To identify truly significant trends, look for three signals: 1) a deep and broad 'possibility space' with many potential intersections; 2) a high rate of discovery and accelerating momentum; and 3) the creation of new language because existing words are insufficient to describe what's happening.

Once a business trend like hiring 'storytellers' is covered in The Wall Street Journal, its competitive advantage, or 'alpha,' is gone. Mainstream recognition signifies peak saturation, meaning innovative companies should already be focused on the next non-obvious strategy to gain an edge.

In an internet dominated by AI-generated content and affiliate marketing, Reddit remains a unique source of authentic user opinions. Marketers should leverage it for unfiltered customer feedback, as its community-driven structure actively filters out generic content, revealing genuine pain points and preferences.

Reddit communities are quick to reject overt self-promotion and generic content. To succeed, marketers must operate as engaged community members first, providing thoughtful answers and genuine expertise to build credibility. Simply dropping links to articles or webinars will likely result in being ignored or banned from subreddits.

LinkedIn currently has more user attention than available content, creating an arbitrage opportunity for B2B marketers. This imbalance makes organic reach incredibly high, mirroring the early, highly-effective days of Facebook's business platform.

Information and conversations often originate on Reddit before migrating to platforms like Facebook or Instagram. By actively monitoring relevant subreddits, marketers can get ahead of trends, source new content ideas, and understand nascent conversations in their industry before competitors do, giving them a first-mover advantage.

Unlike platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram, Reddit's content model is meritocratic. A valuable, insightful comment from an account with zero followers can trend just as easily as one from a power user. This lowers the barrier to entry for marketers who can provide genuine expertise, allowing them to gain visibility without first building a large following.

The era of building a follower list like an email list is over. Platforms now use an "interest graph," meaning a post from an account with few followers can go viral if the content is compelling. This shift democratizes reach and prioritizes content quality above all else.

Once a niche internet trend is adopted by a large, corporate brand for a marketing campaign, it signals mass saturation. This act effectively kills the trend's 'cool' factor among its original audience, marking the end of its organic lifecycle.