Trend forecasting service / newsletter
Run a paid newsletter or research service that forecasts consumer, retail, and tech trends for brands and investors.
The idea, in plain language
A trend-forecasting service packages paid research on where consumer, retail, tech and cultural trends are heading and sells it to brands, investors and creators as a newsletter, paid report or recurring briefing; videos describe the operational stack (Answer The Public, Gummy Search, Exploding Topics, Big Spy, Hexo Watch, Pinterest trends, Google Trends 5-year view, Glimpse, Manus AI, ChatGPT and Perplexity deep research) and the math of one-person media businesses. Cited revenue and scale include Marketing Examined's $845K/year newsletter, the $25M/year sweepstakes industry, Patrick Campbell's $200M+ ProfitWell exit, and Chris Koerner's claim that his own research-automation pipeline grew a following of over 5 million.
Where the sources agree
- Trend forecasting is a content/research business, not a software product
- AI research tools compress the grind (RSS workflows, deep research, Exploding Topics)
- Niche down into a specific audience or operator category and own the audience.
- Long-form 'deep dive' content ranks and gets shared
- Recurring paid report plus free weekly newsletter is the standard shape
Where they differ
- Koerner = research-automation tutorials (viral radar, deep-research riffs, anti-trend workflow)
- Greg = tool stacks and trend-picking playbooks (7 tools, Manus AI test, $1M SaaS blueprint, Jacky Chou growth hacking)
- MFM = trend doubling and prediction (pickleball explosion, Bryan Johnson, virtual gaming worlds, Pincus pattern matching)
- Starter Story = not present in this batch; the data lives in Koerner and Greg episodes
- Some pitches target mainstream culture, such as pickleball and French Bulldogs, while others target operator niches, such as local services, software ecosystems, or specialized B2B markets.
What each source says
KoernerNow is the Best Time to Make Money with Content (AI Tutorial)
Chris's step-by-step viral-radar automation that tracks top creators via RSS and sends weekly trend emails; credits this pipeline with 5M+ followers.
Watch on YouTubeMFMHow a $25 Million a Year Sweepstakes Business Works | My First Million #193
Sam and Shaan teardown the $25M/year sweepstakes industry with positive deep fakes, options contracts for founders and 'future of big companies' predictions.
Watch on YouTubeIsenberg7 Tools I Used To Build A Million-Dollar Business
Greg's seven research tools: Answer The Public, Hexo Watch, Big Spy, Reviews aggregation, Exploding Topics, Gummy Search and Minia for trend intelligence.
Watch on YouTubeindie-hackers#173 – Persisting Through Failures to Find a Winning Trend with Dru Riley of Trends.vc
Dru Riley grew his Trends.vc trend-forecasting newsletter to roughly $20,000/month in under a year after quitting his job.
Listen on Indie HackersIsenbergI challenged Manus AI to find $1M+ AI Startup Ideas - It Actually Delivered
Greg challenges Manus AI to develop an 18-month, $1M AI startup; it lands on AI micro-consulting for SMBs and produces a full proposal plus landing page.
Watch on YouTubeIsenbergBlueprint to Build a $1M SaaS From Scratch
Rob Hoffman's six customer-acquisition playbooks with AI search SEO and 'alternatives/versus' pages converting better than classic Google traffic.
Watch on YouTubeMFM5 Internet Goldmines To Spot The Next $1B Trend | Steph Smith (#529)
Steph Smith outlines five methods to spot billion-dollar trends on My First Million: tracking expiring patents, one-chart sports analytics, mining sci-fi for consumer behavior, riding waves like AI x gaming, and workshopping a launch strategy live on air.
Watch on YouTubeMFMBrainstorming Ideas with The $200M Man | ft. Patrick Campbell (#519)
Patrick Campbell on trend doubling (coral bleaching, French Bulldogs, sports betting), the Product Remix Framework and pricing strategy breakdowns.
Watch on YouTubeKoernerAI Agents Are Overhyped. Use THIS Instead
HoldCo Bros argue chat-based deep research (ChatGPT versus Perplexity) beats AI agents for forward-looking industry reports.
Watch on YouTubeKoernerHow to Build a Business with a Lifetime Warranty Offer (+6 more ideas)
HoldCo Bros brainstorm local newsletters, lifetime-warranty UVPs, Google Business Profile agency and Etsy-bestseller reverse-engineering.
Watch on YouTubeindie-hackers#246 – Doing Content Right with Steph Smith of Trends.co
Steph Smith, founder of Trends.co, talks about growing her newsletter-based business and her new book 'Doing Content Right' (promo code INDIE).
Listen on Indie HackersMFMHow To Make $100M+ By Predicting Trends (Step By Step Guide) (#407)
Sam and Shaan riff on expanding a forecasting business, the pickleball explosion (Tom Dundon's role) and virtual gaming worlds.
Watch on YouTubeIsenbergHow I use Pinterest and Google to find $1M+ startup ideas
Greg's anti-trend workflow using Pinterest weekly/monthly changes plus Google Trends 5-year view plus Glimpse to find overlooked niches.
Watch on YouTubeMFMDave Portnoy vs The World, Extreme Body Monitoring, "How Much is Pomp Worth?", and More
Brainstorm on Dave Portnoy's Barstool drama, Bryan Johnson's extreme body monitoring and the future of apparel retail and automated drive-throughs.
Watch on YouTubeMFMBehind-the-Scenes of Shaan's Power Writing Course | My First Million #204
Behind the scenes of Shaan's Power Writing course numbers with side topics on Swimply, the future of gas stations and Y Combinator unbundling.
Watch on YouTubeMFMWhy Today Is the Day to Ask For a Raise | My First Million #216
Asking for a raise, the $75K happiness study, future maps, local MMA packaging and fractional vacation-home ownership models.
Watch on YouTubeMFMIf I was 30 with $0, I'd build this - Mark Pincus (Farmville founder)
Mark Pincus on going $0 to $38M in 7 months with FarmVille, picking macro trends, pattern matching and a personal operating system.
Watch on YouTubeKoernerYou’re Not Ready for What’s Coming: Robert Scoble on AI + Future Tech
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMHow this dumb doll makes $2M per day
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMThe 12 Awards Of 2023: No.1 Unsexy Business, Wildest Predictions & More
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMThe 2023 Milly Awards (#531)
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeIsenbergClaude's Agent Mode was LEAKED (First Look)
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMThe Boys React: Tech Layoffs, IG Founder Starts A New Company & More Tech News (#415)
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMSharing Our Best Crypto Business Ideas To Start In 2022
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMHow an Early Adopter Mindset Can Make You Millions
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeIsenbergBusiness ideas worth paying attention to
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeMFMCoronavirus: NEW Business Opportunities - The World Is Changing Fast | My First Million 05-11-2020
No take is available for this episode.
Watch on YouTubeTools people use for this
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