How are topics chosen?
Direct answer
A topic has to be wanted, not merely searchable. The signals, in the order we trust them, are the enquiries we receive, the product pages buyers read, the questions that repeat across buyers, and public retail and media evidence that a product is moving. Each brief names the signal it came from, and a brief built on public evidence rather than our own enquiry data says so on the page.
Key facts
- Enquiries received are the strongest signal, and the one a keyword tool cannot see.
- Repeat questions from different buyers are treated as a brief waiting to be written.
- A product that is sold out at retail, covered by the press and already being copied is a sourcing opportunity with a clock on it.
- No topic is published because a keyword tool says it has volume.
Write what buyers ask for, not what a keyword tool suggests. The difference shows up in whether the page ever converts.
| Signal | Where it comes from | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries received | What buyers actually ask us for | The strongest signal there is, and the one a keyword tool cannot see |
| Product pages read | Which families are being compared right now | Which existing record to deepen first |
| Repeat questions | The same question from three different buyers | A brief that is already overdue |
| Public retail and media evidence | Sell-outs, press coverage, fast copying | Opportunities with a window, and a clock on them |
Each brief names the signal it came from. If it came from public evidence rather than from our own enquiry data, the brief says so - as the sea urchin brief does.
The queue this produces is published openly on the queued topics page.
Sources
- This page states our own editorial method for choosing brief topics
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Last reviewed: 2026-09-18 · build 2026-09-17-tbnpv