Trend forecasting: How to spot what could be next

Incorporating emerging trends into your content isn’t just a way to stay relevant. It’s how you become the spark people look for to ignite and inspire them each season. And while it may feel overwhelming to try and identify and keep up with the latest trends, there are a few ways to stay ahead of the curve before a trend takes off. Learning to recognize and respond to these patterns can give you a head start to creating content that engages and inspires audiences—and drives results.

How to spot trends

Emerging trends are all around you if you know what to look for. Take a look at your digital and real-life surroundings, and notice any recurring topics, colors, styles or phrases. Data can also be a great way to identify soon-to-be trends. Take a look at which search terms have started increasing in your category and look for any common themes. If something keeps popping up on- and offline, it could be a sign of a trend on the rise.

When curating content around emerging trends, Cecilia Sheppard, a programming manager on Pinterest’s content team, likes to look for styles or motifs that are coming up across different categories. Take an example like the fisherman aesthetic, she says. “In fashion, we saw that boat shoes were on the rise and sardine motifs were popping up everywhere from tinned fish recipes in food, fishing lure nails in beauty and even fish-shaped purses and jewelry!”

“I get excited when I see a trend appearing in so many different places because it signals that it’s more than just a fleeting fad, but part of something bigger happening in culture with the potential to last,” Sheppard says.

Pro tip: Check out the Pinterest Trends Tool to discover the trends your audience is loving—and the ones they’ll be searching for soon.

Plan ahead for key moments

It’s hard to know when some new trends will enter the scene, since they appear unpredictably. But others reliably pop up around the same milestones each year. Planning ahead lets you publish content in advance, giving it time to gain traction just as interest surges. 

By mapping out major seasonal, holiday and industry moments, you can apply the same principals of trendspotting—looking for what’s coming up around you and seeing which search terms are surging—to a specific occasion. Having on-trend content for a major milestone can help boost visibility and engagement during times when people are most on the lookout for inspiration.

Find your fit

A key aspect of trendspotting is not just finding the trends, it’s identifying which ones feel right for you and your content. Just because a trend exists, doesn’t mean you need to act on it. (Hint: A colorful maximalist moment is probably not the right fit for a creator who focuses on minimalist design.) 

“Look for things that feel exciting, nostalgic or evoke real emotion," Sheppard says. Being guided by what resonates with you in a real way will naturally help you figure out which trends you want to take part in.”

Once you’ve found your fit, adapt your content. Tailor your messaging, visuals and calls-to-action to combine your personal brand with the keywords and aesthetics they play into the trend in a new, exciting way. PS: Content doesn’t have to be new to work for a trend. Look for opportunities to refresh existing content with a new title, keywords or text overlay (for videos, in particular), or give existing pieces new life by curating or combining different visuals in a new way.