6 Proven Ways To Find Trending Topics For YouTube (And Go Viral)

Let’s be honest. Creating content is way easier these days. What’s hard is making sure the right people actually see it. 👀

Well, the best way to attract viewers is to talk about what people already care about at the right moment. In other words, go for the trending topics! 🔥

If you catch a trend early, it can carry your video in front of thousands (or even millions) of people you’ve never reached before. And no, you don’t need to be a big creator to do it.

Everybody knows this. Yet, most never tell you how to actually find these trends before they blow up.

That’s what this blog is all about. Read on to learn some fresh ways to discover hot YouTube topics before they go viral. 📈😄

In this article, we’ll cover…

• 3 Types of ‘Trending’ Content on YouTube
• 6 Ways to Discover Trending Topics on YouTube
• How to Know If a Trend Is Worth Chasing
• FAQs About YouTube Trends

3 Different Types of ‘Trending’ Content on YouTube

First, let’s clear one thing up: ‘trending’ in 2025 is not just about videos on the Trending tab.

YouTube now personalizes almost everything, including what trends you see. So what’s trending for you might not even show up for someone else.

That’s why creators need to stop thinking of trending as just ‘viral’ and start thinking of it as what people are actively watching, sharing, or searching for right now. 🕓

Let’s break it down into three main types of trending content:

1. ✨ Viral Trends: These are the viral moments that come out of nowhere and dominate the internet for 24-72 hours. It could be a meme, a challenge, a celebrity moment, or any random viral event. These can explode 💥overnight… but die out just as fast. So, it’s perfect for Shorts or quick reactions. Don’t waste so much time on content creation for viral trends, as they can vanish quickly. 

2. ♻️ Evergreen Trends: These are trends that always come back like clockwork⏳. Back-to-school, New Year goal videos, and exam stress tips are some prominent examples of evergreen trends. All of them spike during specific time periods of the year. If you plan ahead, you can ride the wave every year with updated content.

3. 🔍 Micro-Trends: These are small trends that happen within a specific niche. You can spot them from your particular niche communities in Telegram, WhatsApp, Reddit, etc. It could be the launch of a new app or a new iPhone beta update. Yes, it’s not trending for the whole world, but huge within that group. And it will be way less competitive.

6 Best Ways To Find Trending Topics on YouTube

Most ‘gurus’ give vague advice like check out your competitors and make similar content. That’s like telling someone to “just buy low and sell high” in the stock market. Technically correct, but completely useless. 

👉 Here are some practical tips to catch trends before they rise to the limelight:

1. Start With YouTube-Native Features

If you want to find trending content, the best place to start is… YouTube itself. The platform gives you plenty of clues. Check them out:

1. Trending Tab

Everyone checks the trending tab, but most people are doing it completely wrong. They look at what’s trending today and think, “I should make something like that.”

But that’s actually backwards thinking. Here’s what you must be doing:

• ✅ Check the trending tab daily for 2 weeks
• 📝 Write down the video topics, not just titles
• 🔁 Look for patterns: What types of content show up repeatedly?

You can pair this with our advanced (and free) YouTube Trending tool 🛠️. Unlike YouTube’s built-in tab, this tool gives you trending videos across multiple countries, how long a video has stayed in the Trending tab, and all other such early signs of topics gaining momentum globally. You can filter them with categories like music, gaming, news, etc., to find trends that matter to you. 

And the best part is that you can pick any past date from a calendar to see what was trending on that specific day. There’s no need to check the trends daily!

This lets you find emerging trends before they reach your region, giving you a head start before they get oversaturated. 

💡Additional resources: Also, watch this quick breakdown video by Trevor Nace to understand how YouTube’s trending system works behind the scenes.

▶️ How To Find What’s Trending On YouTube

2. Explore Tab

This tab (mainly on mobile) curates category-specific trending content like Gaming, Music, News, Learning, and Fashion. It’s a goldmine if you’re concentrating on one of these niches.

But remember, you’re seeing a personalized version. You can open through an Incognito window to view the ‘general’ version. Or, just switch your location 📍 settings to see what’s trending in other countries and spot international trends before they get saturated.

3. Trends Tab

If you’re a creator, go to the Analytics 📶 section of YouTube Studio and click the Trends tab. Here you can find:

• What your audience is searching for
• What’s being searched across YouTube
• Content gaps (topics people are searching for but don’t find many good videos on)

If you see a topic with steady growth over 3-6 months but low competition, that’s your perfect pick.

4. YouTube Shorts Feed

The Shorts feed updates fast, and it’s often the first place where new trends appear. 😎 You can look out for: 

• Repeated soundtracks or audio clips
• Visual styles (e.g., green screen effects or split screens)
• High-performing Shorts in the first 10 seconds (those often follow a trend formula)

You can even create your own Shorts with a unique angle on the trend for experimentation. If it goes viral, convert it into a long-form video [ ▶︎ ] quickly.  

5. YouTube Search Autocomplete And Suggestions

Go to the search bar and start typing your niche keywords like ‘study hacks’, ‘AI tools’, etc. You’ll see auto-suggestions that show high-volume search trends. Use modifiers like ‘2025’, ‘VS’, review’, and so on to get even more relevant answers.

As YouTube is making everything personalized, you can try this out in Incognito mode 🕵️ to get neutral results. And after watching a few videos, check the “Up Next” suggestions. That’s the best way to identify what topics are linked and hot right now.

2. Google Trends

Google Trends isn’t just for SEO professionals. If used well, it’s a goldmine for YouTube creators, too.

But again, most people don’t know how to make use of it properly. They type a keyword, see a graph spike 📈, and go, “Cool!”, then leave. Let’s not do that. 🚫

👉 Here’s how to actually use Google Trends to find valuable YouTube content ideas:

1. Use Filters Like YouTube Search

Remember, the search trends across YouTube will be quite different from what you would have seen on other platforms like Google, Instagram, TikTok, etc. 

So, as you enter a keyword in Google Trends, make sure you change the filter from “Web Search” to “YouTube Search”. Similarly, you can also set your location to your target audience (India, US, UK, etc.) to identify their exact pulse. 😉

2. Spot Micro-Trends Through Graph Patterns

Most people look at Google Trends graphs 📊 like they’re checking stock prices. They just want to see what’s going on. But the real opportunity lies in reading the patterns. Check out some of the most common patterns and what they mean:

• Small And Steady Climbs: These are emerging trends you can jump on early
• Sudden spikes: Could mean a viral moment, trending news, or a popular product
• Drop-offs: Good for knowing when a trend is dying and not worth your time

You can search for multiple related terms at once. Jot down those that are rising. ⬆️

Once you figure out 2-3 such trending keywords, compare them side-by-side to see which one is growing faster. You can also check the “Related queries” section for emerging subtopics.

3. Monitor Year-on-Year Seasonal Spikes

As mentioned earlier, some topic searches spike during certain times of the year. 🗓️ You can utilize Google Trends to literally predict when topics will explode based on historical data. Have a look at how to do it: 👉

• Search your main topic with a 5-year timeframe
• Look for patterns that repeat annually
• Note the exact months when spikes occur
• Check if the spikes are getting bigger or smaller each year

This helps you plan content ahead of time and publish before the spike hits.

💡 Additional resources: In case you’re new to Google Trends, check out this video by Gareth Lamb. It gives you a clear-cut idea on how to compare keywords, use filters correctly, and understand what each graph actually means.

▶️ How To Find Trending Topics On YouTube

3. News-to-YouTube Pipeline

Some trends start on news websites. YouTube just follows that. 

By the time a trend reaches the YouTube Trending tab, hundreds of videos already exist.

But if you spot it at the news stage, you can upload first and get a serious edge. 

That’s exactly where you need a News-to-YouTube pipeline. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Use Google Alerts for Automated Trend Detection

Google Alerts is a free tool that sends you emails when a keyword appears in the news or blogs. You can set it up in minutes:

• Go to Google Alerts 🚨

• Enter a niche keyword like ‘AI tools’, ‘stock market’, ‘Netflix releases’, etc. You can also add a few trending influencers’ names too (e.g., Elon Musk, OpenAI, Taylor Swift, and so on). Many viral videos are built around reactions to celebrity headlines.

• Click ‘show options’ and choose the source, frequency of notifications, and region.

• Add your email. 📩

Now, you’ll be notified instantly when something major is happening. So, you can be the first on YouTube to cover it.

2. Subscribe to Niche Newsletters

Newsletters are pre-filtered trend digests. The best part about them is that you don’t need to search further. They deliver the latest buzz directly to your inbox. All you need to do is create content with those topics.

Here are some niche newsletters that you can trust:

Niche	Newsletters
Tech/AI	The Rundown AI, TLDR, Ben’s Bites
Finance	Morning Brew, Finshots, The Daily Upside
Crypto	Milk Road, CoinDesk Daily
Marketing	Marketing Brew, Trends.vc
Entertainment	Pop Culture Happy Hour, Puck

✅ Just sign up and check your inbox daily. Every headline could become a video idea.

4. AI Tools And Chrome Extensions

Let’s get it straight. It’s pretty tough to find hot trends through random Google Trends curves alone, especially if your niche is specific.

There’s a better and lesser-known way to find trending topics in your niche using AI 🤖 and some Chrome extensions. You can make use of them to monitor what’s heating up in your niche before the crowd catches on:

1. ChatGPT or Gemini + Trend Data

Not all trending topics are worth pursuing, especially if you’re pouring in much effort. What you need is an expert, data-driven output. 🤓

And that’s where AI models can help you out. Here’s how to confirm each topic through AI:

• Go to Google Trends 
• Curate a list of rising keyword topics in your niche
• Paste them into ChatGPT and prompt very specifically like this: 

🔍 Analyze this data and: 

1. Identify 3 emerging patterns 

2. Predict what topics might trend next 

3. Suggest content gaps I could fill 

4. Recommend timing for each topic

Here’s what I got just after uploading the search trend data of the term ‘AI tools’:

You can even ask about the emotional triggers based on the data patterns.

2. Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics is a relatively less popular platform that you can use to track emerging topics before they hit the mainstream. The platform offers a generous free plan with limited features. 

You can make use of them to:

• Discover rising niches
• Spot breakout terms in tech, health, finance, productivity, etc.
• See Google search growth over time. 📈

3. AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic is a keyword tool that collects real time search queries and turns them into easy to read keyword maps. Simply enter a topic and it reveals “what, why, when, and how” questions people are asking to spark trending content ideas.

5. Analyze Cross-Platform Trends

YouTube isn’t the only place where trends live. Sometimes, it’s actually the last stop. 

Nowadays, the internet is super connected. A meme might start on Reddit and could explode on TikTok. Or, it may even trigger a debate on X. It could hit YouTube only a few days later. That’s actually the new norm.

So, if you’re only watching YouTube for ideas, you’re already a step behind. 🚶‍♂️

Try to keep an eye on cross-platform trends, also. You will be able to bring new ideas to YouTube first.

👉 Have a look at how to convert viral posts on other platforms into YouTube content before everyone else does.

1. Reddit Monitoring

Reddit is where a lot of internet trends silently start. People share their real thoughts and problems there before they become mainstream content.

Here’s how to track it: 📝

• First of all, find almost 5-10 niche subreddits related to your content.

• Utilise the sorting features. You can sort the posts by ‘hot’ to see what’s currently engaging people or by ‘Rising’ to catch trends before they explode.

• In case you can’t find relevant subreddits, just use the search bar. Type in a niche keyword and filter by the past week or month.

• Save posts with the most upvotes or awards. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to notice recurring patterns.

• Read the top comments 💬. Those usually reveal the pulse of the audience.

✨ Tools like GummySearch can simplify Reddit monitoring further. It can identify popular discussions without spending a lot of time manually searching Reddit every day. 

You can use GummySearch free version to:

• Monitor particular keywords
• Create alerts for fresh content in your niche
• Find out 🔍︎ the topics that are receiving the most interest

2. TikTok Discover And Audio Trends

TikTok often sets the tone for internet culture, especially when it comes to short-form humor and challenges. What goes viral on TikTok today often becomes YouTube content in 2-3 weeks.

Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t have as many sorting or filtering options as Reddit. All you have is a ‘Sounds’ tab where you can find trending audio 🎧 . It can show you what’s gaining momentum on the platform. And when you notice the same sound popping up across different types of videos, it’s a clear sign of a rising trend.↑

Yet, the process is very time-consuming and may not be as effective as you think 🤔.

You can use the TrendTok, a paid tool with 3-day free trial, to automate the process 🔄. It lets you: 

• Know rising audio tracks, hashtags, and creator challenges.
• Filter by various criteria like country, niche, growth speed, etc. 
• Trends within 24-48 hours old. 

You can experiment with them as YouTube Shorts first, and if it works, make a full-fledged video.

3. X (Formerly Twitter) + Threads

X and Threads are like the world’s newsroom. A lot of serious trends start here, and you can catch emerging topics within hours ⏱️. Let’s have a look at how to do it:

• Check the “What’s happening” sidebar on X. This shows real-time trending topics, often before they hit Google or YouTube

• Search using relevant hashtags (e.g., #AItools, #Finance, #StudyMotivation)

• Note the topics people are tweeting repeatedly, and check if anyone’s providing a unique perspective 👀 towards it

• Save tweets 📌 with unusual engagements like high comment-to-like ratio, likes, retweets, etc. It helps in finding engagement patterns of your audience.

• Similarly, follow 🤝 10-20 creators in your niche and see what they’re reacting to or retweeting

Focusing on Threads would be a better idea 👌. As it’s a relatively new platform, not many creators will be tracking trends from it. You would be able to extract some really fresh ideas that nobody has come across. 

6. Study What’s Working for Competitors

One of the best parts of being a YouTuber today is that we’ve got plenty of role models. Almost all niches have creators who’ve already cracked the code with thousands of subscribers 🤩. 

And the best part is that these channels are open books. You can make use of their insights to create your own content strategy. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Pick 5–10 Channels in Your Niche

Subscribe to the best content creators in your niche. And by best, we don’t mean only those with 500K+ subscribers. Make it a healthy mix with:

• A few big creators (500K+ Subscribers),
• a few mid-sized channels (50K–300K)
• 1–2 small channels that are growing fast (under 50K but rising).

Because big channels just show what’s popular. Only fast-growing ones can reveal fresh content angles and newly trending topics that aren’t saturated yet. You need all of them to grow your channel.

2. Use the “Most Popular” Filter

Go to each channel’s YouTube homepage and click on the Videos ▶ tab. Now, sort by “Most Popular. 🔝” Check what type of titles, hooks, visual elements, and emotions they are using. This will allow you to locate successful content formulas that repeat over and over. 🔁

Or, you can just paste the channel link to our YouTube Channel Audit tool 🛠️. It can filter the top 50 videos of a channel. You can check out the views, likes, comments, and engagement rates without wasting much time.

3. Spot The Trends

Most channels have evergreen ‘cash cow’ videos. Creators revisit the same topic regularly in different ways. Still, it will bring in a large number of views, similar to a new video.

Note down such topics ✍️. These are evergreen trends that work consistently. You can create content around them to attract the audience. 

4. Use Trend Analysis Tools

Built-in YouTube features come with many limitations. You can make use of many third-party tools to get more insights. 

Take the case of Social Blade. It shows you subscriber growth, video performance over time, and estimated earnings 💵 of a channel. 

How to Validate If a Trend Is Worth Chasing?

Not every trending topic is worth chasing. Before you hit record, ask yourself a few quick questions to see if it’s the right trend for your channel. Here’s a simple 4-step filter to help you decide:

Is It Relevant to My Audience?

Just because something is trending doesn’t mean your viewers care about it. So, always ask yourself this question before posting every video: Will my audience expect this from me? 🤔

For example, if you run a finance channel, suddenly posting about a viral dance trend might throw people off (unless you tie it back in a clever way).

Can I Offer a New Angle?

If 100 creators are already covering the trend the same way… why would someone click on yours? What’s the point of wasting hours on that? 

Therefore, make sure that you have some unique value or explanation to give, apart from other creators.

Do I Have the Skill to Cover It?

Some trends require subject knowledge. In case it’s a complex AI tool trend and you’ve never used AI before, take a pause. ⏸️

Either learn it first or just skip it and focus on something you can deliver confidently . Half-baked trend videos rarely perform well, especially when there are hundreds of so-called ‘experts’ out there.

Is It Still Fresh?

Timing matters. ⏰

If the trend has already peaked and you’re late to the party, your video might just get buried. So, always do proper research through Google Trends before jumping in 🏃‍♀️. If the views are dropping fast, move on to the next trend.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓

1. How often should I look for trending topics?

That depends on your niche. If yours is a trend-sensitive niche like News, Sports Transfers, Politics, etc., you should check daily. Otherwise, 2-3 weeks is fine.

2. Do Shorts and long videos follow the same trends?

Sometimes, but not always. Shorts often move faster and favor quick humor, while long videos do better with depth ⬇.

3. Is it okay to mix trending topics with my regular content?

Yes, as long as it feels natural. Just make sure it still fits your niche and audience’s interests ✔️. 

4. Can I create a trend instead of following one?

Yes, of course. You can start by brainstorming some unique ideas through competitor analytics data. Trends often begin with one bold and relatable video. But remember that it’s much harder than utilizing an existing trend. Starting a trend is unpredictable and often involves a bit of luck .

5. Will using trending topics get me more views?

Yes, you have a much higher chance of reaching new audiences with trending topics because people are already searching for it. YouTube rewards 🏆 that momentum.

6. How can I find this month’s trending topics?

You can find the current month’s trending topics using tools like Google Trends, Exploding Topics, and Reddit. Or, you can use LenosTube YouTube Trending Tool. It lets you filter by country/category and go back in time with a calendar view to spot long-lasting trends.

Conclusion

In fact, trending videos 📈 are the best way to grow a channel from scratch. But it happens only if you know how to use them effectively.

Timing is just a factor. What matters the most is your ability to add a special value when everyone else is repeating the same thing.

So don’t wait for a perfect trend. Stay prepared, and when the right topic shows up, make use of it without a doubt 😊.