% | MID |
| @finedinehunter | 109K | 117K | 63.2% | MID |
| @gymratrecipes | 115K | 1.6M | 58.2% | MACRO |
| @timeoutdubai | 592K | 1.2M | 20.8% | MACRO |
| @morgan.raum | 213K | 155K | 16.2% | MID |
| @allisonkuch | 1.7M | 3.4M | 14.6% | MACRO |
| @karissaeats | 1.3M | 4.6M | 13.0% | MACRO |
| @alessiamorellii1 | 727K | 645K | 12.0% | MID |
Brand Safety Analysis
Sentiment and safety across Shake Shack’s earned video conversation.
Brand Safety Score: Excellent
Across 160 videos, sentiment skews overwhelmingly positive. 95 videos contain strong positive language (“love,” “best,” “amazing,” “delicious”). Only 22 contain any negative signals — mostly playful comparisons rather than genuine complaints. Price sensitivity is the most common critique. The brand sits in an exceptionally safe earned media environment.
Positive-to-negative ratio is 4.3:1 — strong for a QSR brand. The negative content is mostly honest review format, not brand attacks.
Strategic Recommendations
6 data-backed actions to amplify Shake Shack’s video presence.
Activate the Custard Conversation
Frozen custard and Concretes appear in only 4 of 160 videos — Shake Shack’s most differentiated menu item is virtually absent from the creator conversation. Launch a targeted seeding campaign: send limited-edition flavors to food creators, challenge them to create “custom Concrete” content. No other QSR has this product story.
4 of 160 videos mention custard — 2.5% visibility for the signature differentiatorLean Into the SmokeShack Insider Effect
SmokeShack generates 512K views per mention — 4x the dataset average. Creators position it as the secret order. Amplify this narrative: create “Shack Insider” content that makes SmokeShack feel like an exclusive discovery.
SmokeShack: 8 mentions, 4.1M views, 512K views/vidBrief Creators on the 30–60 Second Format
Videos between 30–60 seconds drive 13.5% engagement — more than double sub-30s content. This is the “unwrap and react” sweet spot. Make 30–60s the default format in all creator briefs.
30–60s: 13.5% ER vs <30s: 6.1% ER — 2.2x gapLaunch an Owned Channel Strategy
Only 1 @shakeshack video appears in this dataset (62K views, 2.9% ER). For every 1 video the brand publishes, creators produce 159. Use owned channels to curate top UGC, run creator spotlights, and duet viral Shake Shack content. Don’t compete with creators — amplify them.
159:1 earned-to-owned video ratioTarget the International Creator Wave
@lovindubai (91.9% ER), @timeoutdubai (20.8% ER), and @alessiamorellii1 (12.0% ER, Italy) signal strong international creator energy. As Shake Shack expands globally, these markets already have organic advocates. Geo-targeted seeding could unlock disproportionate engagement.
International standouts averaging 40%+ ERWin the Burger Bracket Narrative
Shake Shack appears in ranking and tier-list videos alongside McDonald’s, Five Guys, and In-N-Out consistently. Instead of avoiding these comparisons, lean in: seed “ultimate burger bracket” content where Shake Shack is a featured contender. The brand already wins A/S-tier placement organically.
14 co-mentions with McDonald’s, 13 with Five Guys, 12 with In-N-Out