Spot social media trends and generate post ideas with Claude and Google Sheets

Description

This AI-powered workflow monitors trending topics across multiple social platforms, generates creative post ideas with captions and visual suggestions, and recommends optimal posting times based on engagement data.

How it works

Trigger - Runs on schedule or webhook to start trend monitoring
Fetch Trends - Pulls trending topics from Twitter, Reddit, Google Trends
Wait & Aggregate - Allows trend data to settle for better analysis
Filter & Parse - JavaScript code filters relevant trends for your niche
AI Content Generation - Claude creates post ideas, captions, hashtags
Visual Suggestions - Recommends image/video concepts
Wait for Analysis - Pauses before engagement time calculation
Optimal Timing - JavaScript calculates best posting times
Log & Track - Records all ideas in Google Sheets
Response - Returns ready-to-use content ideas

Setup Steps

Import this workflow into your n8n instance
Configure credentials:
Twitter API v2 - For trending hashtags and topics
Reddit API - For subreddit trending posts
Google Trends (no auth) - For search trends
Anthropic API - For Claude AI content generation
Google Sheets - To track generated ideas
Update your brand profile and niche in the config node
Set your target social platforms and audience
Activate the workflow

Sample Trigger Payload
{
"platforms": ["twitter", "instagram", "linkedin"],
"niche": "AI & Technology",
"trendSources": ["twitter", "reddit", "google"],
"contentTypes": ["educational", "entertaining", "news"],
"targetAudience": "tech professionals, 25-45",
"brandVoice": "professional yet approachable",
"minTrendScore": 60,
"maxIdeasPerTrend": 3,
"includeVisuals": true
}

Features

Multi-platform trend monitoring** (Twitter, Reddit, Google Trends)
AI-powered content generation** with brand voice matching
Visual concept suggestions** for each post idea
Optimal timing recommendations** based on engagement patterns
Hashtag strategy** with trending and niche tags
Content calendar integration** via Google Sheets
Duplicate prevention** - tracks used trends
Performance tracking** - logs which ideas perform best