How to Use AI to Identify Content Trends?

I’d spend days writing a blog post I thought was a masterpiece, only to watch it flop with 3 views (2 of which were me refreshing the page). Meanwhile, something I posted half-asleep at midnight would blow up. Go figure.

That’s when I realized: gut instinct isn’t a content strategy.

So I started looking for a better way to figure out what people actually wanted. That’s when AI entered the chat and let me tell you, it’s like having a content crystal ball, if you know how to use it right.

Here’s how I use AI tools to spot content trends before they hit the mainstream, so I can stay relevant without losing my mind.

Start With What’s Already Working

The first thing I learned? Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. AI can analyze what’s already doing well, which gives you a solid place to start.

I use tools like BuzzSumo to pull top-performing articles in my niche. Just plug in a keyword — say, “email automation” — and boom, you get a list of what’s been shared the most across social platforms. AI ranks it by engagement, so you don’t waste time on stuff people ignore.

And Google Trends? Total lifesaver. I don’t write about a topic unless it’s at least holding steady — or ideally, trending upward. I once wrote about a software tool that had already peaked, and by the time my blog went live, no one cared anymore.

Lesson learned: let data, not feelings, guide your choices.

Use AI to Analyze Your Own Content Library

Here’s something I slept on for way too long: my own content.

AI can crawl through your blog posts, videos, newsletters — whatever you’ve created — and tell you what’s performing best. I started using NeuronWriter and SurferSEO, and suddenly I had insights like:

• Which posts brought in the most organic traffic.

• What keywords I was ranking for without even trying.

• Which content was starting to drop in performance (hello, update opportunity).

It’s like finding money under the couch cushions. You’re already sitting on useful content — AI just helps you make sense of it.

Tap Into Social Listening with AI Tools

You want to know what people are buzzing about before it hits the front page? Use AI-powered social listening.

I set up keyword tracking in Brand24 and Exploding Topics. When certain phrases start trending or spiking, I get notified. It’s how I found out “zero-click content” was going to be a big thing — weeks before everyone was writing about it.

Bonus: if you’re in a niche community (like fitness coaches or SaaS founders), you can track those micro-conversations where trends are born before they hit Google.

Let ChatGPT or Claude Help You Explore Angles

Sometimes I’ll see a trend and think, “Okay cool… but how do I write about it differently?”

That’s when I turn to ChatGPT (yep, this guy) or Claude. I’ll say something like:

“Give me 10 unique angles for a blog post about [topic].”

And boom — I get stuff I hadn’t even considered. Not everything is usable, but it kicks my brain into gear. It helps me stand out in a sea of “10 Tips for…” posts. Plus, it saves me a ton of mental energy when I’m stuck in content limbo.

Forecasting with AI (Yes, It’s a Thing)

Okay, this one sounds a little sci-fi, but some tools actually predict future content trends using machine learning. Exploding Topics and Trend Hunter look for upward movement in search and social behavior — not just what’s trending now, but what’s about to.

I used one of their trend reports to pivot a series of blog posts around “AI in course creation” about three months before it went mainstream. That traffic boost? No joke — it doubled my organic reach in a week.

But Here’s the Real Secret…

Even with all the fancy tools and AI predictions, I still ask one simple question before I hit publish:

“Would I click on this if I saw it in my feed?”

AI helps you find the trends, but human intuition — and storytelling — is what makes it stick. Use the data to guide you, but don’t lose the spark. People follow you for your perspective, not just your keywords.

So yes, use AI. Use it to dig through data faster, spot patterns earlier, and avoid wasting time on duds. But bring your voice, your weird analogies, and your real-world take.

That’s how you stay ahead of the curve and keep people coming back.