> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.outpost.pub/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Trending Posts

> Automatically tag your most popular posts in Ghost based on traffic data from Contextly, so you can feature them on your homepage or sidebar.

<Info>
  Trending Posts requires the [Contextly integration](/integrations/overview) to be connected. Contextly itself requires Outpost's advanced subscription plan.
</Info>

The Trending Posts feature uses traffic data from Contextly to identify your most popular content, then automatically applies Ghost tags to those posts. By configuring your Ghost theme to display posts with the specified tag, you can create a "trending" or "popular" section on your homepage or sidebar that updates on the schedule you set.

<Frame caption="Trending Posts configuration showing tag selection and update frequency">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/outpost-eb0cfbad/bKsHXWDI1jW0grKw/images/members/trending-posts.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=bKsHXWDI1jW0grKw&q=85&s=24a9694daaba454e1ce16b4b5bc65d07" alt="Trending Posts settings with enable toggle, tag selector, update frequency, and number of stories" width="1919" height="868" data-path="images/members/trending-posts.png" />
</Frame>

## How it works

1. Outpost checks your Contextly traffic data at the interval you set (e.g., every 4 hours)
2. It identifies the top-performing posts based on Contextly's popularity metrics
3. It applies the tag(s) you've chosen to those posts in Ghost
4. It removes the tag from posts that are no longer trending
5. Your Ghost theme displays posts with that tag in a "Trending" section

Once configured, the trending tags update on the schedule you set.

***

## Configuration

### Enable Trending stories

Toggle the **Enable Trending stories** checkbox to turn the feature on or off.

When enabled, the following settings appear:

| Setting                   | Description                                                                                                                            |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Post tags:**            | Select one or more Ghost tags to apply to trending posts. These should match what your theme uses to display the trending section.     |
| **Update stories every:** | How often Outpost refreshes the trending list. Options: **1 hour**, **2 hours**, **4 hours**, **8 hours**, **12 hours**, or **1 day**. |
| **Number of stories:**    | How many posts to tag as trending at any given time.                                                                                   |

### Saving your settings

Click **Save** to apply your configuration. Outpost will immediately run the tagging process and show the results:

* **Success**: A list of the posts that were tagged, with clickable titles linking to each post on your site.
* **Error**: If something goes wrong during tagging, the error details are displayed.

### Removing tags from previously tagged posts

If you change the tags in your configuration, Outpost asks whether you want to untag posts that had the previous tag(s). A confirmation dialog appears:

> "Do you want us to untag any posts with tags: \[previous tag list]."

Click **Ok** to remove the old tags, or **Cancel** to leave them in place.

***

## Setting up your theme

For trending posts to appear on your site, your Ghost theme needs to display posts with the tag you've configured. This typically involves:

1. A section on your homepage or sidebar that queries posts by tag
2. Displaying the post title, excerpt, and/or featured image

Consult your theme's documentation or your developer for how to add a tag-based post section. The tag name you select in the Trending Posts settings must match exactly.

***

## Related features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Contextly Integration" icon="chart-line" href="/integrations/overview">
    Connect Contextly to power trending post detection and content recommendations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Analytics" icon="chart-bar" href="/features/analytics">
    View engagement metrics and member growth across your publication.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What traffic data does this use?">
    Trending Posts relies entirely on [Contextly's](/integrations/overview) traffic and popularity data. Contextly tracks page views, engagement, and recirculation across your site to determine which posts are trending.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How quickly do trending posts update?">
    As fast as every hour, or as infrequently as once a day — depending on the **Update stories every** setting you choose. More frequent updates keep your trending section current.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to posts that are no longer trending?">
    When a post drops out of the top N (based on your **Number of stories** setting), Outpost automatically removes the trending tag from that post in Ghost. This keeps your trending section fresh.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use multiple tags?">
    Yes. You can select multiple tags in the **Post tags** field. All selected tags will be applied to each trending post. This is useful if your theme has different display sections for different tag-based queries.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need Contextly for this feature?">
    Yes. Trending Posts is powered entirely by Contextly's traffic data. Without a connected Contextly account, this feature is unavailable.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>