# Content Analysis Category Trends API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/content_analysis/category-trends)

> Like phrase-trends, but keyed on a category code from the /content_analysis/categories taxonomy instead of a keyword. Returns a time series of mention volume and sentiment for an entire content category (e.g. Apparel) over a date range. Note the different mental model: this trends a category, not a brand term.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/content_analysis/category-trends` costs 20 credits per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `category_code` | yes | Numeric category code from the /content_analysis/categories taxonomy (e.g. 10021 = Apparel). |
| `date_from` | yes | Start of the date range (yyyy-mm-dd). |
| `date_to` | no | End of the date range (yyyy-mm-dd); defaults to today. |
| `date_group` | no | Bucket size: day, week, or month (default month). (day \| week \| month) |
| `internal_list_limit` | no | Cap on internal arrays per bucket (1–20). |
| `filters` | no | Advanced DataForSEO filter expression as a JSON array (≤8 conditions). |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/content_analysis/category-trends?category_code=10021&date_from=2025-01-01" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I track a content category over time with an API?

Send a GET request to /v1/content_analysis/category-trends with a numeric category_code and a date_from. Unlike phrase-trends, this endpoint keys on a category, not a keyword — it returns a time series of mention volume and sentiment for that whole content category.

### Why does category-trends use a category_code instead of a keyword?

It is the odd one out among the trends endpoints. Category-trends tracks an entire content category rather than a single term, so it takes a numeric category_code from the categories taxonomy plus date_from, not a keyword you type.

### Where do I find a category_code?

Call the categories endpoint (/v1/content_analysis/categories) to browse the 3,000+ node taxonomy and pick the numeric code for the topic you want, then pass that code to category-trends. Apparel, for example, is code 10021.

### What parameters does category-trends take?

category_code and date_from (yyyy-mm-dd) are required. date_to defaults to today, and date_group sets day, week, or month buckets (month is the default). The response is a date-bucketed series of mention and sentiment points for the category.

### How much does the category trends API cost?

Each category-trends request costs 5 credits on the advanced tier. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required, so you can chart category trends across several codes and date ranges before you pay anything.

See the full Content Analysis API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/content_analysis

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to track a content category over time with the SocialCrawl API
- Why does the SocialCrawl category-trends endpoint use a category_code?