Trending is a term used to describe what seems popular and relevant to a social media community at any given time. Trending topics can be anything from news stories, holidays and viral content to current events and social challenges. The most effective trends are ones that have relevance and resonance with the target audience. A successful trend can also be highly controversial, generating engagement as people debate or share their opinions on the topic.

Using social media platforms, brands and influencers can leverage trends to reach new audiences, raise awareness about their products or services, and increase engagement on their social accounts. However, it’s important to approach trends with caution and make sure that any content you produce is authentic and relevant to your audience. Trending can also be a great way to highlight your brand’s expertise and position you as an industry leader, though it’s important to do this with sensitivity so that your content doesn’t appear contrived or overdone.

Alyousfi scraped YouTube’s Trending tab to find out how videos are selected for the list. He found that the videos are selected according to algorithms, which are influenced by location, language preference and viewing history. He also noticed that some channels had more videos appear on Trending than others. For example, a video from a channel about remote work software was more likely to appear on the list than a video from ESPN. This suggests that the algorithm is biased toward channels that create and share news-related content.

The algorithm for Twitter’s Trending is based on the number of times a hashtag is mentioned and how rapidly it’s growing, data scientist Gilad Lotan says. It “favours sharp spikes over any gradual sustained growth, so if a topic gets momentum in one day and stays trending, it will outperform a similar topic that takes 30 days to get the same volume.”

As more people discuss a topic online, it grows in popularity, which then causes it to become Trending on Facebook. Facebook has a separate list of topics that are trending in different parts of the world, so users can see what is currently being discussed where they are.

In addition to the algorithms, a trend is also influenced by the number of people talking about it, how widely it’s being shared and how long it lasts. For example, if a hashtag is a top trend in multiple countries for several days, that is more likely to attract attention from journalists and news outlets.

While the concept of trending is simple, its effects are complex and varied. As a result, many businesses struggle to harness the power of trends in their marketing campaigns. By following these tips, you can make sure that any campaigns you run are effective and generate the desired results.