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tracking-youtube-trending-topics-by-niche

Name: tracking-youtube-trending-topics-by-niche
Author: apidojo-io

Tracks trending YouTube topics and video formats in a specific niche using apidojo's YouTube scraper on Apify. Triggers when the user asks to: find trending YouTube topics in a niche, discover what videos are getting views right now in a category, identify trending YouTube formats or themes in an industry, find high-performing YouTube video ideas from search trends, research what the YouTube algorithm is currently rewarding in a topic area, discover rising YouTube creators in a niche, or analyze what video angles perform best on YouTube in a category. Returns trending video titles, view counts, engagement metrics, format patterns, and topic themes. Ideal for YouTube content creators, video marketers, and brand video strategists.

What it does

Tracking YouTube Trending Topics by Niche

The skill document

Identifies what's performing on YouTube in a specific niche by analyzing recent high-view videos. Surfaces repeatable title formulas, content formats, and topic themes that the YouTube algorithm is currently favoring.

Prerequisites

APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
`startUrls`	array	Optional	`[]`	YouTube URLs — channels, playlists, Shorts, search results
`youtubeHandles`	array	Optional	`[]`	YouTube channel handles (e.g. `@kurzgesagt`)
`getTrending`	boolean	Optional	`false`	Retrieve trending videos
`keywords`	array	Optional	`[]`	Search keywords
`gl`	string	Optional	`us`	Country code for results (e.g. `US`, `GB`)
`hl`	string	Optional	`en`	Language code (e.g. `en`, `de`)
`uploadDate`	string	Optional	`all`	Upload date filter: `any`, `hour`, `today`, `week`, `month`, `year`
`duration`	string	Optional	`all`	Duration filter: `any`, `short`, `long`
`features`	string	Optional	`all`	Feature filter: `4k`, `hd`, `live`, `cc`, `3d`, `hdr`, etc.
`sort`	string	Optional	`r`	Sort order for search results
`maxItems`	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum videos to return
`customMapFunction`	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Search for recent high-performing videos in niche
- [ ] Step 2: Extract title patterns and topics
- [ ] Step 3: Score trending momentum
- [ ] Step 4: Identify format and structural patterns
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver trend brief

Step 1: Search YouTube

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~youtube-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~youtube-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~youtube-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format json

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~youtube-scraper"
Input:
{
  "searchKeywords": ["[NICHE]", "best [NICHE]", "[NICHE] 2026", "[NICHE] for beginners"],
  "maxResults": 50,
  "type": "video"
}

REST API fallback:

curl -X POST   "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~youtube-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN"   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"searchKeywords": ["personal finance tips", "best investing 2026", "investing for beginners"], "maxResults": 50}'

Step 2: Analyze Title Patterns

Classify each video title:

title_formula:
  NUMBER_LIST = "Top [N]", "[N] Best", "[N] Things"
  HOW_TO = "How to", "Step-by-step", "The Complete Guide"
  VS_COMPARISON = "vs", "or", "Which is Better"
  WARNING = "Avoid", "Mistake", "Stop Doing", "Don't"
  STORY = "I tried", "What happened when", first-person
  YEAR_SPECIFIC = contains current year → high freshness signal

momentum = viewCount / days_since_published  # views per day

trend_score = (momentum / 10000, max 1) * 0.40
            + (likeCount / viewCount * 100 > 4 ? 1 : ratio/4) * 0.30
            + (commentCount / viewCount * 100 > 0.3 ? 1 : ratio/0.3) * 0.30

Step 4: Edge Cases

All trending videos from one channel: Likely a dominant creator in the niche — note this; it's a competitive signal, not a format trend. Look at the second and third most-viewed creators for broader signals
Niche is very small (< 10 videos above threshold): Lower min_views to 10K; report available data
Year-specific content dominates: Good sign for content with year in title — recommend "[niche] [year+1]" format as a strong ranking opportunity

Output Format

# YouTube Trending Topics: [NICHE]
Videos analyzed: [N] | Above threshold ([MIN_VIEWS] views): [N] | Date: [DATE]

## Top Title Formulas (by Avg Views)
| Formula | # Videos | Avg Views | Avg Like Rate | Best Example |
|---------|---------|-----------|-------------|-------------|
| Number List | [N] | [N] | [X%] | "[title]" |
| How-To | [N] | [N] | [X%] | |

## Top Performing Videos
| Title | Views | Momentum (views/day) | Like Rate | Trend Score |
|-------|-------|---------------------|----------|------------|

## Trending Topic Themes
1. [Theme] — [N] videos, [N] total views
2. [Theme]

## Recommended Video Ideas
Based on trending patterns:
1. "[Specific video title recommendation using a winning formula]"
2. "[Video title recommendation]"

Troubleshooting

Results skewed by one old viral video: Filter by published_date in the date_range; sort by momentum (views/day) not total views. Title formulas are too generic: This is normal — YouTube title strategies are well-known. The value is in the specific topic within the formula. Niche has no recent high-performers: The niche may be saturated or declining on YouTube; consider whether YouTube is the right platform for this content.

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What it does

The skill document