trending-ad-hook-spotter

# Trending Ad Hook Spotter

Scan social platforms for what's trending in your space right now — viral posts, hot debates, breaking news, memes — and translate each trend into a concrete ad hook you can run while the topic is still hot.

**Core principle:** The highest-performing ads ride cultural and industry moments. This skill finds those moments before your competitors do and tells you exactly how to capitalize.

## When to Use

- "What's trending in our space that we could run ads about?"
- "Find viral hooks for our paid campaigns"
- "What topics are hot in [industry] right now?"
- "I want to ride a trend with a paid campaign"
- "What should we be running ads about this week?"

## Prerequisites

- **Environment variable:** `APIFY_API_TOKEN` — required for Reddit scraping (optional if using only web_search + HN API)
- **Web search access** — your AI agent must support `web_search` or equivalent for Twitter/X and LinkedIn lookups
- **No API key needed** for Hacker News (Algolia HN API is free and public)

## Phase 0: Intake

1. **Your product** — Name + one-line description
2. **Industry/category** — What space are you in? (e.g., "AI sales tools", "developer infrastructure")
3. **ICP keywords** — 5-10 keywords that define your buyer's world
4. **Competitor names** — So we can spot when they become part of a trend
5. **Platforms to scan** (default: all):
   - Twitter/X
   - Reddit (specific subreddits if known)
   - LinkedIn
   - Hacker News
6. **Content velocity** — How fast can you create ads? (Same-day / 2-3 days / Weekly)

## Phase 1: Social Scanning

### 1A: Twitter/X Trend Scan (web_search)

Use web_search with `site:x.com` or `site:twitter.com` to find trending posts — no scraper or credentials needed:

```
# Industry trending topics
web_search: "<industry keyword> (viral OR trending OR hot take OR thread) site:x.com"

# Competitor mentions (momentum signals)
web_search: "<competitor1> OR <competitor2> (raised OR launched OR shut down OR acquired OR outage) site:x.com"

# Pain/frustration spikes
web_search: "<category> (broken OR frustrating OR tired of OR switched from) site:x.com"
```

Run 3-5 queries to cover:
- Industry trending topics and hot takes
- Competitor momentum signals (launches, outages, funding)
- Pain/frustration spikes in the category
- Viral threads with high engagement

Score each tweet/thread by engagement velocity (likes + retweets relative to account size and age).

### 1B: Reddit Trend Scan (Apify)

Use the `trudax/reddit-scraper-lite` actor to scan relevant subreddits for hot posts:

**Browse specific subreddits (for trending/hot posts):**
```
POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/trudax~reddit-scraper-lite/runs?token=$APIFY_API_TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "startUrls": [
    {"url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/SUBREDDIT1/hot/"},
    {"url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/SUBREDDIT2/hot/"}
  ],
  "maxItems": 30
}
```

**Search by keyword (for specific topics):**
```
POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/trudax~reddit-scraper-lite/runs?token=$APIFY_API_TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "searches": ["<industry keyword> OR <competitor>"],
  "maxItems": 30
}
```

Poll until the run finishes:

```
GET https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/trudax~reddit-scraper-lite/runs/{RUN_ID}?token=$APIFY_API_TOKEN
```

When `status` is `SUCCEEDED`, fetch results:

```
GET https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/{DATASET_ID}/items?token=$APIFY_API_TOKEN
```

**Output fields:** Each item has `dataType` ("post" or "comment"), `title` (posts only), `body`, `communityName`, `upVotes`, `numberOfComments` (posts), `url`, `createdAt`.

Look for:
- Posts with unusually high upvote/comment ratios
- "What do you use for [X]?" threads (buying intent)
- Complaint threads about incumbents
- "I just switched from X to Y" posts

### 1C: LinkedIn Trend Scan (web_search)

Use web_search with `site:linkedin.com/posts` to find high-engagement KOL posts — no scraper or credentials needed:

```
web_search: "<industry keyword> site:linkedin.com/posts"
web_search: "<competitor_name> site:linkedin.com/posts"
web_search: "<KOL_name> <industry keyword> site:linkedin.com/posts"
web_search: "<trending topic> site:linkedin.com/pulse"
```

Run queries for:
- 5-10 key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the space — search their names + topic keywords
- Industry-level keyword searches to find viral posts
- Competitor mentions from thought leaders

Identify high-engagement posts on topics relevant to your product category.

### 1D: Hacker News Scan (Algolia HN API)

Use the free Algolia HN Search API — no API key needed:

**Search for relevant stories:**

```
GET https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=KEYWORD&tags=story&hitsPerPage=20
```

**Search for recent stories (past 7 days):**

```
GET https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?query=KEYWORD&tags=story&numericFilters=created_at_i>UNIX_TIMESTAMP_7_DAYS_AGO&hitsPerPage=20
```

**Get front page stories (current trending):**

```
GET https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search?tags=front_page&hitsPerPage=30
```

The response includes `points`, `num_comments`, `title`, `url`, and `created_at` for each story. Sort by `points` to find the highest-engagement discussions.

Run queries for:
- Each ICP keyword
- Each competitor name
- The product category
- Check front page for anything tangentially related

## Phase 2: Trend Identification & Scoring

### Trend Detection Framework

Group collected signals into trends. A "trend" is:
- A topic appearing across 2+ platforms within the past 7 days
- A single post/thread with exceptional engagement (10x+ the norm)
- A breaking event (funding, acquisition, outage, launch) with cascading conversation

### Score Each Trend

| Factor | Weight | Description |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| **Recency** | 25% | How fresh? (< 24h = max, > 7 days = low) |
| **Velocity** | 25% | Is engagement accelerating or decelerating? |
| **Cross-platform** | 20% | Appearing on multiple platforms? |
| **ICP relevance** | 20% | Does your target buyer care a