playbooks

home / skills / gtmagents / gtm-agents / trend-research

trend-research skill

/plugins/social-media/skills/trend-research

This skill helps you identify cultural moments and trending creator dynamics to guide timely social content and campaigns.

npx playbooks add skill gtmagents/gtm-agents --skill trend-research

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
1.6 KB
---
name: trend-research
description: Use when identifying cultural moments, audio trends, memes, or creator
  collaborations to inform social content.
---

# Trend Research & Culture Listening Skill

## When to Use
- Planning reactive or moment-based content.
- Refreshing creative direction for campaigns that feel stale.
- Arming leadership/content teams with timely POVs.

## Framework

### Inputs to Monitor
1. **Platform Signals** – TikTok Creative Center, Instagram Reels Trends, X trending topics, Reddit threads.
2. **Industry Signals** – Gartner/Forrester briefings, customer communities, competitor feeds.
3. **Audience Signals** – social listening alerts, community polls, support tickets.
4. **Creator Ecosystem** – emerging creators, UGC submissions, partner pitches.

### Research Process
1. Daily 15-minute scan per priority platform.
2. Document notable hooks/audio/templates in a shared tracker with shelf life + usage notes.
3. Score trends by relevance (brand fit, persona interest, risk level).
4. Recommend activation concept + guardrails (tone, compliance, required approvals).
5. Pair with content team to storyboard adaptations and distribution timing.

## Templates
- Trend bulletin (description, platform, example links, recommended angle).
- Approval checklist (brand, legal, partner).
- Creator shortlist with outreach status.
- “Trend viability” scoring sheet with fit/risk/shelf-life sliders.

## Tips
- Always capture source links/media for archival.
- Flag trends that conflict with brand safety or regulated messaging before adoption.
- Blend evergreen pillars with at most 20–30% reactive content to avoid fatigue.

---

Overview

This skill helps teams identify cultural moments, audio trends, memes, and creator collaboration opportunities to inform social content. It provides a repeatable research framework, monitoring inputs, scoring trends for brand fit and risk, and producing actionable activation concepts. Use it to move from passive listening to rapid, safe content activation.

How this skill works

The skill instructs daily, focused scans across platform, industry, audience, and creator signals, capturing hooks, audio, and templates into a shared tracker. Trends are scored for relevance, shelf life, and risk, then paired with recommended angles, approval guardrails, and distribution timing. Templates include trend bulletins, approval checklists, creator shortlists, and viability scoring sheets to streamline handoff to content teams.

When to use it

  • Planning reactive or moment-based social content
  • Refreshing creative direction for campaigns that feel stale
  • Briefing leadership or content teams with timely POVs
  • Evaluating creator collaborations or UGC opportunities
  • Assessing brand safety before adopting emergent trends

Best practices

  • Run a daily 10–15 minute scan per priority platform and log findings immediately
  • Capture source links and media for archival and context
  • Score trends on brand fit, audience interest, shelf life, and risk before activation
  • Limit reactive content to 20–30% of a content mix to avoid audience fatigue
  • Flag conflicts with regulated messaging or brand safety early and define clear guardrails

Example use cases

  • Spotting a new audio loop on TikTok and quickly drafting three brand-safe hooks for Reels
  • Turning a viral meme into a week-long campaign test with approval checklist and risk notes
  • Shortlisting emerging creators for a co-created product teaser and tracking outreach status
  • Preparing a trend bulletin for execs that summarizes platform signals, recommended angle, and shelf life
  • Scoring competitor activity and audience signals to decide whether to adopt or ignore a trend

FAQ

How often should the tracker be updated?

Update the tracker daily for priority platforms and immediately when high-velocity trends emerge.

How do you decide whether to activate a trend?

Use the viability score: combine brand fit, persona interest, shelf life, and risk threshold; only activate if fit and shelf life justify resource allocation and risk is manageable.