Like much of social media, popular YouTube trends can be elusive and mysterious.

If you want your YouTube channel to snag skyrocketing views and more opportunities, strategically incorporating trending topics can be one of your secret weapons!

Once you've identified current trending topics, you can use that info to your benefit, creating compelling content around the popular trends on YouTube by transforming them to suit you. Mixing trending topics with your evergreen content also keeps your audience engaged and helps increase channel growth.

Let's dig into all things trending on YouTube, from the benefits of those trending topics to how to search trends and use them in your YouTube videos and shorts.

The Benefits of YouTube Trending Topics 

Learning to work with YouTube trending topics can amp up your YouTube channel for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is keeping your YouTube videos and YouTube shorts fresh and up to date! But there are even more benefits to staying on top of those YouTube trends: 

Higher Viewership

Trending topics act like magnets, attracting a wider audience curious about the latest buzz. This often translates to a boost in your viewership and potential new subscribers! Continuously creating content around popular YouTube trends so your posts overlap means your growth can really start gaining traction.

Improved Engagement

Trending topics also spark conversation! When you incorporate trending themes, you're giving your viewers more to talk about, which can lead to increased comments, questions, and shares, as your viewing community starts making your channel a regular stop on their rounds of the internet.

Relevancy

Viewers interested in what's currently trending on YouTube will be seeking out creators participating in the same - you being on top of those trending topics helps position you as an informed content creator who's on the cutting edge, and who doesn't like to be part of the next Big New Thing?

Collab and Promo Opportunities

All of the increased activity that could happen as a result of the components above means that you're gaining increased visibility! With more eyes on your content and your numbers rising, you're more likely to snag collaboration opportunities with relevant brands and sponsorships that can both get you even more visibility and bring in extra revenue. You can also direct all of your newfound fans to your other headquarters online, like your Fourthwall store, where you can offer up amazing custom designed merch for your viewers to buy and enjoy!

How to Find YouTube Trending Topics in 6 Easy Steps

1. Explore the Trending Tab 

To find YouTube trends via your YouTube homepage, navigate to the sidebar on the left and click the "Trending" tab. 

This section showcases a curated list of videos based on views, location, and engagement. Browse through the trending videos and look for potential themes and trends that coordinate with your niche, and make those trends and ideas your own! If a trend doesn't perfectly align with your style, consider how you can adapt it to fit your voice.

2. Hack the YouTube Search Bar

Once you get a broad view of some of the current trends, do some trending searches. Simply start typing trend queries into your YouTube search bar, but don't hit enter immediately - instead, pay attention to the suggested searches that pop up in the list below your initial query in the search bar. These suggestions can help reveal related searches, trending topics, and keywords on YouTube that viewers are actively seeking. Use YouTube keyword research to discover popular keywords with high search volume and identify the ones that match your niche.

3. Try Google Trends

YouTube, of course, focuses on videos trending on YouTube - but as contrary as it seems, you shouldn't limit yourself solely to YouTube searches. YouTubers can additionally use Google Trends for a broader perspective. Google Trends shows what's being searched for on the internet in real-time - so you can use it to check out trending searches, and find an even wider range of hot topics that could be relevant to your own content and niche - sometimes before they even make it to YouTube.

4. Hop Onto Hashtags

Other social media platforms like Twitter (X) and Instagram are a treasure trove of trending topics for YouTubers. Look for trending hashtags and visual/text trends that are happening across your socials as well as those trending on YouTube, and keep an eye on how popular discussions are tracking so you can get a head start on the latest.

5. Watch What's Newsworthy

Current events, news stories, entertainment happenings, gaming events, concerts, fashion shows - all of these can rapidly spark trending topic ideas, memes, and more, helping YouTube creators get inspired to create content that capitalizes on fresh conversations!

6. Get Inspired By Your Peers

Other channels and fellow YouTubers in your niche can be a great way to research trending content. Check out what topics are currently resonating with their audiences and identify potential trends you can incorporate into your own content strategy - not copying other YouTube creators, but simply getting inspired to create using the trends in your own way, for your own YouTube Shorts and videos!

Transform YouTube Trends Into Content Gold

Choose Carefully

While trending topics are what we're looking for, don't just jump on every trend. Analyze the data from your various sources to understand what kind of content resonates most with your audience, and choose the trends that best suit you and will make the best impact. 

Narrow Your Niche

Within each big trend - whether YouTube trends, Google trends, or somewhere else - are often many smaller, more specific subtopics or mini-trends that could be your ticket to original trending content. Find the less-broad parts of your trending topic of choice to find unique angles for content creation in your own niche.

Brainstorm It

Use trending topics, trend data, search terms, and popular keywords on YouTube as a springboard for brainstorming content and video ideas - these could be anything from entertaining or comedic takes on the topic to reviews, talking points, tutorials, duets, or challenges. 

Be You, Boo!

While trends can be powerful, don't lose your own voice! Trends almost always have an "expiration date," so don't sacrifice value or authenticity just to fit in with a trending topic. Instead, adapt trending topics to fit your unique style and expertise, ensuring that your trending content still reflects your brand voice, fits in with your evergreen content, and maintains trust with your viewers.

How YouTube Trending Videos Are Ranked

While the exact algorithm is still reportedly a closely guarded secret, YouTube generally considers several factors when ranking videos on trending topics:

Views and Watch Time

YouTube videos that suddenly show a rapid surge in views and high watch time are strong contenders for trending status. This indicates that viewers are finding value in watching the content, which can definitely catch YouTube's eye. YouTube SEO plays a role here, as optimizing your video’s title, description, and tags can improve its visibility and attract more views.

Originality

YouTube videos that are unique - offering a fresh perspective or unexpected take on a trending topic - definitely stand out from the crowd, and are more likely to grab attention. So brainstorm those original ideas, and then make them happen!

Location, Location, Location

Keep in mind that YouTube also personalizes trending lists based on viewer location; so a local event or topic might trend regionally, but not necessarily globally.

Engagement

YouTube videos that spark conversation and interaction - likes, comments, and shares - also signal to YouTube that your content is resonating with viewers. Think of ways to get your viewers to really react, perhaps by asking them about their common experience, or requesting their opinion. A high level of engagement also positively impacts your YouTube SEO.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

A high click-through rate on thumbnails suggests to YouTube that viewers are drawn to your content and are more likely to watch the full video; this is also good for your ranking!

Turn Those YouTube Trends into Fourthwall Merchandise!

Now that you've learned how to uncover YouTube trending topics and use them to create captivating video content, let's learn how to maximize the impact of your trending videos even more using Fourthwall!

Fourthwall's platform empowers you to create your own branded merchandise, printables, and even services. Creating themed merch that works with your trending topic YouTube videos can both help expand your audience reach and boost your sales in your Fourthwall store. And having people wearing and using your merch can raise awareness of your YouTube channel, so you'll have more eyes on your content as each new trending topic unfolds - now that's growth! Get started on Fourthwall today!