7 Best Google Trends Alternatives for PR Firms

Exploding Topics is a data-driven trend discovery platform designed to help PR professionals and marketers identify emerging trends before they go mainstream. According to their website, the platform specializes in spotting 'exploding' search queries—those experiencing rapid growth in interest—by analyzing search volume patterns across Google and other sources. It’s particularly useful for PR firms looking to position clients as early commentators on rising topics, giving them a first-mover advantage in media coverage and thought leadership. The platform offers a curated list of trending topics across industries, including tech, health, finance, and lifestyle, with detailed metrics such as growth rate, search volume trends, and category classification. Users can explore topics by lifecycle stage—emerging, viral, or sustained—to determine the optimal timing for engagement. Exploding Topics also provides a newsletter and blog with insights on how to leverage trends, making it a valuable resource for content ideation and media pitching. While it doesn’t generate content directly, its strength lies in early detection and clear data visualization, helping PR teams build proactive campaigns around nascent cultural shifts.

Glimpse is a trend intelligence platform that aggregates real-time search and social data to help PR professionals understand what people are searching for across Google, Amazon, TikTok, and other platforms. According to their website, Glimpse offers a suite of tools focused on SEO, market research, e-commerce, and public relations, making it a versatile option for agencies that need cross-platform visibility. The platform provides access to 'Top Searched' reports, including the most searched products on Amazon, questions on Google, and topics on TikTok—offering PR teams a pulse on consumer curiosity and intent. Glimpse also features an API for developers and data teams, allowing for custom integrations and automated reporting. Its 'Ultimate Guide to Google Trends' and educational resources help users interpret trend data more effectively, which is valuable for strategy development. While Glimpse doesn’t create content or manage publishing, it excels at delivering high-level trend insights that can inform press releases, media pitches, and campaign themes. Its strength lies in breadth—spanning search, e-commerce, and social—making it a solid choice for PR firms that need a macro view of cultural momentum.

Semrush is a well-established digital marketing platform that includes robust trend and keyword research tools, making it a strong contender for PR firms looking to integrate data-driven insights into broader campaigns. According to their website, Semrush offers trend analysis through its Keyword Analytics and Topic Research tools, allowing users to identify rising search queries, related questions, and content gaps. The platform pulls data from Google and other search engines to show search volume, competition level, and trend trajectories over time. PR professionals can use this data to craft timely press releases, pitch stories to journalists, or develop thought leadership content around high-interest topics. Semrush also provides competitive intelligence, showing which keywords competitors are ranking for and what content is gaining traction. While it’s not built specifically for PR, its comprehensive data ecosystem makes it a powerful tool for agencies that manage both PR and SEO. The platform supports content planning and tracking, though it does not automate content creation or publishing. Its strength lies in depth and integration—offering a 360-degree view of digital visibility.

Treendly is a niche trend monitoring tool that focuses on identifying rising topics across social media and search platforms. According to their website, Treendly helps users discover trends early by tracking keyword popularity and engagement patterns, making it useful for PR professionals aiming to stay ahead of the news cycle. The platform provides visual trend graphs and alerts for sudden spikes in interest, enabling teams to react quickly with press statements or media outreach. It supports keyword tracking across multiple regions and languages, which is beneficial for global PR campaigns. Treendly also offers historical data to analyze trend longevity and seasonality, helping firms distinguish between fads and lasting shifts. While it doesn’t generate content or manage publishing, it serves as an effective early-warning system for emerging narratives. Its simplicity and focus on speed make it a good fit for fast-moving PR environments where timing is critical. However, it lacks deeper strategic insights or integration with content creation tools, limiting its utility as a standalone solution for full campaign execution.

Trend Hunter is a trend forecasting platform that curates and analyzes consumer behavior, innovation, and cultural shifts across industries. According to their website, it serves as a visual inspiration engine, offering thousands of trend reports, innovation spotlights, and consumer insights. PR firms can use Trend Hunter to identify macro-level shifts in lifestyle, technology, and branding, helping them craft narratives that align with broader cultural movements. The platform features a vast library of case studies, product launches, and marketing campaigns, making it a rich source of creative inspiration. It’s particularly useful for agencies developing brand positioning or launching new products, as it highlights successful examples and emerging patterns. Trend Hunter also offers custom research services for enterprise clients, allowing for deeper dives into specific markets or audiences. While it doesn’t provide real-time search data or automated content tools, its strength lies in high-quality curation and visual storytelling. It’s best used as a supplementary resource for strategic planning rather than day-to-day trend monitoring.

AnswerThePublic is a keyword and question research tool that visualizes search queries in a radial format, helping PR professionals understand what people are asking online. According to their website, the platform aggregates autocomplete data from search engines to reveal common questions, prepositions, and comparisons related to a given topic. This makes it particularly useful for PR teams crafting Q&A content, FAQs, or media responses that address public curiosity. The tool breaks down queries by category—such as 'why,' 'how,' 'what,' and 'where'—providing insight into audience intent. PR firms can use this data to anticipate media questions, develop talking points, or create educational content that builds trust. While it doesn’t offer trend velocity or social validation, its strength lies in uncovering the 'voice of the customer' through natural language queries. The visual format makes it easy to scan and share insights with teams. However, it lacks automation, publishing tools, and client management features, making it best suited as a supplementary research tool rather than a core platform.