Trend Intelligence for PR
Find stories before your competitors using free tools
⌚ 13 min read · 2,928 words
techniques covered
I studied 5,272 media placements over the past year. Real placements, real publications, real links. And when I looked at what data sources the best campaigns were built on, one tool showed up more than anything else.
Not Statista. Not government data portals. Not expensive survey platforms.
“Google Trends doesn’t just show you what’s trending. It shows you what stories nobody has written yet — if you know how to read it.”
— Salva Jovells, Presslei
Free, instant, and sitting right there for anyone to use. Yet most PR people treat it like a novelty search tool instead of what it actually is: a story engine.
Let me show you how I use it at Presslei to find angles that journalists actually want to cover.
In This Article
Why Google Trends Is the Most Underrated Tool in PR
When I analyzed those 5,272 placements, the pattern was clear. The campaigns that landed coverage in national publications weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest interactive maps. They were the ones that tapped into what people were already searching for.
Google Trends tells you what the public cares about right now. Not what brands think they care about. Not what a content calendar says they should care about. What they actually type into Google when nobody’s watching.
That’s a goldmine for PR. Because journalists cover stories their readers care about. And Google Trends is the closest thing we have to a real time pulse check on public interest.
The problem is most people open Google Trends, type in their brand name, see a flat line, and close the tab. That’s not how you use it.
Step by Step: Finding a PR Story in Google Trends
Let me walk you through exactly how I’d find a story right now, from scratch.
Step 1: Start with a topic, not your brand
Forget your company for a minute. Think about the broader space you operate in. If you’re a fintech, think “savings” or “cost of living.” If you’re in fashion, think “sustainable fashion” or “wedding outfits.” If you’re in travel, think “solo travel” or “cheap flights.”
Step 2: Check the trend line over 12 months
Go to trends.google.com, enter your topic, set the timeframe to 12 months, and set the region to wherever your target audience lives. Look at the shape of the line.
You’re looking for three things:
- Spikes — sudden jumps that mean something happened
- Steady climbs — growing interest you can ride
- Seasonal patterns — predictable peaks you can plan around
Step 3: Dig into the “Related Queries” section
This is where the actual stories hide. Scroll down past the map and look at “Related queries.” Switch between “Top” and “Rising.” The rising queries are your best friends because they show you what’s gaining momentum before it peaks.
Step 4: Compare terms to create tension
This is the technique that separates good PR from great PR. Don’t just look at one term. Compare two or three. The story is in the gap between them.
Step 5: Find the geographic angle
Click on the map. Look at which regions or cities over-index for your search term. That’s your headline.
I’ll break each of these techniques down with real examples.
Pro Tip
Track everything. The difference between PR professionals who grow and those who stagnate is measurement. Know your pitch-to-placement rate and which angles convert.
5 Google Trends Techniques That Actually Produce PR Stories
1. Trending Searches for Newsjacking
Google Trends has a “Trending Searches” section that shows what’s spiking right now, both daily trends and real time trends. Most people ignore this. Don’t.
Check it every morning. When you see a topic trending that connects to your client’s expertise, you have a window of maybe 4 to 6 hours to pitch a reactive comment to journalists.
I covered this in more detail in the reactive PR guide, but the short version is: Google Trends tells you when a topic goes from “interesting” to “everyone is searching for it.” That’s your signal to move.
For example, in February 2026 “tariffs” spiked across US and UK searches. Any finance or trade brand that had a pre-written comment ready could have landed coverage within hours. The ones that waited until the next day missed it.
This is core to newsjacking and it’s one of the fastest paths to media coverage for brands that don’t have massive PR budgets.
2. Compare Terms to Create Story Tension
The compare feature is where Google Trends goes from useful to powerful. You can compare up to 5 search terms on the same chart.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
| Vertical | Compare These Terms | Story Angle |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion | “vintage clothing” vs “fast fashion” | Brits searching for vintage more than fast fashion for the first time |
| Finance | “buy to let” vs “rent” | Rental interest overtaking property buying in key regions |
| Travel | “staycation” vs “all inclusive holiday” | The crossover point where one overtakes the other |
The trick is finding two terms that are related but represent different choices, different mindsets, or different trends. The comparison creates natural narrative tension. Journalists love tension.
3. Geographic Breakdown for City Rankings
This is my favourite technique and it connects directly to what I call Format 1: City Rankings in our campaign format guide.
Every Google Trends search shows a map with regional breakdowns. You can drill down to city level. And that means you can rank cities by search interest for any topic.
This is the same principle behind trend analysis campaigns but using free data instead of expensive surveys.
Some more examples that work across verticals:
- “Personal loan” by US state (finance brands)
- “Hair transplant” by UK city (health and beauty)
- “Remote work” by European country (HR tech, coworking brands)
- “Wedding dress” by region, timed to engagement season (fashion, bridal)
4. Related Queries for Unexpected Angles
The related queries section at the bottom of every Google Trends search is where you find the stories nobody else is pitching.
When you search a broad term like “mortgage,” the rising related queries might show things like “mortgage calculator,” “mortgage rates 2026,” or “first time buyer mortgage.” Those are expected. But sometimes you’ll see something surprising. A rising query that connects your topic to something unexpected. That’s your angle.
I once found that “cryptocurrency mortgage” was a rising query in the US. That’s a story no mortgage brand was telling at the time, but it reflected a real shift in what buyers were thinking about. A fintech brand could have owned that narrative.
5. Seasonal Patterns for Forward Planning
Set Google Trends to a 5 year timeframe. Now you can see exactly when interest peaks each year for any search term.
This is PR planning gold. Instead of guessing when to pitch a story, you can see exactly when journalists and readers will be most receptive.
| Search Term | Peak Period | When to Pitch |
|---|---|---|
| “Tax return” | January (UK) / April (US) | 2-3 weeks before peak |
| “Summer dress” | June (starts climbing March) | Late February |
| “Ski holiday” | December (starts rising September) | September-October |
The best approach is to find your peak, then pitch 3 to 4 weeks before it hits. Journalists plan ahead. If you pitch at the peak, they’ve already assigned those stories to someone else.
I wrote more about timing and planning in the PR for startups guide. Getting the timing right is half the battle when you’re competing against bigger agencies.
How to Turn a Google Trends Insight Into a Pitch
Finding the data is step one. Turning it into something a journalist will open, read, and respond to is step two.
Here’s my process:
1. Write the headline first
If you can’t write a compelling headline from your Google Trends finding, the story isn’t strong enough. “UK Searches for ‘Budget Wedding’ Hit 5-Year High as Cost of Living Bites” works. “Wedding Trends Are Changing” doesn’t.
2. Add context
Google Trends data alone is thin. Pair it with one or two supporting data points. Government statistics, industry reports, even a quick survey. The Google Trends data is the hook. The context makes it credible.
3. Include a quote from a real person
Your founder, a client, an industry expert. Journalists need quotes. Make their job easier.
4. Match the journalist to the angle
Don’t spray this to 500 contacts. Find 15 to 20 journalists who specifically cover this beat. Use your journalist database and personalize every pitch.
5. Attach the data
Include a clean chart or table. Make it easy to republish. If a journalist has to recreate your Google Trends chart themselves, they probably won’t bother.
Example pitch structure:
Subject: Data: UK searches for “budget wedding” hit 5-year high
Hi [Name],
Google Trends data shows UK searches for “budget wedding” have hit their highest point in 5 years, up 340% since 2022. At the same time, “wedding planner” searches are declining, suggesting couples are going DIY to save money.
[Client name] analyzed the data alongside ONS cost of living figures and found that the average UK wedding now costs more than a house deposit in 3 regions.
I’ve attached the full data breakdown with charts. Happy to share a quote from [expert name] if useful for a piece.
Short. Specific. Data led. No fluff.
For more on finding the right journalists to send this to, check the guide to building a journalist database from scratch. And if you need more angles beyond Google Trends, I put together 7 ways to find PR ideas for your brand.
Google Trends PR Story Finder Checklist
Use this every time you sit down to mine Google Trends for a campaign. Work through each step and don’t pitch until you can check every box.
Topic Discovery
Comparison & Context
Geographic Angle
Story Validation
Pitch Prep
Key Takeaway
PR is a long game. Individual campaigns matter less than building a reputation as a reliable, valuable source that journalists trust.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Chasing volume without a story. A term with high search volume is not a story. “iPhone” has massive search volume. So what? You need a change, a comparison, a surprise, or a geographic angle. Volume alone is just a number.
Misreading seasonal patterns. Every December, “Christmas gifts” spikes. That’s not a trend. That’s a calendar. The story is when something breaks its usual seasonal pattern. If “Christmas gifts” peaks earlier than usual, or if a new term starts appearing in the related queries, that’s worth investigating.
Using too short a timeframe. A 7 day spike could mean anything. A noise spike from a viral tweet. A one off news event. Always cross reference short term spikes against the 12 month and 5 year view. If a spike has no historical precedent, it might be noise. If it’s part of a growing pattern, you have a real trend.
Confusing relative interest with absolute volume. Google Trends shows relative interest, not absolute search volume. A score of 100 means peak interest for that term in that timeframe. It doesn’t mean millions of searches. A niche term can show 100 and still have tiny volume. Pair Google Trends with a keyword tool if absolute volume matters for your story.
Pitching the data without the narrative. Journalists don’t publish charts. They publish stories. Your job is to turn “searches for X are up 200% in Manchester” into “Manchester has quietly become the UK capital of X, and here’s why.” The data supports the story. It doesn’t replace it.
DO
- Use Google Trends to validate story angles before pitching
- Compare year-over-year search patterns to identify genuine trends vs seasonal noise
- Check Related Queries for emerging angles journalists will cover next
- Cross-reference Google Trends with actual coverage to confirm journalist interest
- Set up Google Trends alerts for your core topic areas
DON’T
- Confuse a seasonal spike with a genuine trend
- Use Google Trends as your only research tool — cross-reference with actual coverage
- Pitch a story angle solely because search interest is rising without editorial context
- Ignore geographic breakdowns — regional variation is often the story
- Wait too long to pitch once you’ve identified a rising trend
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Trends data accurate enough for PR stories?
Yes. Major publications cite Google Trends data regularly. It’s a credible source because it reflects real search behaviour from billions of queries. Journalists trust it because readers intuitively understand what search interest means.
How often should I check Google Trends for PR opportunities?
Daily for reactive opportunities (breaking trends) and monthly for strategic planning (seasonal patterns). Set up email alerts for key terms in your industry to get notified automatically when interest spikes.
Can I use Google Trends for industries outside consumer products?
Absolutely. B2B, SaaS, finance, healthcare — every industry generates search interest. The key is finding terms your audience searches for, not just your product name. Think about problems, trends, and questions in your space.
Start Finding Stories Today
Google Trends is sitting there right now, free, updated in real time, and full of stories nobody else has found yet. The barrier isn’t access. It’s knowing what to look for.
Open a tab. Search something your audience cares about. Compare two terms. Check the map. Look at the rising queries. I guarantee you’ll find at least one angle worth pitching within 30 minutes.
And if you want to see how Google Trends data fits into larger campaign formats, read the PR campaign formats guide. City rankings and trend analysis campaigns are two of the eight formats that consistently land coverage, and Google Trends is the starting point for both.
Keep Reading
Ready to earn links instead of buying them?
Get 8–14 editorial placements in top-tier publications. No contracts. No risk. Just results.
$3,000 per campaign · 8–14 links guaranteed · Zero penalty risk
Salva Jovells is the founder of Presslei, a reactive PR agency based in Zurich. He has studied over 5,000 media placements to understand what actually gets covered. Get in touch at presslei.com/contact.
About the Author
Salva Jovells
Founder of Presslei. 12+ years in ecommerce SEO across international markets. After a decade of link buying for Hockerty and Sumissura, I reverse-engineered 5,272 earned media placements and founded a reactive PR agency that builds authority through data-driven stories journalists actually want to publish. Based in Zurich.
Related Reading
- Newsjacking Playbook: How to Turn Breaking News Into Coverage
- 5 Data-Driven PR Campaign Ideas for Ecommerce Brands
- The 10 PR Campaign Formats That Get 90% of Press Coverage
