‘Cold call with me’: The new TikTok trend built on phone call awkwardness

Sales reps, business owners and recruiters are documenting their cold calls online and cashing in on the viral content. 

Cold calling has existed as long as the telephone: It’s a sales technique where a representative for a company calls an individual unsolicited to attempt to hook them with their sales pitch in the first 30 seconds or less. Some say cold calling is dead in 2026, as people pick up the phone less and less due to the increase in spam and AI bots on the other end of the line. 

But these days, if your phone incessantly buzzes with endless sales calls, answer at your own risk—you might end up going viral on TikTok. 

Across the social media platform, sales reps create compilations of clips from the week’s calls, complete with the headset, standing desk and lively salesperson energy. Some test out different openers live on camera to varying results. Others document the blunt interactions or unconventional strategies for viral content.

One content creator and life insurance salesman, Juliano Massarelli, who has gained notoriety online refers to himself as The Wolf of Insurance. The 18-year-old’s most popular cold call to date has over 16.3 million views. In between hang ups, he bounces around his bedroom, embodying Jordan Belfort-esque energy.  

In another video, with 5 million views, Massarelli is shirtless and flexing in front of the camera before hitting the call button. After the woman hangs up less than a minute in, rather than be disheartened, he hits play on the music and dances at his desk. Massarelli’s boundless enthusiasm is so infectious, some have since parodied his content. 

“Unfortunately this is the sales attitude you need,” one person commented. 

This is at a time when a lot has been made of Gen Z’s general aversion to phones. Almost a third report having phone anxiety at work, according to recent research from Trinity College London. Still, for those who work in sales, mastering the art of the cold call is non-negotiable, even in the year 2026. Other sales reps online choose to lean into the funny side of the incessant rejection that comes with the job. 

“Would it absolutely ruin your day if I told you this was a cold call,” one sales rep opens with in a viral video. “Yes”, the person responds. “OK…then I just won’t tell you it’s a cold call,” he swiftly replies. 

“Quick question: do you wanna hear what I’m selling, or no?” he tries in another video. The answer this time, is surprisingly yes. 

It’s an undisputed fact: most people don’t enjoy getting unexpected phone calls and many simply won’t give cold callers the time of day. Still, over 50% of B2B leads still originate from cold calling in 2025, according to a recent report from lead generation company Martal.AI. Almost half of B2B buyers prefer to be contacted via phone first, and 82% accept meetings from cold outreach, the report found. 

And for the times cold callers get rejected, posting the clips online creates a feedback loop for promoting their products, businesses, or just themselves, to an audience of millions, whilst simultaneously cashing in on the viral content. 

Here, every “no” really is one step closer to a “yes”.