When it comes to social media trends, the term “trending” refers to topics or hashtags that are gaining traction on a platform. They are often related to current events and news stories, pop culture or viral content. Trending also includes trends specific to a location or community.
The algorithm that determines trends on YouTube takes into account various factors beyond view count, including the origin of views (diversified vs. concentrated), audience engagement metrics (likes, comments and shares) and channel growth (up-and-coming creators might get a boost). Likewise, Google Trends factors in search volume, but it excludes special characters, multiple searches by the same person or infrequent search terms.
Keeping up with social media trends can help businesses expand their reach and visibility on the platforms. By participating in a trend, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders and gain more followers. However, it’s important to participate strategically. A post that doesn’t make sense for the trend or is inappropriate could be seen as insensitive, or worse, it might not be seen at all.
Trends can appear on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok. They are based on the collective interests and discussions of a community at a particular time, such as a public event, popular TV show, meme or other viral content. They can also be related to current events, cultural or other happenings, holidays or online campaigns and challenges.
When you look at the trends on YouTube, you’ll notice that it doesn’t include much in the way of politics or religion. The majority of the trends are a mix of entertainment and lifestyle videos, as well as some gaming content. The algorithm isn’t transparent about how it selects videos for the Trending tab, though it is known that views and channel growth are key metrics.
YouTube’s Trending page is a great place to showcase new and engaging content. The platform has a wide range of viewers from all over the world, and if your video is featured in this section, you’ll gain exposure to users who might not otherwise have seen it.
The Trending pages on YouTube and Twitter are a powerful tool for boosting your brand’s visibility and engagement. Keep in mind that trends have an expiration date, so it’s important to always be thinking about what you can do next to stay on top of the conversation. Be careful not to let the pressure of being in the spotlight cause you to lose sight of your business goals and values. And remember, it’s possible to abuse the trending feature — in extreme cases, Twitter has even suspended accounts for trend abuse. To avoid this, it’s important to use a keyword rank checker such as Ahrefs to analyze your performance before trying to jump into the trending topics. This will give you an idea of how quickly your content is growing and what the best timing would be to increase your chances of appearing in the trending list.