In today’s modern society, “trends” seem to be all the rage—we follow trends in real life and social media. Many teenagers and young adults log onto the internet every day just to see what might be “trending” online. As herd animals, people naturally gravitate towards discussing trends with one another, but some last longer than others.
A particularly popular trend will gather many hits over time, and gain traction with enough discussion. For writers in content marketing, jumping on trend bandwagons is tempting for quick hits, but not always ideal. While some trends may last for months, others might last for only a couple of days at best. For content writers and journalists, this often begs the question: when is a trend worth covering? Can they be covered efficiently and attract viewers for longer windows, or peter out in a matter of hours?
Before covering an important topic—a new hit movie, a viral pandemic, or a breakthrough in science—consider asking yourself a few questions. By answering these, you can prioritize what topics might be worth tackling and others that will quickly fade.
As explained earlier, trends vary in their lifespan, sometimes lasting for months or fading in just a day. In order to write about a trend, you need to consider how long it has and if you have time to cover it. This not only means time to research and write about it but also promoting it and benefitting from its viewership.
Trending topics accelerate and develop into different stages, typically at diverse speeds and rates. Typically, they can fall into three different categories: regular, exploding, and peaked. Regular trends have consistent growth from month to month, gradually gaining popularity but not fading either. Exploding trends accelerate quickly in demand, typically during ongoing events such as announcements or breaking news. Finally, peaked trends have interest but experience little growth by this stage.
You should also keep in mind that every industry experiences these stages differently for longer or shorter periods. If a topic has peaked, chances are that covering these trends will have little to no return of investment. Interest has dwindled, and people have shifted their focus to new trends. Though writing about an exploding trend has a great payoff, you should consider how long it has until it peaks. Therefore, regular trends may be the safest options to cover, but they may not always provide the grandest results.
When a topic begins trending, a lot of people will chime in with their own thoughts and feelings. With so many people conversing over the same subject, it can be easy for discussions to repeat multiple times. For example, when a celebrity passes, many people might reprise many statements repeatedly. “They will be missed,” or “They were an inspiration,” or “They left too soon,” will resurface time and again.
So, when writers cover a popular or trending topic, they must consider: What can you add to this conversation? An article repeating the same statements and ideas ad nauseum will not attract many viewers—you need a unique outlook. When discussing topics or ideas, you need to bring something unique to the table that readers will not find elsewhere. Not only should you provide unique insight but also continue to appeal to your existing audience. This ties into attracting new viewers and giving your current viewers topics they want to read about. As an additional bonus, doing this can also help decide another factor that warrants covering certain trends.
Capitalizing on trends focuses on more than just making money and hits but also attracting brand new viewers. But like any trend, an article written about them will ultimately fade into obscurity once the topic has peaked. If you find you have little time to cover a trend or you have nothing new to add, consider the following. Rather than writing solely to capitalize on a trend, find a balance in writing a topic that can remain relevant but connects to said trend.
For example, if a record-breaking hurricane impacts a state and your team writes about car insurance, consider writing an article about how to protect your car from damages due to intense storms. This not only ties into a popular current discussion but can continue being applicable in the years to come. But ultimately, you also continue providing your faithful readers with the valuable information they follow your team for.
Writing about and covering trends is only one of many ways to attract viewers to your website and content. If you find your business struggling to build a great userbase, you can seek help. Through services such as law firm marketing, social media management, and blog distribution networks, Actionable Agency can help. By offering many marketing solutions and web development for law firms across the country, we extend their reach and develop their business. At Actionable Agency, we can provide an analysis of your current strategy and website of your firm to help formulate new solutions. For more information, call us toll-free at (855) 206-9689.
