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Summary
- With more knowledge about the types of posts people liked, platforms could classify posts by language, geographic area, and other criteria to select the best posts likely to appeal to a broader audience.
- If a post goes viral because you shared content unrelated to your business, and it makes the top trends, the surge in page visits will come from people expecting more of that content.
- If your post fits a category that certain users are looking for and your post successfully captures their attention, holding it long enough for them to read it fully, and ideally making them a fan and generating reactions, you become a reliable source to suggest.
The Joy of Trending
Seeing your posts in the trending section of major social media platforms is always a thrill. The sense of pride and the surge in followers far exceed the impact of regular posts. However, unless you are a celebrity with millions of active followers who share, comment, and engage with each post, consistently hitting the trends can be challenging and setting this as your goal can quickly become discouraging.
On the other hand, never making it to the trends can be understood and addressed. By taking the necessary steps, you can increase your chances of trending over time. This is the approach we will explore together today.
Understanding Trends
Most major social networks started by offering users a feed based on content shared by their friends. This often led to random and uninteresting content, making it difficult to keep users engaged. So, they asked themselves: how can we keep users on the platform longer?
In response, they applied a timeless rule: people love to hear about themselves, not others. To tailor content to individual tastes and evoke emotions, platforms needed more data. They started with customization forms and content choices, then moved to sharing what friends liked, and numerous updates aimed at better understanding user profiles.
Then came the revolutionary idea of trends. With more knowledge about the types of posts people liked, platforms could classify posts by language, geographic area, and other criteria to select the best posts likely to appeal to a broader audience. Even users without friends on the platform could now see engaging content. Once a user showed interest in a type of post, similar content was suggested, keeping them engaged as long as they appreciated what they saw.
So, if you want your posts to trend, ask yourself: can the platform use this content to engage people who don’t know you?
No Reactions, No Trends
You will rarely see a post in the trends with few or no comments and reactions. One of the criteria social media algorithms use to choose trending posts is the engagement from your own community. A post that doesn’t engage your fans won’t engage the general public either. So, do your posts generate reactions?
Trending by Chance? Don’t Celebrate Too Soon
For professionals, the main goal of social media pages is to have a platform that gathers as many people as possible who match the profile of potential customers. If a post goes viral because you shared content unrelated to your business, and it makes the top trends, the surge in page visits will come from people expecting more of that content. If your page doesn’t consistently provide similar content, you may end up with new followers who don’t add real value and might even react negatively to your main posts. If mismanaged, negative comments can severely harm your page, and deleting them is not a solution—it can appear deceptive to the network if you abuse this practice.
Engage, Engage, Engage
When a post starts to gain interest and especially comments, not responding to those initial comments can make the platform hesitate to select it as trending. If there are other posts meeting the criteria, yours might not make the list, especially if your page is new. Most trending posts from inactive authors come from old, verified accounts with highly active communities.
Passing the Suggestion Test
After checking the trends, social media platforms try to keep users engaged with similar suggestions. If your post fits a category that certain users are looking for and your post successfully captures their attention, holding it long enough for them to read it fully, and ideally making them a fan and generating reactions, you become a reliable source to suggest. Passing this test is crucial for trending success.
When Trending is a Worthwhile Goal ?
There are specific cases where aiming to trend is indeed a worthwhile objective. For example, a veterinary clinic sharing videos of cats and dogs that evoke emotions or a major car dealership posting shocking or funny content directly related to automobiles can be very effective. The common factor in these examples is that they deal with subjects that can generate posts likely to appear in trends, directly related to their activity, thus avoiding followers outside their niche.
Moreover, these examples represent structures capable of handling spikes in engagement or orders. In such situations, it makes sense to aim for trends and include this goal from the beginning in your strategy.
Example 1: Veterinary Clinic
A veterinary clinic sharing heartwarming or funny videos of pets can attract a lot of attention. These videos not only generate a lot of engagement but also directly relate to the clinic’s services, ensuring that new followers are relevant and likely to be future clients.
Example 2: Car Dealership
A car dealership posting captivating content—such as dramatic car reveals, behind-the-scenes looks at their operations, or humorous car-related stories—can draw significant interest. This type of content evokes strong emotions and directly ties into their business, attracting a relevant audience that could convert into customers.
Roll Up Your Sleeves
If your page follows all the aforementioned strategies but posts are few and far between, don’t expect to see a trending post unless you’re already a major influencer or get extraordinarily lucky. Aiming to trend is like aiming for the holy grail of social media—it’s achievable but requires both human and technical dedication.
Don’t Lose Sight of What Matters
Is it truly beneficial for your business to aim for trending posts, investing the necessary budget and effort? Any business needs to make sales to survive. Social media is a channel to bring prospects to your sales page. This is the priority to keep in mind before embarking on costly actions that could ultimately reduce your conversion rate from this channel. While trending posts seem tempting, the real winner of trending posts is always the social media platform.
One of PulseWeaver’s significant advantages for its users is its constant focus on what matters. There are no deviations or actions that fall outside the initial plan, which is incredibly challenging to maintain over the long term.
