Trend Research Skill

Purpose: Enable VPS agents (Sage, Scout, Milo) to research trending topics with REAL search volume data across social platforms, Reddit, and general web sources.

Available Tools:

• •web_search (Brave Search) — Site-specific and general queries, freshness filtering
• •web_fetch — Extract full content from pages (Reddit threads, blog posts, reports)
• •keyword-volume.sh — Keywords Everywhere API — Real Google search volume, CPC, competition, and 12-month trend data

🔑 Keywords Everywhere Integration (USE THIS FIRST)

ALWAYS validate trends with real search volume data. Don't guess demand — measure it.

Script

# Local:
/Users/mmcassistant/clawd/skills/trend-research/keyword-volume.sh "keyword1" "keyword2" "keyword3"
# VPS:
/home/openclaw/skills/trend-research/keyword-volume.sh "keyword1" "keyword2" "keyword3"

What It Returns

• •Volume: Monthly Google searches
• •CPC: Cost per click (higher = more commercial intent = more money in niche)
• •Competition: 0-1 scale (higher = more advertisers competing)
• •12-month trend: Monthly breakdown + direction (📈 RISING / 📉 FALLING / ➡️ STABLE)

Credits: ~96K remaining (1 credit per keyword). Batch up to 100 keywords per call.

Standard Workflow: Brave Search discovers → Keywords Everywhere validates

Interpretation Guide

Quick Reference

Workflow A: Etsy Product Trend Research (Scout)

Goal: Identify trending products, validate demand, assess competition.

Step 1: Broad Market Search

web_search query="[niche] trending products 2026" count=10 freshness="pw"
web_search query="etsy bestseller [category]" count=10

Look for: Product names, price ranges, volume indicators ("bestseller", "top seller", "hot right now")

Step 2: Reddit Validation

web_search query="site:reddit.com etsy digital downloads trending [niche]" count=10 freshness="pw"
web_search query="site:reddit.com [niche] what are people buying" count=10

Look for: User discussions, pain points, real demand signals, competitor mentions

Step 3: Pinterest Inspiration

web_search query="site:pinterest.com [product type] popular [niche]" count=10

Look for: Visual trends, design patterns, color schemes, styling preferences

Step 4: Deep Dive (Optional)

web_fetch url=[top Reddit thread] extractMode="markdown"
web_fetch url=[trending blog post] extractMode="markdown"

Extract: User comments, reasons for popularity, seasonal patterns

Output Format

SCOUT TREND REPORT: [Niche] Products
Date: YYYY-MM-DD

TOP 10 FINDINGS:
1. [Product Name] | Source: [URL] | Confidence: HIGH
2. [Product Name] | Source: [URL] | Confidence: MEDIUM
...

MARKET SIGNALS:
- Average price range: $X-$Y
- Seasonal peak: [Month]
- Competition level: [Low/Medium/High]

ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS:
- Research [product] on Everbee for keyword difficulty
- Check Etsy bestseller rankings in [category]
- Test listing with [design approach]

RESEARCH DATE: YYYY-MM-DD

Workflow B: Content/SEO Trend Research (Sage)

Goal: Find high-intent search queries, content gaps, competition levels.

Step 1: Trend Discovery

web_search query="[topic] trending 2026" count=10 freshness="pw"
web_search query="[niche] content ideas 2026" count=10
web_search query="[topic] guide tutorial" count=10

Look for: Search volume indicators, article titles, content types gaining traction

Step 2: Reddit Intent Mining

web_search query="site:reddit.com [niche] what content do people want" count=10
web_search query="site:reddit.com [niche] questions answered" count=10
web_search query="site:reddit.com [topic] help advice" count=10

Look for: Questions people ask, pain points, content gaps, language/terminology

Step 3: Competition Assessment

web_search query="[topic] [niche] top articles" count=10
web_fetch url=[top result] extractMode="markdown"

Analyze: Content structure, depth, gaps you can fill

Step 4: Google Trends Proxy (No Direct API)

web_search query="google trends [topic]" count=5
web_search query="[niche] searches increasing 2026" count=10

Extract: Seasonal patterns, related searches, rising queries

Output Format

SAGE TREND REPORT: [Topic] Content Strategy
Date: YYYY-MM-DD

TOP 10 CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES:
1. [Content Title/Topic] | Difficulty: [Low/Medium/High] | Intent: [Commercial/Informational/Navigational]
2. [Content Title/Topic] | Difficulty: [Low/Medium/High] | Intent: [Commercial/Informational]
...

REDDIT INSIGHTS:
- Top questions: [Q1], [Q2], [Q3]
- Pain points: [P1], [P2]
- Terminology: [T1], [T2]

COMPETITION:
- Top 3 competing articles: [URL], [URL], [URL]
- Content gap: [Specific angle not covered]

ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS:
- Write [specific topic] targeting [keyword difficulty]
- Focus on angle: [unique approach]
- Include sections: [section1], [section2], [section3]

RESEARCH DATE: YYYY-MM-DD

Workflow C: Music/Culture Trend Research (Milo/PsalMix)

Goal: Identify trending sounds, cultural moments, audience-safe content opportunities.

Step 1: Music Trend Search

web_search query="trending clean music 2026" count=10 freshness="pw"
web_search query="family friendly music trends 2026" count=10
web_search query="viral TikTok sounds wholesome" count=10

Look for: Artist names, song titles, sound characteristics, use cases

Step 2: Reddit Community Signals

web_search query="site:reddit.com clean music recommendations" count=10
web_search query="site:reddit.com family friendly songs 2026" count=10
web_search query="site:reddit.com [music genre] trending" count=10

Look for: Community favorites, emerging artists, listener preferences

Step 3: TikTok Trending Sounds

web_search query="site:tiktok.com trending sounds 2026" count=10
web_search query="site:tiktok.com family friendly sounds" count=10

Note: TikTok site search has limited results; focus on searches containing "tiktok trending"

Step 4: Deep Dive

web_fetch url=[trending music list/blog] extractMode="markdown"

Extract: Song titles, artists, reasons for popularity, audience demographics

Output Format

MILO TREND REPORT: [Genre/Category] Music Trends
Date: YYYY-MM-DD

TOP 10 TRENDING SOUNDS:
1. [Song] by [Artist] | Category: [Clean/Family-Friendly/Genre] | Confidence: HIGH
2. [Song] by [Artist] | Category: [Clean/Family-Friendly/Genre] | Confidence: MEDIUM
...

VIRAL OPPORTUNITIES:
- Sound: [Sound Title] | Platforms: [TikTok, Instagram, YouTube]
- Use case: [What creators use it for]
- Audience: [Demographics]

EMERGING ARTISTS:
- [Artist name] - [Reason for trend]
- [Artist name] - [Reason for trend]

CONTENT ANGLES:
- Covers/remixes of [trending song]
- Wholesome dance trends to [sound]
- [Genre] playlist curation

ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS:
- License/use [song] for [project type]
- Create content featuring [viral sound]
- Partner with [artist/sound creator]

RESEARCH DATE: YYYY-MM-DD

Workflow D: General Market Intelligence

Goal: Track competitor moves, seasonal trends, industry reports.

Competitor Analysis

web_search query="[competitor name] [niche] 2026" count=10
web_search query="[competitor] new products features" count=10

Seasonal Trend Tracking

web_search query="[niche] seasonal trends [month] 2026" count=10
web_search query="[niche] holiday buying guide" count=10

Subreddit Monitoring

web_search query="site:reddit.com/r/[subreddit] [topic]" count=10 freshness="pw"

Industry Reports

web_search query="[niche] market report 2026" count=10
web_search query="[industry] trends report" count=10

Search Query Templates

Universal Format:

web_search query="[TEMPLATE]" count=10 freshness="pw|pm"

Etsy/Products

• •[product type] trending products 2026
• •site:reddit.com etsy [category] bestseller
• •site:pinterest.com [style] home decor popular
• •etsy printable [niche] best sellers

Content/SEO

• •[topic] trending 2026 articles
• •site:reddit.com [niche] how to guide
• •[keyword] what people search for
• •[niche] blog post ideas

Music/Culture

• •[genre] trending songs 2026
• •site:reddit.com [music style] recommendations
• •site:tiktok.com [genre] sounds viral
• •family friendly [music type] artists

General

• •site:reddit.com [niche] [question]
• •[topic] market report 2026
• •[competitor] [category] analysis

Freshness Parameters

Use freshness to filter by discovery time:

Web Fetch: Deep Dive Extraction

When a search result looks promising, extract full content:

web_fetch url="https://reddit.com/r/[subreddit]/comments/[id]" extractMode="markdown"

Good candidates for fetching:

• •Reddit threads with 100+ comments (rich discussions)
• •Blog posts from established sources (detailed analysis)
• •Trend reports and roundups (data-rich)
• •Product reviews and comparisons (detailed context)

Pro Tips

1. Corroborate with Multiple Sources

• •HIGH confidence: 3+ independent sources mention the trend
• •MEDIUM confidence: 1-2 sources, recent publication
• •LOW confidence: 1 source or older than 2 weeks

2. Time-Sensitivity

• •Always include Date: YYYY-MM-DD in reports
• •Trends change rapidly; research older than 1 month may be outdated
• •Use freshness="pw" for current market conditions

3. Reddit Gold Mines

• •Sort searches by "most helpful" (implicit in Brave Search)
• •Look for comments with 100+ upvotes (community validation)
• •Check post age (recent = still relevant)

4. Pinterest for Visual Trends

• •Searches return trending pins at top
• •Indicates design preferences, color trends, styling
• •Particularly valuable for Etsy mockup inspiration

5. Combine Queries

• •Use multiple queries per workflow (cast a wider net)
• •Look for overlaps (if 5 sources mention the same product, it's hot)

6. Context Matters

• •For Scout: Focus on search volume, price, repeat mentions
• •For Sage: Extract actual user questions and pain points
• •For Milo: Emphasize family-friendly/clean tags, artist names

When to Escalate

If initial research doesn't yield clear results:

1. •Refine query — Add specificity (category, audience, timeframe)
2. •Try different sources — Reddit weak? Try Pinterest
3. •Expand timeframe — Use freshness="pm" instead of "pw"
4. •Manual validation — Fetch top 2-3 results and read carefully
5. •Get baseline data — Search "[niche] statistics 2026" for context

Output Checklist

Every trend research report should include:

• • Date of research (YYYY-MM-DD)
• • Top 10 findings (specific, actionable)
• • Source URLs for all findings
• • Confidence level (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW per finding)
• • Agent-specific insights (Scout = demand, Sage = competition, Milo = platform opportunity)
• • Actionable next steps (3-5 concrete actions)
• • Trend lifecycle assessment (emerging/growing/peaking/declining)

Examples

Scout: Etsy Trend Search

Query: "wall art trending products 2026" Result: "10 trending home decor wall art prints from design blogs and Etsy bestsellers" Confidence: HIGH (multiple corroborating sources) Next step: Research design styles on Pinterest, check Everbee for keyword difficulty

Sage: SEO Opportunity

Query: "site:reddit.com interior design what content do people want" Result: "Users asking for room makeover guides, small space tips, budget-friendly ideas" Confidence: HIGH (direct user intent from 500+ comments) Next step: Create "small apartment interior design" guide targeting identified questions

Milo: Music Trend

Query: "trending clean music 2026" Result: "Indie folk, acoustic pop, and wholesome hip-hop gaining traction; specific artists identified" Confidence: MEDIUM (3 blog sources + 1 Reddit thread) Next step: License indie folk tracks for PsalMix content, monitor rising artists

Last Updated: Feb 7, 2026
For: Sage (SEO), Scout (Etsy), Milo (PsalMix)