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4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog – And How To Use Them

This post was most recently updated on August 1st, 2016

 

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your BlogWhile there’s many place to find what’s trending online, I’m going to share with you my favorite 4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog – And How To Use Them.

I think every single platform you can think of has a way to spot trends within its own community.

That’s because all these platforms want to improve engagement.

They want people talking.

The best way to get them talking to each other is to show them what the hot topics are, and let them get involved.

I don’t care if your favorite place to hang out is Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Warrior Forum or any place else… there is a way to locate the trending topics there.

If you’re blogging about one of those topics, then you certainly want to bring some of that hot and trending conversation to your own blog, don’t you?

If the topic social sites on the internet are focusing on them, shouldn’t you be too?

I’ll talk about how to use hot topics in a bit, but first let me show you how to find them.

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog

Now, these are certainly not the only way to spot trends for your blog.

There are countless places to go to spot trends, and it’s a good idea for you to explore some of these, especially as they relate to your own niche and sub-niche.

As with everything bloggers do, the more targeted your action is, the closer you’ll get to your target audience.

Spotting trends is no different.

However, a hot topic is still a hot topic, no matter what your niche.

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So think broadly here for a bit and see what how you can make use of the hordes of traffic rushing to trending topics.

Here’s my favorite 4 ways to spot trends.

Google

It should come as no surprise that Google is probably the top spot to spot trends for your blog.

Here’s the place to go find out what Google trends are.

https://www.google.com/trends/

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog

You’ll see that there is a drop down menu which I opened in the above image.  It shows you categories of trending topics.  When I open, for instance, “Top Stories,” I see these…

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog

If you open “All Categories” you’ll get a mix of everything.  That’s what I’ll usually do and just decide for myself what I do or do not find interesting.

By the way, it’s not important that you know anything at all about these trending topics, only that you get in front of the very wide audience of folks who do.

I’ll talk a bit more about that later.

YouTube

Even more than Google, I love finding the trending topics on YouTube.

There are two ways to do this.

You can just go to the main YouTube “Spotlight” page…

https://www.youtube.com/user/YouTube/videos

Notice, on the left side bar, you need to select “Trending.”

Then, in the center drop down menus, you can choose what you want to see.  I generally click on “Videos” because that’s what I’m most interested in.

Now, you’ll see the top trending videos along with the number of views, and how long the video has been up.

https://www.youtube.com/user/YouTube/videos

 

I actually find it is far more useful to go to the YouTube feed itself, instead of the Spotlight.

https://www.youtube.com/feed/trending

Again, you click “Trending” in the left side bar, and again in the drop down menus and you’ll see much more viral activity, and more recent, too.

I’m not sure why that is, but I always get better results using this method.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/YouTube/videos

 

Twitter

Twitter is another great place to spot trends for your blog.

You can go to the main Twitter site, and find what’s hot.

https://twitter.com/

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog

Again, though, like with YouTube… you’re probably best to just go to your Twitter home page.

Simply log in to your own Twitter account and find the trending topics on the left hand side of your main page.

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog

This will give you a great idea of what to Tweet about, and what hashtags to include in your Tweets.

Facebook

Of course, Facebook is also a great place to find trending topics.

Simply go to your timeline, and in the right sidebar and look for “TRENDING.”

Under that heading, you’ll be able to spot trends that might fit in with your blog.

Be sure to click to “See More” at the bottom of this short list in order to get a much larger, full range of hot topics.

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog

 

4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog – And How To Use Them

Trending topics are excellent starting points for attracting new readers to your blog.

But it’s not just about writing blog posts on hot and trending topics.

One of the better ways to use these hot trend topics is to locate other blogs, Facebook groups or pages, forum threads and the like where the trending topic has come under the microscope.

When you find people talking about it, tossing around opinions, even arguing about some of the finer aspects of the topic, then you’ve found an audience.

This is where you step in and get involved in the conversation.

Give your opinion.

Ask questions.

Give tips and advice wherever it fits into the conversation.

Don’t try to steal the show.

Respect everyone’s opinion and thoughts on a topic, and if you disagree say things like “yes, I see what you’re saying. I also think…”

This is a much better approach then something like “no, you’re totally wrong about that. This is the way I see it…”

Remember, you want to use trending topics to build a following, not make enemies.

Now, when you find trending topics on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere, keep in mind that those are the topics trending on those platforms.

So, just because a music video is trending on YouTube, it doesn’t mean it’s trending on Facebook.

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If you’re trying to traffic to your blog from Facebook, then get involved in Facebook trends.

Talk about them, post images or videos about them, and sprinkle in a few posts that lead back to your latest blog post on the topic.

This doesn’t mean you must write a blog post specifically about the trending topic, though.

You can write a blog post to showcase your expertise on a topic, or even a general concept related to it.

Trending Topic Keyword Hacks For Your Blog

One of the best methods for your blog is to use the keywords associated with trending topics.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write a blog post with those keywords, but you can use a blog post that is relevant to them.

So, let’s say you find a hot trending video on YouTube is “Lady Gaga Singing At Grammy’s.”

You can hack the keywords by writing a blog post called “Why Lady Gaga Singing At Grammy’s Inspired Me To …”

But you could also use the same trending topic to build blog traffic without writing a blog post specifically about the topic itself.

Using the same example, you might make a 3 minute video about overcoming fear, or attaining success.

You could title the video “Lady Gaga Singing At Grammy’s Helped Me Learn to Overcome My Fear of …” or “Lady Gaga Singing At Grammy’s Is A Great Lesson For Attaining Success.”

You can then point your video back to a blog post your wrote… not about Lady Gaga… but about overcoming fear, or attaining success.

You can use this same keyword hack method on Twitter, Reddit, or anywhere else to drive traffic back to your blog via the trending topic keywords.

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Now I’ve shared my “4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog – And How To Use Them.”

The strategies I’ve shared barely scratch the surface.

The key is to make them fit your blog’s theme.

How can you apply some of these ideas for your blog?

I’d love to hear some of your ideas.

-Donna

Donna Merrill
Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.

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61 Responses to 4 Ways To Spot Trends For Your Blog – And How To Use Them

  1. puspendu seth
    Twitter:
    July 27, 2017 at 7:43 am #

    I am very much pleased after reading this post. Trending topics are definitely a good idea to grab ideas and make them useful to help followers or write blog posts. So thanks for sharing your valuable ideas.

  2. Matthew K. Loomis
    Twitter:
    February 28, 2016 at 6:04 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    This sounds similar to newsjacking, perhaps they are one and the same? Regardless, your post has got me intrigued to test this strategy.

    I love news and lots of other topics and if I’m going to spend time on those, why not make it profitable?

    Like Adrienne was saying, there is probably a smart way to go about this. I don’t want to waste time getting worthless traffic. But I think if done right, this might be productive.

    Let’s see how it goes. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing these helpful tips!

    Best,

    Matthew

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      March 3, 2016 at 11:15 am #

      Hi Matthew,

      Yes, very similar to newsjacking Matthew. One can find what is “trending” on almost any platform. I like Google Trends and when I see one that can coincide with a blog I’ve written or even a sales copy (hmmmm) I like to use that as a front end on social media.

      As long as we play by the rules and it is done correctly, it’s fine.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How I Come Up With Blog IdeasMy Profile

  3. Ikechi
    Twitter:
    February 25, 2016 at 2:23 am #

    Hi Donna

    As usual, it is always thrilling to read your posts. I love this topic and I do know that it can be difficult to spot out trends but you have made it the process simple.

    I use Google trends a lot and Twitter but I have never tried YouTube nor Facebook.

    For Google trends. I take a look at what is trending and sometimes, I compare some keywords and see which one has had the most trend.

    Thanks for sharing. Take care

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 25, 2016 at 11:41 am #

      Hi Ikechi,

      Seems to me like you know a thing or two about using tends. Google trends are fantastic. Check out Youtube trends next only because it is the second largest search engine after Google.

      Twitter is cool, but it moves very quickly as you well know. Also Facebook is great to use if you are on that platform.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Put Screen Capture Video On Your Blog | And WhyMy Profile

  4. Andrew M. Warner
    Twitter:
    February 22, 2016 at 9:57 am #

    Hey Donna,

    Really great post here.

    I knew about Google and twitter but not so much about Facebook especially
    That is REALLY interesting and come hinges I’ll have to pay close attention to.

    Thanks so much for that tip alone. Even with the limited time I spend on social media, I could definitely dedicate myself to checking out trends more.

    – Andrew

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 24, 2016 at 6:15 pm #

      Hi Andrew,

      Trends come and go so quickly but once we find one that can pump up our own blog or just about any information we want to share, it works well.

      We don’t have to do it all the time, but from time to time and then check out if it catches on. The only way we can do anything is to test it out.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Put Screen Capture Video On Your Blog | And WhyMy Profile

  5. Sherman Smith February 22, 2016 at 9:17 am #

    Hey Donna,

    This is a great idea!

    I’ve actually used this using Quora. Right now I’m gaining connections at least twice a week from questions I’ve answered a couple of months ago.

    It’s a great way to drive traffic and also build up your reputation. I like your Lady Gaga examples. I never thought about using keywords within a trend to drive traffic back to my blog. This gives you more options to find your target audience within trending topics.

    Since I’m on the social sites you mentioned often, I’m going to keep in mind about finding trends to help drive traffic back to my blog.

    Thanks for sharing Donna! Have a great week!
    Sherman Smith recently posted..3 Elements To Focus On To Help You Save TimeMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 24, 2016 at 6:00 pm #

      Hi Sherman,

      When it comes to social sites, trending topics are a wonderful way to start a conversation. I would say what would Lady GaGa do about (fill in the blank) if she was trending at the moment.

      I’ve even used Donald Trump and said I felt like a “Trumpette” when I was writing about something. It went very well.

      It is kind of fun to do Sherman!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Put Screen Capture Video On Your Blog | And WhyMy Profile

  6. Lillian De Jesus
    Twitter:
    February 21, 2016 at 9:53 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    There are so many great tips here! I never thought about trending topics on YouTube. You’re giving me some aha moments over here! Trending topics are definitely a good idea to grab ideas and make them useful to help followers or write blog posts.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Lillian

  7. Barbara Charles
    Twitter:
    February 21, 2016 at 9:11 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    Just up my alley. Adrienne and I were just talking about YouTube and two days later I go to your blog and you mentioned it as a way to be seen. Love it. Learning from the best and that’s awesome. Great info here and what I like is that these are things we can automatically implement, particularly with the social media.

    Great article as usual. 🙂

    Miss talking to you.
    Barbara
    Barbara Charles recently posted..11 Dangerous Ingredients in Shampoos & ConditionersMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 24, 2016 at 2:43 pm #

      Hi Barbara,

      I do miss talking to you too. It’s been a crazy winter for me but I’m moving slowly. Ahh Youtube! What fun it is to get what is trending there and use it for a “foot in the door” kind of title sometimes.

      I do line to play while I work and this is why I just had to share this little tip.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Put Screen Capture Video On Your Blog | And WhyMy Profile

  8. Kathryn Maclean
    Twitter:
    February 21, 2016 at 2:32 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    Fabulous topic spotting and using trends to leverage them for your blog.
    You gave great examples of where to find trends. I will keep for reference.

    I use Google alerts on certain topics and I find them very useful. They are
    delivered to my gmails regularly. Very interesting way to get ideas too on
    what to write about.

    I liked the example of hacking the title keywords and writing a variation of
    that for your blog.As these keywords will rank high in Google, your article
    might also.

    Thanks for the excellent article on spotting trends and implementing them
    for our blogs.

  9. Peter Beckenham
    Twitter:
    February 21, 2016 at 3:39 am #

    Hello Donna and wow what a truly helpful and interesting post.

    I have never considered the potential of using “trending topics’ as a way to create engagement and build a following.

    What a fantastic yet easy to implement concept.

    Sadly I can’t use the Facebook “trending” option as its not available in Thailand – its only available in selected countries apparently.

    What I really enjoyed most of all in your superb post was the very clever way of using trending keyword hacks. This one got me very excited and as soon as I’m finished with your comment I’m going to follow up on this simple yet practical idea.

    Thanks again Donna for sharing your expertise.

    Best wishes as always from the remote Thai village blogger

    Peter
    Peter Beckenham recently posted..Affiliate Marketing – Profit By Not SellingMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 24, 2016 at 2:29 pm #

      Hi Peter,

      Although you may not get Facebook there in Thailand, there is Twitter, and all the other social media sites that do have “trending” keywords to snatch.

      As I was doing it for a while, I did notice a pretty good opt in rate. It is a little tricky because as you well know, we need to be congruent with our own message.

      Enjoy your remote village!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Put Screen Capture Video On Your Blog | And WhyMy Profile

  10. lisa thomson
    Twitter:
    February 20, 2016 at 11:45 am #

    Hi Donna, this is sure eye opening for me. I’ve bee missing some opportunities, especially where the last point is concerned. hacking key words is a brilliant idea (if I can do it without being too obvious). 😉 thanks for these wonderful tips!
    lisa thomson recently posted..Can Writing Lift Us Out Of Darkness?My Profile

  11. Atish Ranjan
    Twitter:
    February 20, 2016 at 3:03 am #

    Super ideas, Donna. Though we all see the trending stuff on social media, we never compiled a post on this.

    Thanks for posting this. Indeed the nice ideas.

    Enjoy your weekend.
    Atish Ranjan recently posted..MH Magazine Review – Responsive WordPress Magazine ThemeMy Profile

  12. Enstine Muki
    Twitter:
    February 19, 2016 at 7:38 am #

    Oh My God!
    I have never taken note of TRENDING in Facebook.
    Where have I been all this while?
    Thanks for helping me add something new to my list this weekend Donna
    Enstine Muki recently posted..Hostgator 60% discount code Limited Time Promotion!My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 24, 2016 at 1:55 pm #

      Hi Enstine,

      he he he Just another way to think about it when we are looking at what is “trending” It works kind of great.

      -Donna

  13. Neena
    Twitter:
    February 19, 2016 at 7:07 am #

    Hi Donna,

    You are ninja!

    I know about trends – but forget about using them. I love the point you made about contributing to discussions around trends.

    What this comes down to for me is time – I to build in some time to try this new approach. And the thing is that it really is a modification of an old approach. Right?

    We spend time on social media daily anyway – now just focus that time on trends. Love it!

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 24, 2016 at 1:00 pm #

      Hi Neena,

      You make such a great point, here.

      We all spend plenty of time on social media already, so logging into trendy discussions is not a matter of spending more time there, it’s just a way to focus on what people are interested in.

      And, of course, by doing this, we get to leverage the “trendy talk” to position our own brand within that context.
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Put Screen Capture Video On Your Blog | And WhyMy Profile

  14. Chris DeeWaard
    Twitter:
    February 18, 2016 at 11:38 pm #

    Hi Donna.

    Nice post.

    I’ve never even thought about trends when it pertains to coming up with content, especially when it comes to the IM niche.

    Thanks! You’ve given me something else to think about going forward.

    Have a great upcoming weekend…..Chris
    Chris DeeWaard recently posted..6 Easy Ways To Bring FREE Traffic To Your BlogMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 21, 2016 at 7:06 pm #

      Hi Chris,

      Give it a try and see if trending topics can help you bring in more of the kind of traffic you’d like to have on your blog.

      It’s not a complicated strategy, and not one you have to use all the time.

      But if you do it occasionally, on a consistent basic, you should start seeing an increase in readership.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  15. Mi Muba
    Twitter:
    February 18, 2016 at 1:38 pm #

    Hi Donna

    Very interesting post; yes interesting as after clicking the resources you mentioned I just got to know several trending topics and may be a few of them would be part of my upcoming posts on my different blogs.

    People listen to those who talk on popular topic because while doing so one does not have to attract their attention and they are already much eager to know more about a trending topic.

    The resources you mentioned here are very exact and one needs not to apply his judgement for picking them. He just needs to skilfully use them to get more attention while selling online.

    I remember a year back Gangnam style was the most trending topic in music industry and every Smith and John was writing about it.

    Many thanks for sharing this topic that itself is quite trending and evergreen.

    Have a great weekend ahead.
    Mi Muba recently posted..What to sell and what to offer free to your blog visitors?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 21, 2016 at 6:48 pm #

      Hi Mi Muba,

      You’ve got the idea already, hehe.

      Yea, it’s pretty simple as long as you know where to look and… now you do!

      I guarantee, if you start using this method consistently, you’re going to get more traffic to your blog.

      Just make sure you’re getting the “right” traffic, so choose the trends that are relevant to your blog or topic.

      If it’s not relevant, you won’t be getting very targeted traffic, but even that’s okay if you’re just looking for a broad spectrum of traffic for a very generic topic.

      For instance, if your topic is something like “overcoming procrastination”… a braod topic or even simple keyword hack like I described can be very effective because, after all, who doesn’t want to stop procrasting in their life?

      If you’re selling insurance plans or shampoo or anything that just about everyone uses, you don’t really need targeted traffic.

      So just be sure what your busines model is, and use trending topics to help you get the kind of traffic you need.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  16. Stella Chiu
    Twitter:
    February 17, 2016 at 1:53 pm #

    Hi, Donna

    Since I concentrate on Twitter and Facebook at this moment, I am using hot trends of those platforms. I am still in learning how to use them well .

    I love your tutorial on how to combine the Hot trend with the blog. Simple , clear, and practical one that everyone can implement into his system.

    Will share!

    – Stella Chiu
    Stella Chiu recently posted..Follow the Birds to Have Worried Free LivingMy Profile

  17. PJ Zafra
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 9:44 pm #

    Hey there Donna,

    Awesome post here. I love trends and it can be crazy powerful if you’re on time and make it super interesting so that it stands out. I just love Facebook trends. It updates really quick and it’s something that people are interested in right now.

    I always go through trends to see how I can use that to deliver value on my blog. I usually just go on Facebook and YouTube. Another good site that you may be able to use for trends is Viral Viral Videos.com. It’s basically a blog full of the latest viral videos from the YouTube community.

    Thanks for sharing this post Donna.

    Lots of great stuff!

    Pj Zafra
    PJ Zafra recently posted..How To Live Life With No Regrets – 4 Key Steps That Would Greatly Reduce Or Eliminate RegretMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 20, 2016 at 10:27 pm #

      Hi PJ,

      It seems like you’re already doing a lot of these things.

      So I’m sure it’s bringing you good results.

      Good to hear that Facebook trends, in particular, is working well for you. I think a lot of us tend to overlook it.

      I never heard of Viral Viral Vids, so thanks for mentioning that one 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  18. Monna Ellithorpe
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 9:10 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    What a great idea. I checked for just a few minutes to see how to find the topics but will come back later to dig down deeper to find something closer to my niche.

    Sometimes some of the most simple things make the most sense and we make things harder than they need to be.
    Monna Ellithorpe recently posted..Create a Book Cover in CanvaMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 20, 2016 at 9:53 pm #

      Hi Monna,

      So true!

      Don’t we just love to overcomplicate things, haha.

      This really does boil down to simply keeping up on what’s happening online in general, and as it relates or how you can relate it to your niche in particular.

      Keep digging, my friend 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  19. Sylviane Nuccio
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 2:08 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    What great tips you’ve given here. I had never really thought about any other tool than Google to look for trends and I haven’t done it for ages. Good to know there are other ways as well.

    I remember learning the tips you’re giving here about using trend keywords for our blog posts. It was a very long time ago when I was a member of an affiliate marketing tutorial, but in fact I’ve never used that tip.

    However, thinking of it, your post makes me want to try this.

    Thanks for the inspiration.

    ~Sylviane
    Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..5 Wrong Criteria to Find the Right Writer For Your BusinessMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 20, 2016 at 9:03 pm #

      Hi Sylviane,

      Using trends as a blogger is not really a “technique” as much as it is just simply solid journalism.

      Whatever your niche, there is talk going on about it on the internet… on YouTube, Twitter, Faceboo, Google Search and all the rest.

      There are new developments, controversies and products related to it.

      If it’s your niche, even if you’re not intimately involved in these trending topics, you need to show familiarity with them. You can do that by bringing them up within our blog posts, in your comments to other bloggers, in your videos, social shares and even your emails.

      Imagine watching a cable news station or listening to a talk show on a topic you’re interested in and the moderator shows absolutely no familiarly with or understanding of some of the big things being talking about on that topic.

      That’s why bloggers need to keep up with hot trends.

      It’s what their audience is interested in, otherwise they wouldn’t be hot trending topics.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  20. Harleena Singh
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 10:07 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Informative post indeed 🙂

    I’ve used Google Trends to spot trends, not always but at times. I don’t use the trending keywords but do check the keywords sometimes if they are trending or not. I agree with you that it helps to blog the trends to get traffic to your site.

    I’ve never used YouTube, the Twitter trends though are always visible on the Twitter sidebar, I confess that I never use those hashtags always, but its a good thing to make use of them somehow.

    Facebook works too, though depends on how you use it. Overall, depends a lot of how people use all of these, isn’t it?

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
    Harleena Singh recently posted..12 Warning Signs Your Self-Love StinksMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 20, 2016 at 8:25 pm #

      Hi Harleena,

      Oh yea, there’s so many different things to do with trending topics.

      Don’t get crazy and overwhelmed by it.

      Best to grab one method like Twitter or Google Trends, for instance… make the most of it on a consistent basis.

      If you want to broaden your use of trending topics, fine, if not, just one or two methods will help you keep your blog upbeat and trendy and “on top” of things for your readers.

      That’s really the bottom line, right?

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  21. Kim Willis
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 9:43 am #

    Hi Donna

    This is a fab topic and you’ve given four great examples for people to use straightaway.

    Linking the trending topic to the message requires a degree of skill. I say that because I’ve seen people do it in such an obvious and heavy-handed way that virtually guarantees that the reader will quickly turn off.

    When people have created the headline, they can use it on their blog, for sure. But they can also leverage it into their email messages and social media posts.

    Done correctly this strategy works brilliantly.

    Thanks again Donna

    Kim
    Kim Willis recently posted..8 Ways to Convert Uncommitted Lookers Into Hot Prospects OnlineMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 20, 2016 at 8:01 pm #

      Hi Kim,

      You’re so right about this.

      You’ve got to use “a degree of skill” or else you’ll just turn people off. You’ve got to go further than a catchy blog title. You’ve really got to “sell” the connection between the trendy title and the substance of your article.

      The closer your “hot topics” are to your niche, the easier this is to do.

      If you stretch it too far, and find you’re just making people think you’ll be talking about one thing (the hot trend) when you’re really talking about something only remotely related to it… you’re on the wrong track with this.

      Think of the Farmers Insurance Commercials (I love them)… “you think you’re covered for this… when you’re actually paying for this”… http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7rlw/farmers-insurance-coverage-gaps

      Such fun 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  22. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 6:29 am #

    Hi Donna!

    I remember when I was running my iPhone site, I covered a lot of news so I did get in on the industry trends quite quick and was able to ride those up, leading to great results through social sharing and building backlinks as well.

    However, I’ve never really thought about using the huge trending topics from outside and then tying them in and making them apply to your niche. Your example with Lady Gaga was a good one, reminded me a lot of Ryan and how he seems to be able to pull lessons from anything hahaha.

    I’ve definitely tied trending topics into my social media posts, so no idea why I haven’t tried it with blog posts. When I find one I think is relevant, I may have to try this out. Thanks for sharing the ideas Donna and making them so simple!
    James McAllister recently posted..10+ iPhone / Android Apps Every Blogger Should Be UsingMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 5:46 pm #

      Hi James,

      First of all, “simple” is my favorite thing to do 🙂

      That’s the main thing I hear from people who sign up for coaching with me because, hey, who want to be coached by somebody who make things so hard to follow that only a handful of students can really make it work.

      So, my whole business and blog is based on “simple” yet things that really work.

      As for trending topics, I think bloggers don’t use them nearly as often as they could unless they have an e-commerce site like you mentioned with your iPhone site.

      But I’m sure if you put your thinking cap on, you can find lots of ways to swing trending topic followers over to your blog. Just gotta be a bit creative sometimes.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  23. Deepak Gera
    Twitter:
    February 16, 2016 at 3:10 am #

    Thanks Donna for sharing. All channels which you mentioned are great but I think this need some research also, which channel is working best for you and what are latest trends going on on that particular channel. Little research on that will going to make a fast impact on visitor base.

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 5:42 pm #

      Hi Deepak,

      Yea, you’re absolutely right.

      You’ve got to do a bit of homework and research to make sure you’re digging up topics and keywords that work for your particular blog.

      It’s different for everyone, that’s where the work kicks in. No one size fits all, but wish there was 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  24. Brenda Pace
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 5:41 pm #

    Hey Donna!

    Wow! I didn’t realize that option was available for Google! Where the heck have I been? I use Twitter and Facebook for trending info as well as Flipboard. I think I’m going to start using Google too and see how much I like it.

    I believe using more of these resources will be beneficial for both of my business sites. Thanks so much for sharing these with us.

    Hope you’re doing well!

    Bren
    Brenda Pace recently posted..The Importance of a Mobile Responsive WebsiteMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 5:41 pm #

      Hi Brenda,

      Try Google Alerts, too. It’s a great way to get trending topic articles delivered daily, right to your inbox.

      Talk about letting all your readers know that you’re on top of things… hehehe

      This is especially great for business sites, and you only have to figure out what works best for you particular site and make it a regular part of what you do.

      Make it happen, my friend!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  25. Adrienne
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 5:10 pm #

    Hey Donna,

    I’ve never cared for the trending topics strategy mainly because as per your example with Lady Gaga, people are under the assumption that your post has to do with Lady Gaga. Yes, you might have said something like “Lady Gaga Singing At The Grammy’s Is A Great Lesson For Attaining Success”. They aren’t seeing the entire headline because they are Lady Gaga freaks. That’s a boost in your traffic but most are there for the wrong reasons.

    As we know though, that’s been my experience with trending topics but I sure hope it hasn’t been everyone’s. I only wished this had worked for me in the past!

    You explained it well though for anyone eager to give this a try so great job.

    Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and you’re feeling brand new! Have a great week my dear.

    ~Adrienne
    Adrienne recently posted..How To Get Your Audience To Buy From YouMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 1:02 pm #

      Hi Adrienne,

      I understand that the Lady Gaga example is one that doesn’t work for more targeted audiences, but it does for very generic ones, which many people are interested in.

      That’s why I only mentioned it as a very specific method known as keyword hacking.

      It’s not really the main way to apply trending topics to your blog.

      Most people search trending topics look for ones very targeted to their topic.

      So if you’re mostly interested in blogging, for instance, find trending topics related to that. It won’t include Lady Gaga videos, of course, but might help you discover a new software related to blogging, or a hot strategy or discussion about something like embedding native ads in your blog or whatever.

      One of my clients has found keyword hacking very useful because they don’t have a narrowly defined niche. In fact, they have an ecommerce site that sells gift baskets. All types of gift baskets for all kinds of occasions. So hacking into very popular videos on ANY topic in the world, pretty much, helps them to promote their products.

      Talking about blogging, again, that’s not a good strategy because you want to find a more targeted audience.

      But you can still do that with trending topic research, and even keyword hacks.

      A few years back, for instance, “CommentLuv” plugin was a hot new trending topic for the blogging niche. It’s not anymore because it’s been around a long time, but if you were one of the first bloggers to have started talking about it, your readers would have benefited greatly and you’d have probably gotten a whole lot of very good, “blogger” traffic from the topic.

      And one of the methods that worked well to get in front of the trending “CommentLuv” audience was to use keyword hacking of some of the hottest YouTube videos demonstrating how it worked. Or even just bringing the topic to your readers in the form of a discussion or review blog post.

      So just think what does or does not pertain to your own business model and your own following, and trending topics will be something that can benefit you in connecting to the folks you’d like to reach… one way or another…

      Thanks for stopping by, girl, and adding your point of view. It’s always much appreciated 🙂

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  26. Mark
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 4:27 pm #

    Wow Donna!

    That is four fabulous ways, to spot and leverage some current trends!

    And I love the way you expertly demonstrated “how to” use specific
    trending keywords, (and I guess) for that matter, trending events, to create
    some excellent, curiosity based blog post, and or videos.

    In order to drive targeted some highly targeted traffic
    back to our blogs, and or market tested lead capture pages.

    And every strategy and tool you recommended, is so non techie
    and extremely practical Coach!

    I can definitely see the benefits in applying them!Thanks! Great stuff
    as usual!LOL!
    Mark recently posted..So What The Heck Does Your Cash Starved Small Business Do To In Order To Grow During A Recession?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 12:58 pm #

      Hi Mark,

      I’m so glad you like these ideas 🙂

      Trending content is everywhere. Use these methods I’ve shown you, and develop some of your own as your particular interests and niche lead you to other sources.

      PS: There’s no reason to try to use all of these. Just find one or 2 that work best for you and stick to it, like Marquita shows you how she does it with just one or 2 methods in her comment in this thread.

      It’s better to use one or 2 of these very consistently than to try to get involved in too many, get overwhelmed, and drown … haha

      No so funny really, I see it happen all the time 🙁

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  27. Corinne Kerston
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 3:34 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    Great article! I’ve always checked Google, twitter and FB, but never really thought to check YouTube. Makes sense though, since Google owns it.

    Thanks for the great tips. I’ll definitely be checking out YouTube more.
    Corinne
    Corinne Kerston recently posted..Different Types of Blog Comments and How to Deal With ThemMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 9:55 am #

      Hi Corinne,

      I don’t know why everybody seems to bypass YouTube… and yea, it is owned by Google and is the 2nd biggest search engine on the internet… hehehe

      Funny it gets overlooked so much.

      Try it out, you might be nicely surprised by all the content and trends you’ll find related to your niche.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  28. Marquita Herald
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 2:18 pm #

    Great tips as always Donna. I use Google Trends as well as alerts for keywords and topics. Haven’t used Twitter much but I think I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. Don’t think YouTube trends would help me much since other than looking for videos to help me figure out how to use a piece of software or a plug-in the only thing I watch is John Oliver’s show. 🙂

    Another important strategy for me is following the blogs of the dozen or so sites at the top of my niche and watching what they are posting about. This not only helps me spot trends, I use it to find different ways to approach similar topics in order to stand out from the crowd. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Marquita Herald recently posted..What It Really Means to Find Opportunity in AdversityMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 9:43 am #

      Hi Marquita,

      Seems like you’re doing a good job of keep up on the trending topics in your niche.

      Google Alerts is a really good way to do that because you can be so specific in what you’re interested in. It really helps you narrow your focus to a very well defined audience that you’re trying to target.

      Watching the top bloggers in your niche is another great suggestion!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  29. Robin Khokhar
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 1:47 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    This post of yours has some good information. And I must say that you are good at blogging. As I was only using Google trends for the same but never thought of getting trends from facebook, twitter or Youtube.
    I will be now digging deeper into these sites too.
    Robin Khokhar recently posted..List of CommentLuv Blogs for Dofollow LinksMy Profile

  30. Renard Moreau
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 1:41 pm #

    [ Smiles ] Hmm. I never really thought of using what is trending on YouTube for my blog; since what is recommended for me is usually tailored via my tastes in videos.

    However, I do pay close attention to what is trending on Twitter and also to what is trending on Yahoo.

    Thanks once again for sharing your expertise.

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 19, 2016 at 9:35 am #

      Hi Renard,

      Trending topics anywhere… YouTube, Twitter etc… are

      just ideas that might help you write a blog post that is

      relevant to what’s trending.

      The best thing to do, of course, is to focus on trending

      topics related to your niche, and to your blog.

      I don’t suggest you just grab anything trending and try to

      jump on that bandwagon, unless you’re using the “trending

      topic hack” method I mentioned… but that’s not the main

      idea of using trending topics, it’s just one little

      example of how these topics might be used.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

  31. Don Purdum
    Twitter:
    February 15, 2016 at 1:30 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    What I love about your article is how practical it is and that the tools you’ve recommended are a great place to start.

    I was talking with a business owner the other day who was feeling absolutely overwhelmed.

    People were recommending all these different tools. Some were free and others were paid, but the end result was the same.

    The tools just felt complex and each one had a lot of detail.

    Many even feel overwhelmed by Google Analytics and Webmaster tools.

    Your ideas are simple, easy to understand and simple to follow.

    In a world where things are feeling more and more complex simplicity is a breath of fresh air!

    I’ll be sharing your post around Donna.

    Have a great week!!!

    ~ Don Purdum
    Don Purdum recently posted..How to Really Become a Remarkable Expert and Grow Your BusinessMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      February 15, 2016 at 8:33 pm #

      Hi Don,

      I’m glad you like the idea of spotting trends and leveraging them for your blog.

      Clearly, this is a strategy that could simply pull irrelevant and untargeted traffic. The challenge is to try to minimize that.

      To do that, you’d want to try to find trending topics that are as close to your niche as possible, or, you’d want to feature very broad offers to the general traffic you get.

      So, to use the Lady Gaga example, you’d probably get poor results if you’re driving traffic to an intensely metrics-oriented SEO article or offer. But if your offer were much broader, say a personal development one… you’d get much better results.

      If yo did want to promote your SEO offer, though, you might try looking for trending videos or articles in the SEO niche… maybe an SEO guru gave a great presentation on YouTube. Maybe Matt Cutts or Avinash Kauhik… people that SEO groupies would flock to.

      The theory is simple, the implementation is all about the details and the angle.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..How To Start A Blog On WordPress – And WhyMy Profile

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