What is seed merit Seed merit is the boost or traffic surge that social media algorithms give your content when you are early to a trend or a topic that is just beginning to gain attention. When you publish before something becomes popular, you benefit from seed merit, because platforms are more likely to push and promote your content as the trend grows.

For example, imagine you were one of the first people to create a video about “portable bathtubs.” Later, if “portable bathtubs” suddenly became a major trend and everyone started talking about it, your early content would receive seed merit. This means the algorithm would push that video more — along with any future content you create on the same topic.

This early advantage can result in massive traffic and rapid growth. Many multi-million-dollar businesses credit a large part of their success to seed merit, because the initial surge of early traffic helped them scale quickly when a trend was still new.

The seed merit traffic boost can come from several sources, including:

1. SERPs (search results) across different social media platforms — especially Google

2. Main homepages and recommendation feeds on social platforms

3. Trending and topic-based hashtags

4. “Original sound” recognition on TikTok and similar platform signals

Seed merit is about identifying ideas and trends at an early stage, when they still have room to grow and face minimal competition. This early timing allows content to gain traction faster, attract attention naturally, and build momentum as interest increases. When applied correctly, seed merit can turn small opportunities into significant traffic growth over time.

A strong seed merit strategy focuses on spotting emerging trends, creating relevant content quickly, and positioning it to grow alongside audience demand. By understanding and using seed merit effectively, creators and businesses can generate consistent traffic, improve visibility, and establish authority long before a trend becomes saturated.