Content Trends: When to Use Them (and When to Ignore Them)
So this might surprise you, but I don’t mind content trends.
I actually encourage my clients to use trend-based content. Inside Micro Messaging I run a monthly content planning session where I share content that’s working right now, so naturally there’s always a trend or 2 that makes the cut.
Because content trends can be fun and easy to create, algorithm-friendly and your audience understands them.
But on the other hand, the problem with content trends is you can become over-reliant on creating them or you lose your unique voice because you’re trying to fit a trend to your brand.
So in today’s episode of the How I Do Content Podcast, I want to talk about how I decide when content trends are worth using, when I leave them alone, and how you can take inspiration from what’s working without creating the exact same post as everyone else.
Let’s begin.
Why content trends work
The reason content trends are useful is because they come with familiarity already built in.
Your audience has probably seen the format before, they understand the setup quickly, and that means you don’t have to work hard to explain what’s happening.
That familiarity can make the content easier to consume for your audience.
It can also make the content easier to create for you, because you’re not starting completely from scratch. You already have something to work with, so your job then becomes figuring out how to make it work for your business.
And from an algorithm perspective, platforms obviously have an incentive to keep pushing formats and behaviours that people are already engaging with. So there can be a reach benefit there too.
Anything that makes creating content easier is a win in my opinion. The problem starts when content trends stop being one tool in your content strategy and start becoming the thing you rely on to know what to post.
When content trends become a problem
The biggest issue I see is when people become so reliant on content trends that they stop developing their own ideas.
Instead of noticing what’s happening with their clients, paying attention to the conversations they are having or forming their own opinions, they open Instagram and look for something they can recreate.
And no hate if you do this occasionally – sometimes I just wanna post a fun trend with my dog for no other reason than that I fucking love my dog.
But if that becomes your main way of deciding what to share, your content starts being shaped by those external to yourself and your business.
You’re reacting to other people’s ideas rather than creating from your own experience and perspective.
And that’s where your voice can start to disappear too.
Because every trend comes with some kind of existing structure, tone or intention. So if you’re constantly squeezing your business into those structures, eventually your content can start sounding less like you and more like whatever is currently popular.
That doesn’t mean you need to make every trend completely unrecognisable. The whole point of a trend is that people recognise it.
But there still needs to be enough of your own perspective and magic in there that people remember YOU, not just the format you used.
So how do I decide whether a content trend is worth using?
I’m much more likely to use a trend when I already have something I want to say and I immediately see a way the format could make that idea more entertaining, easier to understand or more memorable.
There has to be a natural connection between the trend and something I want to talk about – it has to make sense for me and my business.
If I see a trend and immediately think, “Oh my god, this would be perfect for that thing I keep seeing with my clients,” then I’m probably going to use it.
But if I’m sitting there for 20 minutes trying to work out how the fuck I can make it relevant to messaging, I usually take that as a sign that I should leave it alone.
Because the best content trends still start with something relevant to your business.
You shouldn’t be twisting your business, your brand and your messaging just to fit a trend that will disappear in a couple of weeks.
I also want to always add a little bit of Tahryn-magic to the mix, so it’s not exactly the same as everyone else’s take on that trend. This is a great way to develop and master the skill of creating content that stands out AND sells.
When I leave content trends alone
There are a few situations where I’ll see a trend, understand exactly how I could use it, and still decide not to do it.
The one that immediately comes to mind right now is the “kind chic” trend. Simply because it’s been DONE TO DEATH. I was going to use it, but then it kinda blew up and was literally every-fucking-where.
And that’s the point – using that trend when every muggle and their 3-headed dog is also doing it, is the fastest way to make my content blend in.
So if I’ve already seen 15 versions of a trend that day, I’m not interested in becoming number 16 unless I genuinely have a very different take on that trend.
Another reason I choose not to do a trend is if it requires too much work. Or if it’s going to attract attention for the wrong reason and I can’t be fucked dealing with that.
If the thing people are responding to has nothing to do with what I want to be known for, what I sell or the kind of people I want to attract, I’m not going to do it just for some extra views.
Just because content trends perform well as CONTENT doesn’t automatically mean it performs well for your BUSINESS.
You might get more views, more shares, more comments and more followers – but did:
- The right people understand what you do?
- It reinforce something you want to be known for?
- It start useful conversations?
- Anybody move closer to buying something?
Yes, content trends can be fun and easy to create but ultimately your content has a job – for your ideal clients to discover you, connect with you and buy from you.
So if your trend-based content consistently gets the biggest numbers but those people have no idea what you do, never engage with anything connected to your offers and disappear the second you post something more relevant to your business, those extra views aren’t helping you.
Content trends are a tool, but not the whole content strategy
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using content trends.
I use them. I teach them. I recommend them.
But I don’t want them to become the place you go every time you need an idea.
Because in my experience, your BEST content comes from your own experiences, your client work, your opinions, what you’re noticing, and the way you see the problem differently.
A trend can help you package that idea in a way that feels timely, familiar or fun.
But the idea still needs to come from somewhere deeper than “this Reel got 400,000 views so I should make one too.”
And I think that’s the balance.
Use them when they:
- Make sense.
- Make the content easier or more interesting.
- Help you reach more of the right people.
But don’t rely on them so heavily that your content starts looking like a slightly different version of everyone else’s.
Because you are still the most important thing that makes the content worth paying attention to.
And this is exactly what we are doing inside Get Scrappy, Get Weird, Get Paid
Inside this 5-day challenge, I want to help you get better at creating from your own ideas, while still knowing how to use what is happening around you as inspiration.
So yes, sometimes that might mean using a trend.
Sometimes it might mean taking one little piece of inspiration and turning it into something completely different.
And sometimes it might mean ignoring what everyone else is doing and following the weird little idea in your own brain.
That is the skill I want you to build. Because original marketing means knowing how to take what is around you, put it through your own perspective and turn it into something that actually feels like yours.
If that’s exactly what your marketing needs right now, come and join me inside Get Scrappy, Get Weird, Get Paid.
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