In short
An open-source n8n workflow checks Google Trends for rising searches in your niche, then outputs ready-to-use content ideas with a title, hook, angle, and fact-check notes. Here's how it works and how side hustlers can monetize it.
Most AI content ideas are educated guesses. Ask a chatbot for blog topics about home espresso and you’ll get a polished list, but nothing in it tells you whether anyone actually started searching for those topics this month.
A free, open-source n8n workflow shared on Reddit’s r/n8n community on October 25, 2026 takes a different approach: it checks Google Trends first, then writes ideas around what’s genuinely rising. By the end of this article, you’ll know what the workflow does, where it fits in a paid content offer, and the exact steps to get it running this week.
The creator’s pitch is simple: “AI content ideas are mostly guesses. They don’t know what people actually started searching for this month.” That’s a real gap. Creators, newsletter writers, and agencies all use AI for brainstorming, but the output tends to be generic because everyone is prompting the same models with the same questions.
This workflow grounds the ideas in breakout search data. If you can show a client (or your audience) that a topic is rising on Google right now, you have something a plain ChatGPT list can’t offer. The workflow is new and free, which means few people in most niches are using it yet. That’s the opening.
According to the creator, the flow works like this:
The creator shared a real run for the niche “AI for product managers.” Some of the ideas it produced:
Per the creator, each one comes from a search that’s breaking out on Google at the time of the run. These aren’t vague “10 tips” topics. They’re specific, timely, and clearly aimed at a defined audience.
| Feature | Details (per the creator) |
|---|---|
| Platform | n8n workflow (importable JSON from GitHub) |
| Data source | Google Trends rising/breakout searches |
| AI model | Google Gemini (API key required) |
| Cost | Free workflow; Gemini free tier is fine per the creator |
| Input options | Web form, weekly Google Sheet, or CSV for multiple niches |
| Output per idea | Title, hook, angle, why it’s rising, what to fact-check |
| Generic chatbot prompt | Trend Content Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Based on current search demand | No | Yes, Google Trends |
| Explains why a topic matters now | Rarely | Yes, “why it’s rising” field |
| Flags claims to verify | No | Yes, “what to fact-check” field |
| Runs on a schedule | Manual | Weekly Google Sheet option |
| Handles several niches at once | One prompt at a time | CSV input |
The “what to fact-check” field deserves a callout. Breakout topics are often new, which means AI models may have thin or outdated information about them. Building verification into the output is a smart, practical touch.
The workflow doesn’t make money on its own. It saves research time and gives you a defensible reason to cover a topic. Here are three realistic ways to turn that into income. Results will depend heavily on your niche, your execution, and your sales effort.
Who: Bloggers, YouTubers, newsletter writers, and LinkedIn creators.
What they sell: Their existing monetization: ads, sponsorships, affiliate products, or paid subscriptions.
How it pays: Covering a rising topic early can mean less competition for attention. Run the weekly Google Sheet option and you get a fresh list of trend-backed ideas without manually digging through Google Trends.
Who: Freelance content strategists and marketing consultants.
What they sell: A recurring weekly or monthly report of trending topics in a client’s industry, complete with titles, hooks, and the reasoning behind each pick.
How it pays: Monthly retainer. The CSV input is the key feature here, since it lets you run several client niches in one batch. The “why it’s rising” field doubles as built-in justification when a client asks, “Why should we write about this?” Set your price based on your market; check what comparable content strategy retainers go for in your area.
Who: Freelance writers and ghostwriters.
What they sell: Articles or posts, with topic research included.
How it pays: Instead of asking clients for topics (which they often don’t have), you pitch ideas backed by search trends. That positions you as a strategist rather than a typist, which can support higher rates and longer engagements.
Be clear-eyed about what this tool is and isn’t:
You can realistically get a first run done in one sitting if you already have n8n access.
The tool handles the research grunt work. Your edge comes from choosing the right ideas, verifying them, and executing faster than everyone else in your niche.
Today, import the free workflow from the creator's GitHub repo into n8n, add a free-tier Gemini key, and run it once for your own niche. Fact-check the top idea and publish it this week, then decide whether to package the process as a paid trend brief for clients.
h/t the original creator on r/n8n. Originally published on SoloAgentFlow.