Trend to Content

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

Use This For

• Trend research for a niche, audience, or content pipeline
• PSEO page generation from trend-backed keyword patterns
• Video or social concepts derived from fresh trend hooks

Do Not Use This For

• Deep standalone brand strategy without a trend input
• Final publishing/deploy work unless the active mode explicitly defines it
• One-off copy edits that do not require trend research or packaging logic

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

Project-specific config (brand name, voice, tone, target audience, content pipelines, SEO keywords, Remotion paths, trend sources, publishing commands) lives in the client overlay: skillbox-config/clients/{client}/overlay.yaml → auto-generated context.yaml.

Client Config Resolution (Step 0)

1. Look for context.yaml in the working tree (generated from the client overlay)
2. If found, load brand-specific settings from it automatically
3. If not found, tell the user no overlay matches and create one using the skillbox-quickstart scan + generate flow before proceeding
4. If no skillbox-config/ exists, create one — do not fall back to generic mode

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]?"

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

PSEO Mode

"Create pages at scale for [pattern]"

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

Video Mode

"Create video content about [trend]"

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

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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

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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

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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

1. Trend: "AI coding agents" trending on TikTok
2. Audience: Developers exploring AI-assisted workflows
3. Gap: No page targeting "best AI coding tools for solo devs"
4. 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]

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Related Skills

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