Trending topics are subjects, ideas or news stories everyone is talking about–online and in specific communities. Staying on top of trends helps you create content people are already searching for, which can lead to faster traffic growth and higher engagement.
There are a variety of tools that can help you identify and stay on top of trends. Depending on your needs, you may want to use more niche-specific tools like TikTok’s Creative Center or Google Trends or a more general tool that covers all industries and search types.
For example, BuzzSumo offers a Trending Topics section that scans social media and searches for popular posts related to the current trends. It also filters results by region and search type, and it highlights rising trends in a color to indicate their potential for increased visibility. Other features include an option to save a trend as a Project, which lets you monitor a topic’s growth over time.
Google Trends uses a percentage of total searches to determine what’s popular, and it filters by location and over time. It doesn’t account for unique characters, multiple searches by the same user or a limited number of results. It’s important to note that trends evolve rapidly, and many of them will only stay popular for a short amount of time.
While being on top of trends can help you create content your audience is searching for, it’s important to approach them with care. Posts that are overly promotional, especially in the wake of a tragedy, can backfire and turn your audience off. Likewise, posts that are insensitive can be offensive and damage your reputation.