Using Pinterest and Google Trends to Discover Anti-Trends for Startup Ideas

Long-form content views indicate deeper audience trust.

ViewStats shows Joshua Becker's long views significantly outweigh shorts, signaling engaged audience.

Why: Trust enables higher-value product sales and community building.

"I like basically don't even acknowledge short views anymore. It's all about long views in terms of affinity"

Anti-trends create easier moats because fewer competitors pursue them.

When everyone chases AI, positioning as "AI-free" can attract consumers who are turned off by AI.

Why: Less competition means faster differentiation and clearer positioning.

"it's actually quite easier to go to those antitrends"

Consumer sentiment studies reveal hidden demand for anti-trends.

A study showed AI in product descriptions lowers purchase intent, signaling opportunity for AI-free branding.

Why: Data-backed sentiment uncovers underserved market segments.

"I saw that there was this study that said AI is a turnoff for consumers"

Sustained, gradual growth is more attractive than viral spikes.

Google Trends for "slow living" shows steady 5-year climb rather than explosive spikes.

Why: Gradual growth indicates lasting cultural shift, not fleeting hype.

"This is a trend I like to see. It's not like up into the... it's not like crazy growth. And I actually almost like that better. Because to me, this is a sustainable growth."

Choose platforms with less competition even if not the largest audience.

Health coach moved from Instagram to LinkedIn and built huge audience because health content was rare there.

Why: Lower competition increases visibility and growth velocity.

"maybe I go on Twitter because the competition isn't there, and there's an opportunity to do that"

Popular pins reveal community values and language.

Analyzing top Pinterest pins about slow living shows key themes like "put down your phone" and "accept rest."

Why: Understanding community language helps craft resonant messaging and products.

"it allows me to go check through popular pins... I'm learning about what are the philosophies and principles of this particular community"

Low-competition keywords in anti-trend niches offer easy wins.

Using Ahrefs to analyze slow living sites reveals low backlink counts and specific high-traffic pages.

Why: Lower SEO competition reduces customer acquisition costs.

"there's not much competition here at all"

International markets may have less competition for anti-trends.

Indonesia shows high search volume for slow living with potentially lower SEO competition.

Why: Early entry in emerging markets creates first-mover advantages.

"randomly Indonesia, for example, is like the top search volume... how hard is it to rank in Indonesia?"