7 Ways To Find Trending Blog Topics (in 2023)

Searching for trending blog topics can catapult your website to success.

But not everyone knows how to do it. 

Put on your learning caps—let’s talk about generating trending blog ideas your target audience will love. 

What Are Trending Blog Topics?

Trending blog topics refer to subjects that are currently popular, generating high interest and engagement among online audiences.

Throughout my 13-year career as a blogger, I witnessed dozens of trends fade just as fast as they appear.

Some examples are:

• fidget spinners
• dabbing
• social media challenges
• hoverboards, etc.

Of course, a handful of trends remained relevant even after years since their conception. 

A great example would be the popularity of short-form videos—starting with apps like “Vine” and eventually paving the way for new platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. 

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Benefits of Trending Blog Topics

Whether or not a trend dies or sticks around, writing about it is an effective way to stir up some buzz and capture your target audience’s attention. 

Blogging about trending topics can also lead to the following benefits: 

• Reach new audiences – Some trending topics could be the missing ingredient you need to attract and captivate new audiences. If you haven’t had traffic growth for a while, consider exploring trendy, new topics to shake things up. 
• “Poke” new niches – Writing about trends is a great way to test the profitability of niche products. This will unlock new revenue streams for your blog, be it through eCommerce or affiliate marketing. 
• Get into breakout industries early – Cashing in on a trend early puts you in an advantageous position against competitors. You can establish your authority and snag high rankings before big players catch on—providing you with substantial traffic gains for less work. 
• Identify seasonal topics – Observing trends over a longer period will help you adjust your monthly content promotion strategy. For example, “Cyber Monday” content may not generate sufficient traffic all year round, but it can lead to a massive surge in web traffic around November. 

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Now that you understand what trending blog topics are and why they’re important, it’s time for the juicy stuff. 

Here are seven proven ways to leverage trends to discover profitable blog ideas. 

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1. Conduct Keyword Research 

Keyword research is a crucial skill not just in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but content marketing as well. 

The main goal is to look for viable, in-demand target keywords that pull the right audience—without being too competitive. This is done by using keyword research tools to expand “seed” keywords into longer keywords (called “long-tail keywords“). 

With the right strategies, keyword research also reveals potential blog topics that can generate tons of readers. 

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How to conduct keyword research to identify popular topics

To conduct keyword research, you need a solution like the Keyword Magic Tool by Semrush. 

In my experience, the Keyword Magic Tool is one of the best in the business. It has everything you need to turn seed keywords into hundreds of potential target keywords. 

Keyword Magic Tool is also really easy to use. 

Just enter a seed keyword, set your target market location, and click ‘Search.’ 

Within seconds, Keyword Magic Tool will present you with hundreds (or thousands) of long-tail keyword ideas. The results also include essential keyword metrics, like search volume, user intent, and Keyword Difficulty (KD). 

To spot trends, the first step is to look for keywords that garner the most searches. However, there’s more to trending keywords than just search volume. 

In order to confirm a trend, click on your keyword from the Keyword Magic Tool result. This will take you to the keyword overview report, which contains the “Trend” graph. 

How can you use the trend graph to determine if a keyword is trending?

Put simply, an upward trend graph is a good indicator of an ongoing trend. Keywords that spike in popularity during specific months may also indicate seasonality, leading to high-stakes opportunities for promotions—from special discounts to giveaways.  

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Other tips when using Semrush to find trending topics

• Use the Market Explorer tool – Semrush’s Market Explorer will give you an in-depth look at emerging markets, including areas your top competitors are invading. 
• Check question-based keywords – After finding trending keywords, switch to the ‘Questions’ tab to find question-based keywords and uncover great content ideas. 
• Analyze competitors – Use the domain overview report to extract your competitor’s top keywords and pages. 

Want to take Semrush for a spin? Click here to get an exclusive 14-day free trial and start discovering trending topics!

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2. Leverage Industry News Aggregator and Curation Tools

The best way to stay updated with the latest trends in your industry is to use automated news aggregators or content curation tools. 

Platforms like Feedly and Flipboard, for example, automatically scour the web for the latest articles in a specified industry. These services will then consolidate relevant articles into a single dashboard—right at your fingertips.   

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How can you stay updated with the latest trends in your niche or industry?

Let’s say you want to keep up with the latest updates in your industry using Flipboard, which allows mobile push notifications.

After creating your free account, select at least three topics and click ‘Continue.’ 

Flipboard will automatically redirect you to your homepage, which should already contain relevant articles based on your selected topics. 

Rest assured that Flipboard prioritizes the latest content on the web—perfect if you’re hunting for trends to fuel your blog post ideas. 

Here’s a tip: Look for collections of curated articles or “magazines” by other users. Simply use the search bar and enter a keyword followed by the word “trends.” 

Flipboard will show you a list of relevant magazines, which you can follow to get to-the-minute updates. 

If you prefer to get updates from a specific list of domains, use an automated aggregator tool like Feedly instead. Simply create an account, click ‘Follow Websites, Twitter, Reddit, and Newsletters,” and enter the website or RSS feed URL you want to follow. 

Tip: To get Feedly notifications via email, link the app with your email service provider using automation builders like IFTTT or Zapier. 

That’s it—all you need to do now is wait. 

With tools like Flipboard and Feedly, fresh trends and blog post ideas will make their way into your inbox automatically. Just be sure to enable notifications through in-app settings or third-party automaton builders. 

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3. Using Trend-watching Tools

A trend-watching tool does exactly what it says on the tin. It allows you to actively watch for the latest trends in your industry. 

Google Trends, for example, uses search data to identify the hottest topics as they take off. 

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Using Google Trends

To use it, go to their website and switch to the ‘Explore’ tab. Once there, just enter a search term and click on any of the auto-fill suggestions. 

Take note that you can also adjust the date range, category, and target market location to refine your search. 

Once the results are in, Google Trends starts off with a chart that will help you confirm whether or not a topic is trending. 

If you’re looking for trending topics, scroll to the bottom and look at the “Related topics” and “Related queries” cards. 

These sections will help you discover trending, relevant topics to blog about. 

If you need more ideas, click the arrow icons at the bottom to view more queries and topics.  

Google Trends is the internet’s go-to tool for trend-watching, especially if you want to use data from search engines to enhance your content strategy. To make the most out of the available trend data, learn how to use Google Trends for blogging. 

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Using Semrush .Trends

For a more premium solution, Semrush .Trends is definitely worth checking out. 

Semrush .Trends unlocks access to advanced features for blog topic research: 

• Traffic Analytics: Look for topic ideas by revealing a competitor’s top pages and products. The Traffic Analytics tool also digs deep into your competitor’s audience and their behavior.
• Market Explorer: Get a bird’s-eye view of your industry and reveal your competitors’ market share. Market Explorer also lets you spy on their trending keywords, which you can refine into blog topics. 
• EyeOn: Stay ahead of the blogosphere by getting instant alerts on new content and product promotions. This tool works 24/7 to ensure you keep up with the latest trends. 
• One2Target: Take a deep dive into your (or your competitor’s) audience to figure out topics that make them tick. One2Target reveals tons of data about your web visitors, their interests, the previous pages they visited, and more.  

Read about Semrush pricing to learn more about .Trends and other add-ons. 

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Using Google Alerts

To get automated notifications whenever new articles come out, use Google Alerts instead. 

Google Alerts works by sending email notifications whenever it detects trending content about a specific blog topic. Just log in to your Google account, enter a keyword, and click ‘Create Alert’ to get started. 

To modify the frequency of updates, click ‘Show options’ or the pen icon next to an existing alert. 

You can change the frequency of notifications to at most once a day, once a week, or “as it happens.” In addition, Google Alerts lets you specify your target content sources, language, and region. 

When done, click ‘Update alert’ and relax—trending blog topic ideas will be on their way to your inbox soon!

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4. Checking Social Media Trends

As a blogger, one of the most important things you need to learn is how to leverage the wisdom of the crowd to improve your content strategy. 

Social media groups, in particular, are a goldmine of great blog post ideas. 

To search for a relevant group on LinkedIn or Facebook, use the in-app search bar and click the ‘Groups’ tab. 

Take note that some social media groups are private, which means you need to send an application first before you can browse content. For the most part, you just need to agree to the group rules and answer a couple of questions to get accepted. 

Once you’re in a social media group, you can begin looking for the best blog post ideas from shared content and personal stories by other members. 

At the very least, you’ll find a product or keyword you can turn into a great blog post idea. Some members may even share elaborate posts that you can turn into an outline. 

While checking groups is a surefire way to find topics for creating blog posts, it can be difficult to tell if a topic is trending.

For this, you need to look for the following telltale signs: 

• High engagement: Check if a post garners a significantly higher amount of likes, comments, and shares compared to other posts. 
• Multiple posts from different users: If multiple users post about the same topic, chances are it’s already a trend (or on its way to becoming one). 
• Read the comments: The comments reveal whether or not a trend has a positive reception from the community—be sure to read what members have to say. 

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Discovering trends using hashtags

Another great way to look for trends on social media is to perform a hashtag search. 

Platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn all use hashtags to help users find posts they’re interested in. 

To use hashtags, one technique is to type a keyword-based hashtag in the search bar and check the suggestions. 

LinkedIn, for example, will immediately show you a list of popular hashtag suggestions based on your topic. 

Of course, you should also check the actual hashtag search results. This will give you an idea of what sort of blog content gets engagement. 

This tweet about Artificial Intelligence (AI), for example, contains a list of the top AI tools. With this idea in mind, you can start writing a similar listicle—but with different tools and categories. 

A core advantage of finding trends on social media is the ability to send mobile push notifications for certain activities. You can get alerted on upcoming events, tags, comments, and other interactions that will keep you updated on important topics. 

However, people don’t particularly log in to social media to extensively discuss trends. 

Reading and—occasionally—participating in conversations will help you understand trends better. This uncovers unique angles and provides deeper insights about a topic from the community’s standpoint. 

While you sometimes find intense discussions in social media comment sections, they can be exceedingly rare. 

This brings us to the next proven strategy to discover trending blog topics. 

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5. Looking For Questions in Online Communities

One of the best online communities to learn about trends and obtain in-depth blog post ideas is Reddit. 

Put simply, Reddit is a collection of communities or “subreddits” dedicated to specific topics. You’ll find some of the most hardcore enthusiasts of products, services, skills, brands, and other subjects here. 

Start by looking for a relevant subreddit using the built-in search bar. 

Click on any subreddit that catches your attention. On the subreddit’s main page, click ‘Join’ and you’re all set. 

You will find all kinds of trending blog post ideas on Reddit—from questions to the latest industry news. 

More importantly, you’re highly likely to find users chipping invaluable insights. Use these to refine subreddit posts into high-quality content outlines for your blog. 

To specifically search the subreddit for trending posts, click ‘Hot’ in the navigation bar below the “Create Post” form. 

This makes it easier to find the most “upvoted” posts. 

Don’t forget to check the comments for real-world insights about a topic. This can provide you with a ton of insights that you can discuss in your own articles. 

Before we move on to the next strategy, another type of online community you can scour for blog ideas is a Q&A website. 

Websites like Quora let you find questions that your target audiences are asking. 

You can do this in two ways: following a topic or checking for question suggestions. Just enter a relevant phrase or keyword in the search bar to get the ball rolling. 

If you pick a topic, Quora will show you a results page mixed with questions, answers, shared posts, groups (spaces), and other subtopics. Use the filters on the left to find the results you want. 

Whichever you choose, you can get dozens of interesting blog topic ideas for your target audience. 

Using Quora to find trending blog topics? Read my guide on how to get traffic from Quora here!

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6. Analyzing Competitors

Competitor analysis has been a game-changer for me throughout my blogging career. 

It’s incredibly useful for several things, such as: 

• Keyword research 
• Website optimization
• Audience research

Sounds cool, right?

But in my opinion, the biggest advantage of competitor analysis is its impact on content research. 

Why take a chance on new, untested topics if there are trends that already work for competitors? 

Just look at your top competitor’s blogroll, check the latest posts, and plan how you’ll incorporate their strategy into your own. 

It also helps to use a tool like Semrush to instantly reveal your competitors’ top posts. 

Go to ‘Topic Research‘ and click ‘Enter domain to find content on’ to continue. 

Enter a topic along with the domain address of your competitor. Click ‘Get content ideas’ to begin the search. 

It may take a while for Semrush to crawl your competitor’s website and find relevant content. When the results are in, click ‘View content ideas’ next to your competitor’s domain under “Recent searches.” 

Semrush prepares a list of topics organized into cards. To view trending subtopics, switch on the ‘Trending subtopics first’ toggle to refresh the page in an instant. 

If you want to try Semrush’s Topic Research tool for yourself, remember to use the 14-day free trial offer here. Keep in mind that the Topic Research tool, along with other content marketing features from Semrush, are only available with the Semrush Guru and Business plans. 

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7. Utilizing SEO Techniques

Apart from keyword research and competitor analysis, there are other SEO techniques you can use to discover and develop trending blog ideas. 

One strategy is to use Google’s autocomplete suggestions to figure out what internet users are searching for. 

Just head to Google, enter a few keywords, and watch the suggestions pile in.

Click on any autocomplete suggestion that catches your eye. On the results page, inspect the following sections to find blog ideas: 

• Top three organic results
• “People also ask” list
• Related queries at the bottom

Here’s another SEO technique for trend-watching you’ll surely appreciate. 

Using AnswerThePublic, effortlessly unveil the burning questions your target audiences are asking about your topic. It is a free tool designed to help you find question-based keywords and turn them into ideas for great blog posts. 

To use AnswerThePublic, enter a seed keyword, set your target location, and click ‘Search.’ 

AnswerThePublic utilizes data from search engines to find the spiciest questions surrounding your specified topic. 

After pulling in the data, questions are compiled in an interactive chart. The questions are organized according to their starting interrogative word (what, why, where, etc.). 

To help you choose a question to answer, refer to the small circles at the center. Darker shades of orange indicate higher search volumes, which signal a potential trend. 

Apart from search volume, AnswerThePublic also reveals the Cost Per Click (CPC) for each keyword. This can help you identify which keywords are actually profitable to target in your blog. 

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How To Incorporate Trending Blog Topic Ideas in Content Creation

Phew—that’s a lot to unpack. 

You should have more than enough tricks up your sleeve to find trending topics for your blog. 

The next step is to plan how to integrate trending topics into your content strategy.

Here are four simple but powerful tips you should remember:  

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1. Stay true to your blog’s focus

First and foremost, prioritize trends that align with your existing audience’s interests and goals. 

Exploring other trending spaces is fine, but only as long as you still bring value to your current reader base. 

The good news is, that it’s possible to spin trends and make them fit your blog’s focus. If you use a relevant keyword when searching for them, you can highlight the potential benefits of a trend and discuss how your audience can cash in. 

For example, if you run a content marketing blog and discover the AI generator trend. Some examples of topics you can piece together are: 

• Ways to Use AI Content Generators for Marketing
• How AI is Re-shaping the Content Marketing World
• Top 10 Pros (and Cons) of AI-generated Content

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2. Instill your unique brand voice

When blogging about trends, avoid drowning out your original writing voice with new, fancy technical terms. 

Write as if you’re personally addressing your readers—educating them about the trend and showing how they can benefit. 

Consider coming up with a list of your own expert opinions about the trend. 

Does it go against any wisdom you believed in the past? How would you leverage the trend to further your career and grow your brand?

Answering these questions is a great way to be consistent with your brand voice while writing about trends.

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3. Build better content (than your competitors)

If you’re writing about trends that your competitors already covered, your top priority is to create something better. 

There’s no point in “borrowing” content topics from competitors if you’ll only recycle their ideas. Unless you create better content, it’s impossible to overtake them in search engine results and win over their traffic. 

That said, here are proven tips to create posts that are leagues better than your competitors’ content: 

• Include more visual content: One of my favorite ways to outshine a competitor’s article is to include more visual content. Anything—be it screenshots, tweetable quotes, custom graphics, or memes—can bump up content quality and value. 
• Mention more data: Plenty of high-traffic blog posts share ideas without actual (or recent) data to back them up. To make your post more compelling, consider searching for case studies, statistics, and other data sources you can mention.
• Add more actionable information: A guaranteed way to boost the value of your content is to insert actionable steps that readers can follow. Some ideas include adding a step-by-step tutorial, video steps, checklists, and downloadable worksheets.  

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4. Realign old content with new trends

Looking for trends opens up another opportunity that offers high rewards for little risk. 

Let’s face it, most blogs have truckloads of old content that don’t generate any traffic. Rather than let them gather virtual dust, repurpose them to align with current trends to squeeze value out of them. 

Suppose you have an old article about graphic design that no longer draws readers. By shifting the article’s focus to AI-generated graphics, you can successfully incorporate a popular trend and breathe life into your old post. 

Just be sure to remember the following when repurposing old content for new trends:

• Re-optimize your old content for keywords related to the trend.
• Consider repurposing data-driven information into infographics or data visualizations. 
• Edit the old content’s title, intro, body, and conclusion to focus on the trend. 

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Before we wrap up this post, let’s talk about the tools you can use to find trends worth blogging about. 

Apart from the tools mentioned above, here are five useful tools you should check out:

• Mangools: A versatile suite of SEO tools, including keyword research, domain analysis, and SERP tracking. 
• QuillBot: For content repurposing and competitor-sourced blog topics. 
• Serpstat: A pound-for-pound alternative to Semrush with keyword research, domain analysis, project management, and reporting features. 
• Scoop.It: Lightweight content curation and planning software. 
• All-Hashtag: Quickly generate popular and trending hashtags relevant to your topic.   

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Frequently Asked Questions

Final words

There you have it.

That’s everything you need to know for blogging about trends. 

Publishing content about trending topics is a great way to widen your reach and bolster brand authority. Just see to it that you tackle relevant trends that align with your blog’s overall niche and your audience’s needs.

If you’re ready to hunt for trends, don’t forget that you can get a 14-day free trial for Semrush — the best SEO and content marketing platform money can buy. Good luck!