Discovering and Using Trending Topics in Social Media

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Trending topics are a great way to stay on top of current events and conversations on social media.

Trending topics can be found on platforms like Twitter, where they are displayed on the homepage and in the side bar.

They are also used on Instagram, where they are shown in the "Discover" tab.

Trending topics can give you a sense of what's currently popular and what people are talking about.

Using trending topics can help you create content that resonates with a wider audience.

You can also use trending topics to identify opportunities for engagement and conversation with your followers.

By incorporating trending topics into your social media strategy, you can increase your reach and engagement.

For more insights, see: Viral Video Trends on Social Media

The Brandwatch platform gives you the power and ability to find the topics trending amongst your consumers. This allows you to stay on top of what's currently popular and relevant to your audience.

You can also discover trends on Instagram, which surfaces trends in real-time. However, you might miss an important trend if you don't follow the right people.

Credit: youtube.com, How To Find Trending Topics On YouTube Before Everyone Else (2025)

Exploding Topics is a tool that helps you ensure your business is always the first to publish trending content. It features over 20 content categories and allows you to find out whether particular content has been growing or experiencing a downward trend.

To avoid abusing trending topics, it's essential to approach the situation in a way that doesn't have unintended consequences. This means refraining from posting unrelated content, researching a topic's history, and being cautious when approaching tragedy.

Trend monitoring is crucial for any business, and finding trending topics on social media rather than looking elsewhere is the quickest way to discover conversations as they happen. This allows you to join the conversation in a timely manner and add value to the discussion.

Here are some tools you can use to discover trending topics:

  • Exploding Topics
  • Quora
  • NewsWhip's Spike
  • Consumer Research
  • YouTube's trending videos

These tools can help you stay on top of trending topics and ensure your business is always relevant and up-to-date.

Social Media Importance

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Social media trends matter because they can dictate product development in your industry. Trend monitoring is crucial for businesses to stay on top of conversations.

Joining a conversation in a timely manner allows you to add value to the discussion. This can help you understand what's currently popular and what's not.

Finding trending topics on social media is the quickest way to discover conversations as they happen. This beats looking elsewhere for information.

Conversations on social media often spread quickly, so it's essential to stay informed and join the conversation before it moves on to other forms of media.

Using Social Media Tools

Using social media tools can help you discover trending topics quickly and efficiently. BuzzSumo is a tool that allows you to search for trending content, influencers, and backlinks, and even filters results by date range.

You can use BuzzSumo without an account, although it shows limited results and allows a limited number of searches. However, with an account, you can access more features and advanced search options.

Ahrefs Content Explorer is another premium tool that can help you find trending content based on performance metrics such as traffic, shares, or backlinks. You can also search for trending content on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram by looking for trending hashtags and visual/text trends.

BuzzFeed

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BuzzFeed is a great platform to check out the latest pop-culture trends. It's known for its Trending page, which is a hotbed of viral phenomena.

The Dress, one of the biggest viral sensations ever, was originally posted on Tumblr but gained massive traction after being picked up by BuzzFeed. This shows how social media platforms can amplify a story and make it go viral.

BuzzFeed's Trending page is a great place to get a pulse on what's currently popular and trending in pop-culture.

Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo is a tool for discovering popular and trending content, influencers, and backlinks. It's free to use, although it shows limited results and allows a limited number of searches.

You can search for any topic and then filter by date range, which gives you the option to discover the most popular stories of the last 24 hours, week, month, or year.

Enter a topic or keyword in the search bar to see results, with several advanced search options available. You can also enter a domain and Buzzsumo will tell you the most popular content just from that site.

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The trending stories on Buzzsumo are organized into categories and feature a trending score to tell you how quickly they are being shared. This score helps you quickly identify the most popular content.

You can use Buzzsumo to view various trending content from tech and other common industries, and even add your own topics to see what's trending.

Finding and Navigating Topics

Finding trending topics is a breeze with the right tools. You can use the Brandwatch platform to find trending topics amongst your consumers.

Exploding Topics is another great tool to check out, offering over 20 content categories and the ability to track trends over the past 3 months to 5 years. You can also add custom topics and even sign up for their newsletter for trending content ideas.

To navigate trending topics, you can use the "Trending now" page, which shows top trending search queries, search volume, and trend status. You can also use the Trend Chart to see how the query has been trending over time, and the Trend Breakdown to find out which searches compose the trend.

Explore the Tab

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To find trending topics, start by exploring the Trending Tab on your YouTube homepage. Click the "Trending" tab in the sidebar on the left to access a curated list of videos based on views, location, and engagement.

This list can give you a good idea of what's currently popular and trending on YouTube. You can browse through the trending videos and look for potential themes and trends that align with your niche.

If a trend doesn't perfectly align with your style, consider how you can adapt it to fit your voice. You can also use this list to find inspiration for your own content.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when exploring the Trending Tab:

  • YouTube personalizes trending lists based on viewer location, so a local event or topic might trend regionally, but not necessarily globally.
  • You can use this list to find trending searches and hot topics that could be relevant to your own content and niche.
  • Keep an eye on the trending videos and adjust your content strategy accordingly.

By exploring the Trending Tab, you can stay on top of the latest trends and create content that resonates with your audience.

Reddit

Reddit is another goldmine for trending content. You can find trending topics by searching for keywords in the 'Search Reddit' button and getting a list of relevant subtopics or 'subreddits' to subscribe to.

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The front page of Reddit is dedicated to trending stories, with upvotes bringing stories to the homepage. This means that the most popular topics are always at the top of the page.

You can sort the posts by options such as time published or popularity. This will help you find the most relevant and up-to-date trending content.

The comment section is also a valuable resource, where you can find the most upvoted comments which can turn out to be valuable topic ideas.

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Going the extra mile to do your own search can be a game-changer for finding unique content ideas. Free tools like Google Trends can give you a broader perspective on trending searches, but they might not be enough to get you all the information you need.

Content feeds can filter out too much information, but visiting the most respected publication in your niche can help you identify what type of content is working well. Read the comment section to get an idea of what your audience is looking for.

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Visiting popular forums where your market hangs out can give you valuable insights on what they're saying and what they want to see in your content. You can use Ahrefs Content Explorer to search for trending content by keyword and timeframe, and get a list of trending content based on various performance metrics.

Using a social intelligence tool like Brandwatch Consumer Research can help you discover trending topics on social media, but doing your own search can give you more specific and relevant results. You can use Keyhole to track hashtags on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and get great ideas for your blog.

Keyhole

Keyhole is a powerful tool that helps you track hashtags on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can track all your brand mentions and proactively defend your brand or catch all the good mentions and hype them.

Keyhole can also help you find great ideas for your blog by generating posts that use a specific keyword. For example, if you enter #technology, Keyhole will suggest rising topics.

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One of the great features of Keyhole is its ability to suggest rising topics. This can be especially helpful if you're looking to stay on top of the latest trends in your industry.

To get started with Keyhole, simply enter a keyword on the search button, and the tool will start generating posts that use that keyword.

Navigating the Present

Denny's is famous for capitalizing on trending topics, growing its followers by 150 percent since 2013.

The key to leveraging trending topics is to stay current and aware of what's happening online. You can use tools like Google Trends to see what's being searched for in real-time. Google Trends shows what's trending upward and what's losing popularity, helping you make informed content marketing choices.

The "Trending now" page offers a wealth of information, including top trending search queries, search volume, and trend status. You can also find out when a query started trending and whether it's still active or has ended.

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Here's a breakdown of what you can find on the "Trending now" page:

By using these tools and staying informed, you can navigate the present and find trending topics that are relevant to your business.

Pinterest

Pinterest is an effective marketing tool, with 83% of people making a purchase from content they've found on the platform.

With over 430 million users, Pinterest should be a key consideration when looking for the best content for your audience.

Pinterest Trends lets you discover the most popular content with high search volumes across various categories.

You can use Pinterest Trends to find content that's relevant to your audience and plan your content ideas for the coming year.

Creating Winning Content

You don't have to create content for every trending topic you find, focus on the ones that suit your brand.

Make sure your content is unique and comprehensive, think of a new angle and use a unique brand voice that your audience can relate to.

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To differentiate yourself from the noise, consider adding a bit of creativity, twist, or controversy to your content.

Remember to maximize your content for search engines, whether that's through hashtags on social media platforms or keywords on your blog.

You can also use Fourthwall to create your own branded merchandise, printables, and services to expand your audience reach and boost sales.

RiseFuel can help you find awesome content ideas and create consistent content that resonates with your audience.

Brainstorm content and video ideas using trending topics, trend data, search terms, and popular keywords on YouTube as a springboard.

Think of entertaining or comedic takes on the topic, reviews, talking points, tutorials, duets, or challenges to get started.

Consider reading: Trending Seo Keywords

Measuring and Analyzing Performance

To get a trending topic off the ground, you need to track its performance and make adjustments accordingly.

YouTube videos with a rapid surge in views are strong contenders for trending status.

High watch time is another key indicator that viewers are finding value in the content.

Optimizing your video's title, description, and tags can improve its visibility and attract more views.

By keeping an eye on these metrics, you can refine your strategy and increase the chances of your topic trending.

Inspiration and Motivation

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Getting inspired by your peers can be a great way to research trending content. Other channels and fellow YouTubers in your niche can be a great source of inspiration.

Checking out what topics are currently resonating with their audiences can help you identify potential trends. This can give you ideas to incorporate into your own content strategy.

You can get inspired to create using the trends in your own way, for your own YouTube Shorts and videos.

Exploding Topics and Niche Selection

Exploding Topics is a valuable tool to stay on top of trending content and be the first to publish it. You can check if particular content has been growing or experiencing a downward trend over the past 3 months to 5 years.

To find the less-broad parts of a trending topic, look within each big trend for smaller, more specific subtopics or mini-trends that could be your ticket to original content. This can help you find unique angles for content creation in your own niche.

The Brandwatch platform gives you the power to find the topics trending amongst your consumers, making it easier to choose the trends that best suit you and will make the best impact.

Social Media Holidays in September

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Social media holidays in September are a great way to capitalize on trending topics and increase engagement on your platform.

National Preparedness Month is observed in September, making it a perfect time to create content around emergency preparedness and disaster relief.

Twitter's annual back-to-school season begins in mid-September, reaching millions of students and parents.

The National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, offers a great opportunity to create content that resonates with the Hispanic community.

Facebook's annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is observed in September, allowing you to create awareness and raise funds for this important cause.

Narrow Your Niche

You can find unique angles for content creation by looking at the less-broad parts of your trending topic of choice.

Trending topics often have many smaller, more specific subtopics or mini-trends that can be your ticket to original content. Within each big trend, there are opportunities to dig deeper and find fresh perspectives.

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To narrow your niche, you need to find the specific parts of the trend that resonate with your audience. This means analyzing the data from your various sources to understand what kind of content resonates most with your audience.

By choosing a specific subtopic or mini-trend, you can create content that stands out from the crowd and makes a real impact. This is especially true in social media, where joining a conversation in a timely manner can make all the difference.

Remember, it's not about jumping on every trend, but about choosing the ones that best suit you and your audience.

2. Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics is a tool that helps you find trending content and stay ahead of the competition. You can check if a particular topic has been growing or experiencing a downward trend over the past 3 to 5 years. This information can help you make better marketing decisions.

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The website features over 20 content categories, including technology, software, and e-commerce. You can also add a topic of your choice to get trend information. By signing up for their newsletter, you'll receive trending content in your inbox, ensuring you never lack relevant content ideas.

Exploding Topics is a worthy tool to check out, especially if you want to be among the first to publish trending content. This will set you apart from your competition and make you look like an authority in your field.

Here are the content categories available on Exploding Topics:

  • Technology
  • Software
  • E-commerce
  • And 17 more categories

By using Exploding Topics, you can stay on top of trending topics and create content that resonates with your audience.

Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms like Facebook have a tailored Trending section on the right-hand side of your News Feed. This section is based on your likes, follows, activity, and other data that Facebook holds about you.

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The Trending section is grouped into categories like top trends, politics, science and tech, sports, and entertainment. Journalists discovered that social media is personalized, and a tool called Blue Feed, Red Feed was developed to show this.

With 62% of US adults getting their news from social media, it's clear that social media trends can have a significant impact.

Medium

Medium is a blogging platform where users write about everything under the sun. It's a great place to find popular content and get inspiration for your own writing.

You can easily find what people are loving to read by checking the 'Popular on Medium' section. This section features popular posts with lots of engagement.

You can also type in your keyword or industry in the search bar to find popular content in your niche. This is a great way to discover new ideas and topics to write about.

Medium search results will rank the most popular content, so you can quickly see what's trending.

Social Media Platforms

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Social media platforms are where the action happens, and if you want to stay on top of the latest trends, you need to know where to look. Medium is a great place to find trending topics, with popular posts often featuring in the 'Popular on Medium' section.

You can also use the search bar on Medium to find popular content in your niche, just type in your keyword or industry and you'll get a list of the most popular content. I've found it to be a great way to get inspiration for content.

Trends on Twitter move fast, and if you want to stay up-to-date, you need to know how to find them. Moments is a curated list of the most important stories at any given time, with an explanation and selected Tweets.

Personalized trends are available to those with a Twitter account, and can be found on the left-hand side of the page. By default, this shows a tailored selection of trends based on your location and who you follow.

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On Facebook, the Trending section on the right-hand side of your News Feed is a great place to find trending topics. The content displayed depends on your likes, follows, activity, and all the rest of the data Facebook holds about you.

You can easily see trends for specific locations by clicking "change" at the top of the trends section, making it a useful tool for spotting trends in specific markets for targeted or local marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Elaine Block

Junior Assigning Editor

Elaine Block is a seasoned Assigning Editor with a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling. With a background in technology and a knack for understanding complex topics, she has successfully guided numerous articles to publication across various categories. Elaine's expertise spans a wide range of subjects, from cutting-edge tech solutions like Nextcloud Configuration to in-depth explorations of emerging trends and innovative ideas.

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