trend-to-content

name	trend-to-content
description	Transform social and search trends into research, PSEO pages, videos, and copy. Use for "what's trending", "content ideas", "viral content", PSEO, trend research, video content ideas, or planning what to create next, with Research, PSEO, and Video modes.

Trend to Content

Transform trending topics into content at scale: PSEO pages, videos, and copy.

First Progress Marker

Start the first progress update with the exact prefix Using trend-to-content.

Preferred format:

Using trend-to-content to turn trend evidence into content options. First I will resolve the lane, source, and output mode.

Use This For

• Trend research for a niche, audience, or content pipeline
• PSEO page generation from trend-backed keyword patterns
• Video or social concepts derived from fresh trend hooks

Do Not Use This For

• Deep standalone brand strategy without a trend input
• Final publishing/deploy work unless the active mode explicitly defines it
• One-off copy edits that do not require trend research or packaging logic

Modes

Modes customize content generation for specific brands or projects — brand voice, target audience, content types, SEO settings, video format, trend sources, and publishing workflow. Stored in modes/ (gitignored, never committed).

How Modes Work

Project-specific config (brand name, voice, tone, target audience, content pipelines, SEO keywords, Remotion paths, trend sources, publishing commands) lives in the client overlay: skillbox-config/clients/{client}/overlay.yaml → auto-generated context.yaml.

Client Config Resolution (Step 0)

1. Look for context.yaml in the working tree (generated from the client overlay)
2. If found, load brand-specific settings from it automatically
3. If not found, tell the user no overlay matches and create one using the skillbox-quickstart scan + generate flow before proceeding
4. If no skillbox-config/ exists, create one — do not fall back to generic mode

Prerequisites

Required env vars (should be in ~/.zshrc):

# VIRLO_API_KEY: trend research token
# ELEVENLABS_API_KEY: text-to-speech token for video voiceovers

If env vars are empty in Bash (Claude Code runs bash, not zsh — source ~/.zshrc will break):

export VIRLO_API_KEY=$(grep 'VIRLO_API_KEY' ~/.zshrc | grep -o '"[^"]*"' | tr -d '"')
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=$(grep 'ELEVENLABS_API_KEY' ~/.zshrc | grep -o '"[^"]*"' | tr -d '"')

The Workflow

TRENDS → IDEAS → CONTENT → PUBLISH
   ↓        ↓        ↓         ↓
Research  Filter   Create    SEO/
(APIs,    for      (PSEO,    Distribute
WebSearch) niche   video,
                   social)

For portfolio GTM, the sequence is:

acquisition page -> Virlo signal -> evidence hydration -> content route

Use acquisition pages or equivalent positioning docs to decide who the buyer is, what pain matters, and which product the trend should route into. Use Virlo to rank what is hot inside that lane, not to define the lane from scratch.

Quick Start by Mode

Research Mode

"What's trending in [niche]?"

1. Start from the buyer/pain lane you care about
2. Query trend sources (see references/trend-research.md)
3. Filter for niche relevance
4. Identify content gaps (what's trending but not covered?)

PSEO Mode

"Create pages at scale for [pattern]"

1. Choose playbook (see references/pseo-playbooks.md)
2. Define template structure
3. Generate pages from data + trends

Video Mode

"Create video content about [trend]"

1. Extract hook from trend
2. Choose format (see references/video-patterns.md)
3. Generate script/composition
4. Remotion project setup: references/remotion-hub.md

---

Trend Research

Virlo Lane Selection

• Trends: broad scan of what is newly salient right now
• Orbit: keyword-based social listening across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram
• Comet: recurring niche monitor once a lane is already proven
• MCP: agent-facing access layer for the same capabilities

For portfolio GTM, Orbit is usually the highest-leverage Virlo primitive once you already know the buyer lane. Trends is broader and noisier. Comet should stay off until a lane is proven valuable enough to justify recurring credits.

Quick API Patterns

Virlo now uses a versioned /v1 API surface and snake_case field naming.

# Broad trend scan
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRLO_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.virlo.ai/v1/trends/digest" | jq '.data'

# Keyword-based social listening (async)
curl -X POST https://api.virlo.ai/v1/orbit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRLO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "AI coding agents",
    "keywords": ["ai coding agents", "claude code", "cursor workflow"],
    "time_period": "this_week",
    "platforms": ["youtube", "tiktok", "instagram"],
    "min_views": 10000
  }'

WebSearch Fallback

When no API available, use WebSearch queries:

• "[niche] trending 2026"
• "[niche] TikTok viral"
• "what's trending in [niche]"

Full research guide: references/trend-research.md

---

PSEO Quick Reference

The 12 Playbooks

Playbook	Pattern	Example
Templates	"[Type] template"	"resume template"
Curation	"best [category]"	"best CRM software"
Comparisons	"[X] vs [Y]"	"Notion vs Coda"
Locations	"[service] in [city]"	"coworking in Austin"
Personas	"[product] for [audience]"	"CRM for startups"
Glossary	"what is [term]"	"what is pSEO"

Full playbooks + implementation: references/pseo-playbooks.md

Page Template Structure

URL: /[playbook]/[variable]/

- Meta title: 50-60 chars with primary keyword
- Meta description: 150-160 chars with value prop
- H1: Compelling, different from title
- Intro: Connect to search intent
- Content sections: Unique value per page
- Internal links: Related pages in same playbook
- CTA: Clear conversion action

---

Video Quick Reference

Hook Formulas (First 3 Seconds)

See references/video-patterns.md for hook formulas (curiosity, contrarian, story, value, pattern interrupt) and full script structures.

Platform Formats

Platform	Length	Format
TikTok	15-60s	Vertical, fast cuts, captions
YouTube Shorts	30-60s	Vertical, hook in 1s
Instagram Reels	15-30s	Vertical, trending audio
YouTube	8-15min	Horizontal, structured

Full video patterns: references/video-patterns.md

---

Copywriting Quick Reference

Headlines

Formula: {Outcome} without {Pain Point} Formula: The {Category} for {Audience} Formula: {Number} {Things} that {Outcome}

CTAs (avoid weak verbs)

• "Submit" → "Get My [Thing]"
• "Learn More" → "See How It Works"
• "Sign Up" → "Start Free Trial"

Full copy frameworks: references/copywriting-formulas.md

---

Cross-Reference Workflow

For maximum impact, find the intersection:

┌─────────────────┐
│  WHAT'S        │
│  TRENDING?     │ ← Trend APIs, WebSearch
└───────┬────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  WHAT DOES     │
│  YOUR AUDIENCE │ ← Customer research, keywords
│  CARE ABOUT?   │
└───────┬────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  WHAT HAVEN'T  │
│  YOU COVERED?  │ ← Content audit, gaps
└───────┬────────┘
        │
        ▼
   CREATE CONTENT
   AT INTERSECTION

Example Workflow

1. Trend: "AI coding agents" trending on TikTok
2. Audience: Developers exploring AI-assisted workflows
3. Gap: No page targeting "best AI coding tools for solo devs"
4. Content:
   • PSEO page: /tools/ai-coding-for-solo-devs/ (Personas playbook)
   • Video: 30s TikTok comparing top tools
   • Social: Thread with key points

---

Content Calendar Integration

Plan content production:

Week	Trend Research	PSEO	Video	Social
1	Identify 3 trends	Template 1 page	1 explainer	3 posts
2	Validate with data	Generate pages	B-roll shoots	Repurpose
3	Update calendar	Internal linking	Edit + publish	Promote
4	Review performance	Iterate	Plan next batch	Engage

---

Output Formats

PSEO Page (TypeScript/JSON)

{
  slug: "for-[topic]",
  metaTitle: "[Keyword] | [Brand]", // 50-60 chars
  metaDescription: "...", // 150-160 chars
  h1: "...",
  sections: [...],
  relatedSlugs: [...]
}

Video Script

HOOK (0-3s): [Attention grabber]
PROBLEM (3-10s): [Why this matters]
SOLUTION (10-45s): [Your content]
CTA (45-60s): [What to do next]

Social Post

HOOK: [First line that stops the scroll]
BODY: [3-5 key points]
CTA: [Engagement driver]

Verification And Closeout

Before presenting final recommendations or generated content, verify:

• the trend source is named (Virlo, web search, supplied data, or manual input)
• the audience/lane and content mode are explicit
• any API-backed claim includes enough evidence to rerun or inspect the source
• generated PSEO/video/copy artifacts have a target path or publishing boundary
• missing credentials are reported as degraded research, not hidden as low confidence
• any changed helper code or templates have a targeted pytest or project native test before closeout

If live trend sources are unavailable, continue only with clearly marked fallback evidence and avoid claiming recency that was not verified.

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Related Skills

• [[skill-issue]]
• programmatic-seo: Deep dive on PSEO implementation
• copywriting: Line-by-line copy improvement
• social-content: Platform-specific social strategies