Trend to Content

Transform trending topics into content at scale: PSEO pages, videos, and copy.

Modes

Modes customize content generation for specific brands or projects — brand voice, target audience, content types, SEO settings, video format, trend sources, and publishing workflow. Stored in modes/ (gitignored, never committed).

How Modes Work

Each mode is a markdown file: modes/{project-name}.md. It contains everything brand-specific: name, voice, tone, target audience, which content pipelines to use (PSEO, video, social), SEO keywords and URL patterns, Remotion project paths, preferred trend sources, and publishing/deploy commands.

Mode Selection (Step 0)

List .md files in modes/ (if directory exists)
Each mode file has a cwd_match field — a path prefix to match against cwd
If cwd matches exactly one mode, use it automatically
If cwd matches multiple or none, ask the user which mode (or use generic defaults)
If modes/ doesn't exist, use generic mode (no brand customization)

Creating a Mode

Copy references/mode-template.md to modes/{project-name}.md and fill in brand details, content types, SEO config, and publishing workflow. When a user runs the skill with no matching mode, offer to create one.

Modes are gitignored — they contain brand-specific settings and API details that should not be committed to the skill repo.

Prerequisites

Required env vars (should be in ~/.zshrc):

export VIRLO_API_KEY="virlo_tkn_..."       # Trend research
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY="sk_..."          # Text-to-speech for video voiceovers

If env vars are empty in Bash (Claude Code runs bash, not zsh — source ~/.zshrc will break):

export VIRLO_API_KEY=$(grep 'VIRLO_API_KEY' ~/.zshrc | grep -o '"[^"]*"' | tr -d '"')
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=$(grep 'ELEVENLABS_API_KEY' ~/.zshrc | grep -o '"[^"]*"' | tr -d '"')

The Workflow

TRENDS → IDEAS → CONTENT → PUBLISH
   ↓        ↓        ↓         ↓
Research  Filter   Create    SEO/
(APIs,    for      (PSEO,    Distribute
WebSearch) niche   video,
                   social)

Quick Start by Mode

Research Mode

"What's trending in [niche]?"

Query trend sources (see references/trend-research.md)
Filter for niche relevance
Identify content gaps (what's trending but not covered?)

PSEO Mode

"Create pages at scale for [pattern]"

Choose playbook (see references/pseo-playbooks.md)
Define template structure
Generate pages from data + trends

Video Mode

"Create video content about [trend]"

Extract hook from trend
Choose format (see references/video-patterns.md)
Generate script/composition
Remotion project setup: references/remotion-hub.md

Trend Research

Quick API Pattern

For APIs like Virlo, Google Trends, etc.:

# Generic pattern - replace with your API
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $VIRLO_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.virlo.ai/trends/digest" | jq '.data'

WebSearch Fallback

When no API available, use WebSearch queries:

"[niche] trending 2026"
"[niche] TikTok viral"
"what's trending in [niche]"

Full research guide: references/trend-research.md

PSEO Quick Reference

The 12 Playbooks

Playbook	Pattern	Example
Templates	"[Type] template"	"resume template"
Curation	"best [category]"	"best CRM software"
Comparisons	"[X] vs [Y]"	"Notion vs Coda"
Locations	"[service] in [city]"	"coworking in Austin"
Personas	"[product] for [audience]"	"CRM for startups"
Glossary	"what is [term]"	"what is pSEO"

Full playbooks + implementation: references/pseo-playbooks.md

Page Template Structure

URL: /[playbook]/[variable]/

- Meta title: 50-60 chars with primary keyword
- Meta description: 150-160 chars with value prop
- H1: Compelling, different from title
- Intro: Connect to search intent
- Content sections: Unique value per page
- Internal links: Related pages in same playbook
- CTA: Clear conversion action

Video Quick Reference

Hook Formulas (First 3 Seconds)

See references/video-patterns.md for hook formulas (curiosity, contrarian, story, value, pattern interrupt) and full script structures.

Platform Formats

Platform	Length	Format
TikTok	15-60s	Vertical, fast cuts, captions
YouTube Shorts	30-60s	Vertical, hook in 1s
Instagram Reels	15-30s	Vertical, trending audio
YouTube	8-15min	Horizontal, structured

Full video patterns: references/video-patterns.md

Copywriting Quick Reference

Headlines

Formula: {Outcome} without {Pain Point} Formula: The {Category} for {Audience} Formula: {Number} {Things} that {Outcome}

CTAs (avoid weak verbs)

"Submit" → "Get My [Thing]"
"Learn More" → "See How It Works"
"Sign Up" → "Start Free Trial"

Full copy frameworks: references/copywriting-formulas.md

Cross-Reference Workflow

For maximum impact, find the intersection:

┌─────────────────┐
│  WHAT'S        │
│  TRENDING?     │ ← Trend APIs, WebSearch
└───────┬────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  WHAT DOES     │
│  YOUR AUDIENCE │ ← Customer research, keywords
│  CARE ABOUT?   │
└───────┬────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  WHAT HAVEN'T  │
│  YOU COVERED?  │ ← Content audit, gaps
└───────┬────────┘
        │
        ▼
   CREATE CONTENT
   AT INTERSECTION

Example Workflow

Trend: "AI coding agents" trending on TikTok
Audience: Developers exploring AI-assisted workflows
Gap: No page targeting "best AI coding tools for solo devs"
Content:
- PSEO page: /tools/ai-coding-for-solo-devs/ (Personas playbook)
- Video: 30s TikTok comparing top tools
- Social: Thread with key points

Content Calendar Integration

Plan content production:

Week	Trend Research	PSEO	Video	Social
1	Identify 3 trends	Template 1 page	1 explainer	3 posts
2	Validate with data	Generate pages	B-roll shoots	Repurpose
3	Update calendar	Internal linking	Edit + publish	Promote
4	Review performance	Iterate	Plan next batch	Engage

Output Formats

PSEO Page (TypeScript/JSON)

{
  slug: "for-[topic]",
  metaTitle: "[Keyword] | [Brand]", // 50-60 chars
  metaDescription: "...", // 150-160 chars
  h1: "...",
  sections: [...],
  relatedSlugs: [...]
}

Video Script

HOOK (0-3s): [Attention grabber]
PROBLEM (3-10s): [Why this matters]
SOLUTION (10-45s): [Your content]
CTA (45-60s): [What to do next]

Social Post

HOOK: [First line that stops the scroll]
BODY: [3-5 key points]
CTA: [Engagement driver]

Related Skills

programmatic-seo: Deep dive on PSEO implementation
copywriting: Line-by-line copy improvement
social-content: Platform-specific social strategies

trend-to-content