As a solo creator, time and money are always limited.

So I built myself a system — one that finds trending content ideas every single day, and pushes them directly into my Notion tracker.

No paid subscriptions. No expensive software. Just:

✅ Python (free)
✅ NewsAPI (free tier)
✅ Notion (free plan)

And it’s already changing how I create.

😩 The Problem: I Was Guessing My Way Through Content

I run a personal brand called BitByBharat and create content across certain categories.

But my content ideas? They were mostly gut feel.

Sometimes they worked. Most times, they didn’t.
I was spending hours creating content no one really wanted.

🎯 The Solution: A “Free” Trending Radar

I realized I needed a system.

• Something that shows what’s relevant today

• Something that aligns with my content categories

• Something that doesn’t eat into my budget

So I stitched together a lightweight stack:

• NewsAPI to fetch trending articles

• Python to automate the process

• Notion API to store the ideas

Everything I used is free. Here’s what the setup looks like 👇

📁 Project Structure

🧠 What It Actually Does

1. 🔍 Pulls the latest articles based on custom keywords

2. 🚫 Filters duplicates to avoid clutter

3. 🗓️ Formats publish dates to match Notion’s date field

4. 🔄 Pushes each idea to my Notion content tracker

5. 🧾 Logs all activity — success, skips, and errors

Each idea is saved with:

• ✅ Title

• ✅ Category (e.g., AI Logs, Fitness Life)

• ✅ Status: Idea

• ✅ Angle: Industry Trend

• ✅ Date: Article publish date

• ✅ URL: As a remark

💡 Why It Works

• I stop wasting time scrolling for ideas

• My Notion board is filled with fresh, high-signal content topics

• I can immediately assign, prioritize, and create

• It aligns with my content strategy — but is now data-driven

Instead of chasing inspiration, I start with insight.

🔧 Built Entirely with Free Tools

Here’s the stack I used — no subscriptions required:

📈 Real Impact

• Saved hours each week scanning for ideas

• Discovered article titles that aligned perfectly with my audience

• Shifted from reactive to proactive content planning

• Laid the foundation for automated content workflows

All without spending a rupee.

🚀 Want to Build This Too?

I’ll be open-sourcing this system soon, with a full guide.

📬 Subscribe to my newsletter at bitbybharat.com
📥 Or DM me on Instagram @bitbybharat if you want early access

Final Thought

If you’re a solo creator like me — stop guessing what to post.
Let free tools and smart automation do the hard part.

You just show up and create.