Trending is a way of finding out what people are talking about on a given social media platform such as Twitter or TikTok. It involves a process of aggregation which groups together the most popular words, phrases and hashtags on the site to create a list of trending topics that you can find by going to a social media platform’s ‘trending’ area such as TikTok’s Explore Page or Twitter’s Trends page. Trends are often determined by a combination of factors including location, popularity of a hashtag, and number of searches carried out on the term.

It’s not just Twitter that uses trends, other social networks such as Facebook and YouTube also feature a set of topics that are currently being discussed by users in their area. This can be anything from political events to cultural phenomena such as the latest TV shows or music artists. Trends can be as broad or specific as you like – you might find one about new houses on the market, for example, or a particular football team.

Getting your brand, content or products to appear on a social network’s trending list can provide you with increased visibility, exposure and engagement. However, you have to be smart about how you approach the idea, since abuse of trends can result in your account being suspended by the platform.

The best way to make your company, product or event appear on the trending list is by using a popular hashtag and having as many Twitter, Instagram or Facebook followers as possible tweet about it using that hashtag at around the same time. Then, the social network will likely consider your topic as a ‘trending’ issue and promote it accordingly.

This is why it is so important to have a large, engaged following of your own. We have worked with some clients who were able to get their brands on the trending list by encouraging all their followers to talk about a particular campaign at the same time, in order to generate enough interest for it to be considered a trending topic.

You can also use a tool such as Buzzsumo, which lists the most talked about topics and hashtags on a given day, to see what is currently trending on a variety of different social media platforms. This is a great way to find out what your target audience is interested in and can help with developing content ideas.

It isn’t always easy to get your brand, content or message on the trending list and you have to be prepared to work hard at it. However, if you can successfully jump on a trending issue, the benefits are considerable and well worth the effort.