7 Content Marketing Trends We Expect to See (and You Should Leverage) in 2025

1. AI Will Be Used More Than Ever

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has clearly shifted the way content is made and we’re only going to see this grow. It’s a great tool for content creation and can be a huge help in saving time. However, the challenge in 2025 will be finding a balance between leveraging AI and maintaining the authentic, human connection that audiences crave.

AI-driven tools help streamline the content creation process, but there’s a fine line between content that still sounds human-like and content that is clearly AI. Tools like ChatGPT, have continued to get more popular as their abilities and accuracy have increased. These generative engines can do a range of tasks that not only save time but come up with a whole other realm of new ideas. The same goes for AI tools within creation apps like Canva, CapCut, Adobe, and others. AI provides skills that some users may not have been able to do in the first place. The capabilities of AI guarantee its growing popularity and use in 2025 (and beyond).

How to Leverage It: The main benefit of AI is that it helps brands create more content in less time, but brands must avoid losing their human touch. To do that, you can use AI to streamline processes like content ideation, SEO optimization, and personalization, but always ensure a human review is in place to not only keep the brand’s personality but to ensure every piece of content is providing value to your target audience. Let AI handle the tedious parts of creating content, but leave the personalization and creativity to a real person. As automation becomes more used, audiences will value that human touch even more. Building that balance will be key to having time efficiency while simultaneously keeping your content authentic and your brand relatable.

2. UGC Will Be Even Bigger

As AI grows, so does the demand for User-Generated Content (UGC). While this might seem counterintuitive, it’s actually not. As we explained, AI has the tendency to take away that human element of content, making people crave that human touch even more. While AI will keep growing, alongside it will be a deep desire to see real people and their genuine experiences with products or services.

UGC is just about the realest form of human-created content that you can get. User-generated content is just that, content created by the people who use a product or service. With the increase in AI, people want more authenticity. UGC allows customers to participate in a brand’s storytelling, which builds community and brand loyalty. We’ve already seen an increase in UGC in the past year or so and this trend will continue to rise as more brands find creative ways to invite their customers into the content creation process.

How to Leverage It: The first thing that probably comes to mind when you think “UGC” is videos made by people using a product. However, that’s just one part of it. Encourage your audience to create and share content around your brand, culture, and values. Create campaigns that inspire your customers to take part in your brand’s narrative. Even consider hiring “UGC Talent” in order to create content, campaigns, and even ads that have that “real-life” feel.

For example, Nike’s “Play New” campaign encouraged fans to share their unique fitness journeys on social media, which fostered a sense of community while promoting the brand. The key is to get your audience involved with your brand whether it be through videos, photos, blogs, hashtags, or something else. UGC taps into the human need for connection, which is something that AI simply cannot replicate.

3. Video Content Will Keep Increasing

If you thought video content had peaked, think again. Video will continue to be on top as the most engaging content medium across various social media sites. On platforms like LinkedIn, which historically haven’t been video-first, we’ve already seen video content being pushed like crazy. In 2025, we’ll continue to see five to ten different styles of videos trending at any given time—everything from short-form reels to more polished, long-form storytelling. Brands have to not only shift to posting video content but also figure out how to consistently post high-quality videos. A lot more goes into video content than any other content type, so it can be a big change for businesses that weren’t already implementing it.

How to Leverage It: The key here is to keep finding creative ways to leverage video but also to figure out a sustainable model so you can churn out a lot. You can mix it up between polished advertisements, thought leadership content, and quick content to keep your audience engaged. There are plenty of ways that you can create video content efficiently. Here are a few tips to consider:

• Batch film content, meaning you can record various videos, voiceovers, or B-roll at once so you don’t have to constantly film.
• Set aside a specific day/time every week when you will film, so it doesn’t feel like you’re always trying to find the time.
• Record yourself talking about topics you’ve already posted about through graphics, blogs, etc. but in a more conversational video format.
• Edit long-form videos or even recorded calls into short clips for socials.

4. Leveraging GEO Will Be Critical

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), will become even more important as AI-driven search models continue to improve. Search engines are getting smarter so in order for your content to rank, you’ll have to leverage GEO techniques. Traditional search engine optimization methods are helpful, but they’re simply not enough to rank with these new engines. This is where generative engine optimization comes into the picture. GEO is the process of optimizing content for AI tools like SearchGPT, so that content actually stands out and gets ranked higher.

How to Leverage It: Optimizing your content for generative engines doesn’t have to be complicated. There are some helpful best practices that you can follow to get ready for this AI-driven search era. You need to make sure you understand user questions, AKA what does the user actually want to know. With that, you need to make sure your content is conversational like a real human-to-human interaction would function. Another essential? Use highly-sourced information. Make sure the stats you include are not just factual, but are interesting, unique, and add to your point. As things are always changing, you need to ensure your content is updated often. Finally, don’t be scared to use AI tools to help you with GEO. Think of it as the next evolution of SEO—only smarter and more intuitive.

5. Zero-Click Marketing Will Gain Traction

Zero-click marketing is the practice of creating content that provides value without requiring the user to click through to a website. This concept stemmed from the number of Google users who don’t click on a website after a search. This is largely due to the “AI-Overview” feature that gives a summary of the search results when you “Google” something. As more searches are answered through social platforms, or the search engine itself, we’ll see how people shift to this concept of zero-click marketing.

How to Leverage It: Your goal should be to make your content as informative and complete as possible within the platforms where it is found. Whether it’s a Facebook post, a Google snippet, or an Instagram caption, ensure that your content provides value right there on the spot. The goal is to make it so the user gets their search answered without having to “click” on anything else.

6. Email Marketing Will Continue to Thrive

Email will still be an extremely effective method in 2025. It’s the marketing tactic that just keeps working no matter what changes in the industry. Despite the rise of social media and other digital channels, email remains one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to communicate with your audience. It’s the one marketing method that gets you directly into your audience’s inbox, making it direct and effective. Plus, it continues to be one of the most effective methods for conversion.

How to Leverage It: Email marketing is only effective if people are actually opening your emails. There are ways that you can increase your chances of people opening and reading your emails. Some core elements that make emails more effective include a solid subject line, strategic preview text, an effective frequency, and a convincing call to action. On top of that, your emails should have a clear style and tone that makes sense for your brand and well-thought-out content types. Continue refining your email marketing efforts by focusing on personalization and segmentation.

7. Organic Social Content Will Still Deliver

Even with the rise of paid media marketing, organic social content continues to be a powerful tool for brands. It’s the most authentic form of content and it’s often what makes audiences feel connected to a brand. Organic social content will continue to deliver positive results. In 2025, brands that continue investing in authentic, organic content will see increased brand awareness, loyalty, and engagement. Organic content will remain the best bang for your buck.

How to Leverage It: Organic content truly has an unlimited range of creative opportunities. You can do anything with organic content. You can post content that is educational, entertaining, inspiring, funny, promotional, user-generated, highly-planned, or quickly thrown together. The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to organic content. Try to focus on crafting stories that are genuine and resonate with your audience. Organic social content gives you the flexibility to be creative and more relatable, without the pressure of paid ads.