Constructing Islamic Preacher Personal Branding via Digital Public Relations Strategies on Instagram and TikTok
a Comparative Case Study of Gus Kautsar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51590/waraqat.v11i1.1327Keywords:
Public Relations Digital, Dakwah Digital, Instagram, Tiktok, Gus KautsarAbstract
The dissemination of Islam in Indonesia is undergoing a paradigm shift in which a preacher’s image is constructed in a decentralized manner through social media, with public relations (PR) operating not top-down from official management but through organic fan participation. This study maps and compares content strategies on Instagram and TikTok in constructing the personal branding of Gus Kautsar as an authentic, humble preacher close to Millennials and Generation Z. Employing a qualitative comparative case study design, it analyzes the 120 most popular content pieces from major fan-page accounts between January 2024 and March 2026, using thematic reduction with the eight laws of personal branding (Montoya, 2002) as the primary framework, supported by the Share/Optimize/Manage/Engage digital PR model (Luttrell, 2018) and a parasocial intimacy strategy matrix for millennial preachers. The findings reveal a complementary synergy between the two platforms that forms an audience engagement funnel: TikTok dominates the top-funnel awareness function through short, humorous clips, distinctive linguistic accents, and high virality, while Instagram assumes the mid-to-bottom funnel role, facilitating the depth of dawuh (teachings) narratives, visual aesthetics, and contemplative community interaction. Gus Kautsar’s branding is thus constructed cohesively through an organic, polycentric PR ecosystem without his official account, with message authenticity and emotional resonance as the primary catalysts mobilizing fans as active distribution agents. The study contributes to digital PR literature by demonstrating the effectiveness of organic earned media in syiar practices and offering a hybrid strategic framework for preachers and Islamic institutions navigating the algorithmic ecosystem.
References
Almaghrabi, Tala. “Memes in Marketing: Exploring How Internet Memes Can Be Integrated into Social Media Marketing Activities in a Manner That Is Accepted by Online Communities.” Brunel University London, 2023.
Batrinca, Bogdan, and Philip C Treleaven. “Social Media Analytics: A Survey of Techniques, Tools and Platforms.” Ai & Society 30, no. 1 (2015): 89–116.
Faisal, Fikri, Akbar Khalid, and Hana Azzahra. “Analysis of the Framing of Islamic Preaching Messages in Ustaz Muda’s TikTok Islamic Preaching Content.” Journal on Islamic Studies 1, no. 4 (2025): 221–33.
Famuji, Untung, Nur Kholis, Abdul Basit, and Ahmed Abdul Malik. “‘“ Click , Share , Da ” Wah : Spiritual Revolution at Your Fingertips ’’” 9, no. 02 (2025): 121–35.
Famuji, Untung, and Khusnul Khotimah. “OPTIMALISASI FEED INSTAGRAM SEBAGAI MEDIA DAKWAH: STUDI KASUS AKUN@ QURANREVIEW DALAM MENINGKATKAN PEMAHAMAN AL-QUR’AN MELALUI PLATFORM BROADCASTING DIGITAL.” An-Nida: Jurnal Komunikasi Islam 17, no. 2 (2025): 173–82.
Famuji, Untung, Ahmed Abdul Malik, Siti Nuri Nurhaidah, and Sofia Fahrany. “Shifting Religious Authority in the AI Era:: A Comparative Study of Gen Z Trust in AI Guidance and Traditional Ulama.” Wasilatuna: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam 9, no. 1 (2026): 82–92.
Famuji, Untung, Siti Nuri Nurhaidah, Beni Pramula, and Fikri Yasin. “Komunikasi Parasosial Dai Milenial: Strategi Intimasi Di Instagram Dan Tiktok.” Liwaul Dakwah: Jurnal Kajian Dakwah Dan Masyarakat Islam 15, no. 2 (2025): 149–61.
Gómez-Galán, José. “Media Education in the ICT Era: Theoretical Structure for Innovative Teaching Styles.” Information 11, no. 5 (2020): 276.
HANAFI, RONAA FAIRUZ. “PERSONAL BRANDING USTADZAH HALIMAH ALAYDRUS DALAM BERDAKWAH DI MEDIA SOSIAL,” n.d.
Hashimov, Elmar. “Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook and The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers: Matthew B. Miles, A. Michael Huberman, and Johnny Saldaña. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014. 381 Pp. Johnny Saldaña. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2013. 303 Pp.” Taylor & Francis, 2015.
Horton, Donald, and R Richard Wohl. “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.” Psychiatry 19, no. 3 (1956): 215–29.
Hsb, Akmal Rizki Gunawan, Syahrul Gunawan, Resti Okvani Kartika, and Nur Najmi Anggraeni. “ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON DA’WAH COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN THE MODERN ERA.” Al-Balagh: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Komunikasi 10, no. 1 (2025): 33–64.
Luttrell, Regina. Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2025.
Luttrell, Regina, and Jamie Ward. A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2018.
MacTaggart, John Thomas. Communicating to Gen Z: Stylistic Adaptation in Preaching From an Historical and Biblical Perspective With Application to Generations Studies. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023.
Monaro, Sue, Janice Gullick, and Sandra West. “Qualitative Data Analysis for Health Research: A Step-by-Step Example of Phenomenological Interpretation.” Qualitative Report 27, no. 4 (2022): 1040–57.
Montoya, Peter, and Tim Vandehey. The Personal Branding Phenomenon: Realize Greater Influence, Explosive Income Growth and Rapid Career Advancement by Applying the Branding Techniques of Michael, Martha & Oprah. Peter Montoya, 2002.
Muhazzib, Naufal, and Twediana Budi Hapsari. “Digital Preaching Rhetoric on Tiktok Media: Case Study of Habib Husein Ja’far Account.” MUHARRIK: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Sosial 8, no. 1 (2025): 199–212.
Muvid, Muhamad Basyrul, Didiet Anindita Arnandy, and Achmad Arrosyidi. “TikTok Social Media: A Breakthrough to the Moderation in Da’wah Education.” AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan 16, no. 2 (2024): 1193–1204.
Parente, Andrea. “On Disability Specialization.” NYU Rev. L. & Soc. Change 48 (2025): 76.
Pauwels, Luc. “Validating Visuals: A Socio-Semiotic Instrument for an Informed Production and Use of Visual Representations.” Social Semiotics 33, no. 2 (2023): 426–45.
Siregar, Kombang Tua, Ilyas Zhakypkazy, and Badrah Uyuni. “Indonesian Muballigh and Religious Authority: From Sanad to Algorithmic Transformation of Islamic Knowledge Transmission in the Digital Era.” Jurnal Indo-Islamika 15, no. 2 (2025): 298–314.
Sonni, Alem Febri. “Algorithmic Gender Representation in Digital Journalism: A Perspective on Platform-Mediated Masculinities in Indonesian Media.” Frontiers in Human Dynamics 7 (2025): 1735924.
Suriana, Suriana, Teti Wahyuni, and Misbahul Jannah. “Optimizing Collaborative Learning of Islamic Religious Education Through Social Media.” Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan 17, no. 3 (2025): 3820–35.
Usher, Bethany. “Rethinking Microcelebrity: Key Points in Practice, Performance and Purpose.” Celebrity Studies 11, no. 2 (2020): 171–88.
Wallis, Jacob, Ariel Bogle, Albert Zhang, Hillary Mansour, Tim Niven, Elena Yi-Ching Ho, and R Tapsell. “Influence for Hire.” Unpublished Manuscript, 2021.
Warisno, Andi, Afif Anshori, Nur Hidayah, and Agus Dwianto. “Transformative Islamic Education Management in Madrasah and Pesantren Integrating Tradition and Digital Innovation.” Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 2025, 276–89.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research and Applications. Vol. 6. Sage Thousand Oaks, CA, 2018.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 untung famuji, Enung Asmaya, Gozali, Siti Nuri Nurhaidah, Ahmad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png)
