Trend Analysis

Discover and track emerging trends using Apify Actors to extract data from multiple platforms.

Prerequisites

(No need to check it upfront)

• .env file with APIFY_TOKEN
• Node.js 20.6+ (for native --env-file support)

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Identify trend type (select Actor)
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the analysis script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize findings

Step 1: Identify Trend Type

Select the appropriate Actor based on research needs:

User Need	Actor ID	Best For
Search trends	apify/google-trends-scraper	Google Trends data
Hashtag tracking	apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper	Hashtag content
Hashtag metrics	apify/instagram-hashtag-stats	Performance stats
Visual trends	apify/instagram-post-scraper	Post analysis
Trending discovery	apify/instagram-search-scraper	Search trends
Comprehensive tracking	apify/instagram-scraper	Full data
API-based trends	apify/instagram-api-scraper	API access
Engagement trends	apify/export-instagram-comments-posts	Comment tracking
Product trends	apify/facebook-marketplace-scraper	Marketplace data
Visual analysis	apify/facebook-photos-scraper	Photo trends
Community trends	apify/facebook-groups-scraper	Group monitoring
YouTube Shorts	streamers/youtube-shorts-scraper	Short-form trends
YouTube hashtags	streamers/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag	Hashtag videos
TikTok hashtags	clockworks/tiktok-hashtag-scraper	Hashtag content
Trending sounds	clockworks/tiktok-sound-scraper	Audio trends
TikTok ads	clockworks/tiktok-ads-scraper	Ad trends
Discover page	clockworks/tiktok-discover-scraper	Discover trends
Explore trends	clockworks/tiktok-explore-scraper	Explore content
Trending content	clockworks/tiktok-trends-scraper	Viral content

Step 2: Fetch Actor Schema

Fetch the Actor's input schema and details:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/fetch_actor_details.js --actor "ACTOR_ID"

Replace ACTOR_ID with the selected Actor (e.g., apify/google-trends-scraper).

This returns:

• Actor info (title, description, URL, categories, stats, rating)
• README summary
• Input schema (required and optional parameters)

Step 3: Ask User Preferences

Skip this step for simple lookups (e.g., "what's Nike's follower count?", "find me 5 coffee shops in Prague") — just use quick answer mode and move to Step 4.

For larger scraping tasks, ask:

1. Output format:
   • Quick answer - Display top few results in chat (no file saved)
   • CSV - Full export with all fields
   • JSON - Full export in JSON format
2. Number of results: Based on character of use case

Cost safety: Always set a sensible result limit in the Actor input (e.g., maxResults, resultsLimit, maxCrawledPages, or equivalent field from the input schema). Default to 100 results unless the user explicitly asks for more. Warn the user before running large scrapes (1000+ results) as they consume more Apify credits.

Step 4: Run the Script

Quick answer (display in chat, no file):

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT'

CSV:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.csv \
  --format csv

JSON:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.json \
  --format json

Step 5: Summarize Findings

After completion, report:

• Number of results found
• File location and name
• Key trend insights
• Suggested next steps (deeper analysis, content opportunities)

Error Handling

APIFY_TOKEN not found - Ask user to create .env with APIFY_TOKEN=your_token Actor not found - Check Actor ID spelling Run FAILED - Ask user to check Apify console link in error output Timeout - Reduce input size or increase --timeout