Tracking YouTube Trending Topics by Niche

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

Step 3: Score Trending Momentum

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.

tracking-youtube-trending-topics-by-niche