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What’s Trending on Twitter: Energize Your Profile’s Growth

Arnel Bagyaratnam

Oct 24, 2024 12 mins read
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As per Ahrefs database, Twitter, now X, received more than 1 billion organic visits in 2023. When you want to know what’s going on at any location, at any given time, you come to X. In short, it’s only a matter of time before what’s trending on Twitter appears in the news. But where do you go to find the latest trend on the platform?

Or, more importantly, how does X decide what should and shouldn’t trend on the social media network? Also, what can you do once you know what’s popular on the platform? In this article, you’ll learn about all these topics and more.

What’s Trending on Twitter Right Now: How Does It Work?

When asking yourself what’s trending on Twitter right now, do you ever wonder how all of it works? Like, what are the signals that the platform uses to determine trends? Well, like every other social media network, X also relies on its algorithm to do all the heavy lifting.

  • A common assumption is that if a lot of users are talking about the same topic, it will trend. Well, this is only partially true, as several other factors influence what’s popular on X. Otherwise, it will be pretty easy to game the system. You won’t see anything interesting or useful in trends. 
  • What you see in the trends section depends on the accounts you follow on the platform. That’s why there may be a slight difference in your profile when you compare it to your friend’s account.
  • Another factor is your current location, and this makes sense. If you’re in the United States, you’ll want to know what is popular in your area. 
  • The last signal is what you find interesting on X, formerly Twitter. Now, this doesn’t mean the platform only uses these factors. 
  • It also looks at topics that are going viral at any given moment. As a result, there is more weightage to what’s popular on the platform right now. Some trends are the talk of the Twitterverse for several days, but they don’t receive priority.

Think of trends as a hotpot — there are a lot of ingredients, like factors, that go into making the dish. 

How To See What’s Trending on Twitter?

Although Twitter is the hotspot for worldwide trends, it isn’t obvious when you visit the platform. You need to navigate through the website to find what’s popular on X. Here’s how to see what’s trending on Twitter:

  1. Sign in to your X account, and the platform will take you to your feed.
  2. Desktop users, i.e., people who surf X via a desktop browser, should click the magnifying glass icon. Don’t mistake it with the search button, which is in the top right corner. The Explore icon is on the quick navigation panel on the left side of your screen. X app users must tap the magnifying glass icon on the bottom navigation panel.

You’ll be in the For You section, which, as the name suggests, the platform personalizes for the account holder. Initially, it may seem strange, as the trends look random. As you continue to use the platform and engage with users and posts, it starts to resemble your interests.

To get an idea of what’s popular on the platform, you must go to the next tab, i.e., Trending. Here, you’ll see the top 29 trends at the moment. The platform shows you the number of posts on each topic. It may also categorize the trends.

There’s also a miniature version of what’s trending on X for desktop users. When you visit the website, look on the left side of the screen. You’ll see a card with the headline ‘What’s Happening,’ which is the same as the Trending section. If you click the Show More button, the social media network takes you to this part of the website.

Click on any trending topic to see all the posts related to it. This should give you context on why the subject is popular on X.

Can You See What’s Trending on X in Different Locations?

According to X, three out of four users visit X at least once daily to learn about the latest developments. If this is the case, how come you only see hot trends in your region? Well, this is by design, and there is a way to view what’s popular in a different country. You need to change your region, and the platform will update the trends page accordingly. Here’s how to see what’s trending on X in different locations:

  1. Open the X mobile app or visit the website on your browser. 
  2. Select the Explore button, either from the side or bottom navigation panel.
  3. There’s a gear-shaped button on the top right side of the screen, next to the search field. Click it to open the settings menu for the Explore page.
  4. You’ll see the following option – Show Content In This Location. Deactivate it so that you can change your region. 
  5. Select Explore Locations to see a list of countries. 
  6. Click on any region to make it your default location for trends. Remember, you can only select one country at a time.

Exit the Explore settings page, and you’ll see different hot trends. However, this won’t change Promoted Trends, which is on top of the Explore page.

How To Personalize Trending Topics on Twitter?

You don’t have to only stick with what the platform suggests. In fact, you have control, up to a certain extent, to influence trending topics on Twitter. This makes it a great way to get constant updates about any subject. Below are step-by-step instructions to show you how to personalize trending topics on X:

  1. Desktop X users must click the More button on the quick navigation panel. If you’re on the app, quickly swipe right to pull out this menu.
  2. Select Settings and Support to open the drop-down menu. Click Settings and Privacy and open Privacy and Safety.
  3. Navigate to Content You See and select Topics
  4. Here, you’ll see all the topics you follow on X. If nothing is in this section, use Twitter for a while. The platform will recommend topics to you, depending on what you do and who you engage with.
  5. Click on any topic to see all the posts in this category.
  6. Scroll down till you see the heading, Recommended Topics. In this section, you’ll see the More Topics button. Click it to view additional topics.
  7. The platform shows you a variety of subjects along with their subcategories. Click the plus icon to add the category to your profile. 

After you follow various topics, continue to engage with posts that align with your interests. Over time, the For You tab on the Explore page will show content you find interesting.

How To Find Trending Hashtags on Twitter?

Using trending hashtags on Twitter in your content can increase the reach of your posts. However, it should be relevant to your niche or the topic you’re talking about. Otherwise, it will come off as spam, and the platform may take action against your account. Avoid trying to use hashtags and talking about a different topic. If you engage in this behavior, it can limit the visibility of your posts.

Okay, you have an idea about what to do with them, but how do you find these phrases? Below are various techniques to help you locate trending hashtags on X:

  • Visit the trending page: As highlighted earlier in the article, the trending page shows you what’s popular on X. You’ll also come across multiple hashtags in this list. Open any trending hashtags to see all the posts that use them. This way, you can see all the phrases people use to help their tweets catch steam. 
  • Use a third-party tool or website: Several tools and websites track trending hashtags on X. They are a useful resource and handy as everything you need is on a single platform. 

    For instance, Trends24 and Twitter-Trends are excellent sources for trending hashtags. You can look for what’s popular by region and the number of posts in each category. On Trends24, you can see hot trends by the hour.

How To Use Twitter Trends To Increase Your Reach and Follower Count?

Once you know what’s trending on the platform, what do you do with this information? Well, it is a powerful resource, as it can help increase your reach and follower count. The trick is to know how to leverage popular discussion topics in your posts. Below, you’ll find multiple tips on using trends on X:

1. Create a Content Calendar Using Recurring Trends

Trends aren’t always a one-time thing on the social media platform. Several topics continue to resurface around the same time. If you review the trend history, you’ll identify several patterns.

#mondaymotivation and #throwbackthursdays are popular hashtags that will appear in the platform’s Explore section. April 22 every year is Earth Day, which means a similar hashtag will trend during this period.

Identifying recurring trends can go a long way in helping you create a content calendar. Being active and consistent is no easy task, even though this is a micro-blogging website. If you want to make the most of trends, you must be there when it happens. Otherwise, your posts won’t gain traction, and posts from other users will drown out your tweets.

When you know in advance the theme for your next post, it becomes easier to craft your content. It won’t feel like a race against time.

2. Use Popular Topics To Personalize Your Posts

You can customize your post’s content with relevant trending topics. It can be a great way to join the conversation and connect with your target audience. Think of how you can change your content to match what’s trending on X.

For example, let’s assume you’re running an interior design business and use Twitter to market your services. You notice #transformationtuesday is trending and want to post something along these lines. You can discuss how you transformed a client’s property with your ideas and include a before and after photo. This way, it is relevant to your services, and you join the trends train simultaneously.

However, you should be careful so that you don’t overdo this. Otherwise, it comes off as fake, which your target audience may not like.

3. Stay Away From Declining Trends

While you focus on joining trends, you should only hop on if the topic continues to grow in popularity. This tends to happen during the initial phase, where everyone wants to join. After a certain period, interest in the trend starts to drop before it eventually fades away. Knowing in which phase the trend is in can make a huge difference. Imagine putting in significant effort and time to create high-quality posts, and you only get a few likes and comments. 

Now, it’s challenging to determine when precisely the downward spiral begins. You should look for signs to see the trend’s current phase. Are people still discussing it heavily, and are posts about this topic getting traction? Do you notice the number of posts about a specific trend slowing down after experiencing rapid growth? Are other topics overtaking what you want to talk about on X?

Think of trends as riding a wave. You want to catch it at the right moment, not after it entirely becomes foamy and white.

Boost Your Profile’s Visibility With Twitter Trends

When you join Twitter trends at the right time, it can do wonders for your account. It makes your posts more likely to appear in the feeds of several users simultaneously. Not only will this boost engagement, but it also increases the popularity of your account.

This is the good thing about joining trends on X. But what if you didn’t have much time and hopped on a popular topic without checking why it was trending? In this situation, it will do more harm than good. Users may consider you as insensitive, due to which you’ll see a drop in engagement. Also, it affects your integrity, which can be hard to recover from. This is why you should pay attention when following trends on X.

Fortunately, you don’t have to worry as you can still fix this situation before it goes out of hand. The solution is to delete these tweets so people won’t see them. However, this isn’t easy if you only use X’s native features, as you can only remove one post per action. With TweetDelete, you can bulk-delete tweets quickly before your posts gain traction. Also, it comes in clutch when you want to remove old, controversial, or sensitive posts from your profile. This is essential when you’re joining what’s trending on Twitter, as people may take a look at your older posts. Use TweetDelete today so that you can maintain a clean image on X!

Arnel Bagyaratnam

Arnel Bagyaratnam is an SEO writer for TweetDelete who is avidly interested in covering tech. Previously, he was a digital strategist for Holystoked, helping the company switch from an offline model to a hybrid store with a strong online presence. He also worked as a copywriter and SEO consultant for VERB Studio. An industrial engineering & management graduate, he spends his free time breaking and digging for music to dance to.

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