A trend score tells you how much attention a topic has. A relevance score tells you whether that topic is worth your time. Only the second can be specific to you. Building one turns "should we do something on this?" from a debate into a two-minute decision, and it gives you a record you can learn from.
A relevance score is a decision aid. It should never pretend to predict views, sales or success.
The five criteria
Score each criterion from 0 to 3. Define what each number means before you use the sheet, so different people score the same way.
1. Audience fit
How directly does the topic connect to the people you serve?
- 0: no connection
- 1: loose or indirect
- 2: clear connection for part of the audience
- 3: central to the audience's interests
2. Usefulness
Can you help with a decision, question or need the trend creates?
- 0: nothing to offer
- 1: a summary of what is already known
- 2: a clear answer or practical help
- 3: an answer people cannot easily find elsewhere
3. Evidence
How strong is the signal that interest is real and growing?
- 0: one post or one screenshot
- 1: one source, one check
- 2: one source, rising across repeated checks
- 3: several independent sources, rising in the right market
4. Timing
Can you produce something while it is still useful?
- 0: it will be over before you finish
- 1: tight, and only possible with a short format
- 2: comfortable with your usual process
- 3: long-lived, so timing is not a constraint
5. Differentiation
Can you add something the top results do not have?
- 0: you would repeat what exists
- 1: a slightly different presentation
- 2: a real angle, such as a test, comparison or local view
- 3: first-hand material only you have
Weighting and a cut-off
Not every criterion matters equally to every team. A common choice is to double audience fit, because a well-evidenced trend your audience does not care about is still a no. With that weighting the maximum is 18.
Set a cut-off in advance, for example:
- 12 or more: act
- 8 to 11: monitor and recheck in a few days
- below 8: reject and add to your ignore list
Add one rule that overrides the total: any 0 on audience fit means no. That stops a high-momentum, irrelevant topic from scoring its way into your calendar.
Score before you get excited
Score as soon as the topic is spotted, ideally by someone who did not suggest it. Excitement tends to inflate evidence and usefulness scores after the fact.
Check scores against results
Every month, compare what you scored with what happened. Did high-scoring topics perform? Did you reject anything that turned out to matter? Adjust definitions or weights based on what you learn. A relevance score is useful because it improves, not because it is precise.
An illustration
A rising topic scores 3 for evidence and 3 for timing but 0 for audience fit. The audience-fit rule rejects it immediately, despite the strong signal. Another topic scores 2 for audience fit (4 after doubling), 3 for usefulness, 2 for evidence, 2 for timing and 2 for differentiation, a total of 13. It goes into the calendar with a recheck date.
Mistakes to avoid
- Presenting the score as an objective forecast.
- Changing the definitions after scoring to justify a favourite idea.
- Never reviewing scores against outcomes.
Set a stop rule as well as a score
A high total should not automatically override a serious problem. For example, a topic could score well for timing and audience fit but depend on an unverified claim or a subject you cannot cover responsibly. Decide in advance which risks require a pause, regardless of the total.
Write the reason for any exception next to the score. This keeps the framework transparent: five subjective ratings are a way to organise judgement, not a validated formula for predicting clicks, sales or reach.
Where TrendRadar fits
TrendRadar supplies potential inputs for the evidence and timing criteria: momentum, country and category, plus contextual explanations where available. Confirm any proposed reason for a topic's movement independently. The other criteria come from knowing your audience. For a lighter version of this sheet, read how to validate a trend for your audience. For what attention scores do measure, see what is a trend score.
Free on iPhone and Android
Use TrendRadar evidence inside a transparent decision framework
Explore trending searches, popular YouTube videos and Apple Music charts by country. Compare trend scores and momentum, and save topics worth investigating. Free to use on iPhone and Android. No subscriptions or in-app purchases.
