What are the top 5 marketing trends to pay attention to in 2026?
If 2025 left you feeling overwhelmed, confused and unsure what your future holds in 2026…
If you’re sick of being constantly sold to and exhausted by all the soulless AI content being crammed down your throat…
Or if you are ready to take control of your income, level up your skills and future-proof your freedom…
And, if you’re looking to make a major pivot in 2026 and create a life on your own damn terms, fueled by empathy, creativity and human connection…
This blog post is for you!
Because while AI continues to create a massive distraction for everyone out there. Here’s the real plot twist nobody is talking about.
This is creating what might be the biggest opportunity in history for real humans with real communication, storytelling and critical thinking skills to stand out and get ahead.
Today, I want to walk you through the marketing trends and skills that will matter most in 2026.
But before I do that, if you are ready to create freedom for yourself and level up your skills, I want you to check out my flagship copywriting coaching program.
Let’s get right into it, starting with my #1 marketing trend…
TREND #1: The Re-Emergence of Copywriting Storytelling
The first big trend we’re seeing – and honestly, it’s my favorite – is the re-emergence of storytelling.
For a while, marketing became very formulaic. Too formulaic. “How to” content… rudimentary listicles…. basic tips… plug-and-play templates…. Everywhere you looked, everyone seemed to be doing and saying the exact same thing. Then AI came on the scene, making this “copycat” problem even more apparent.
Suddenly, people aren’t just noticing the same old boring content everywhere they look. They are now also questioning whether a human even created the content at all.
Enter: storytelling. A human form of communication that is as old as time itself. A proven way to build trust, create emotional connection, and memorably deliver a message.
Storytelling is the “original” marketing, and the smartest marketers have never forgotten it. I have videos that are years old talking about the importance of storytelling in marketing.
But, let’s just say, it’s really easy to get distracted from timeless marketing truths when there are “shiny new toys and trends” promising endless efficiency and effortless results.
*Can you hear my eyes rolling from there?*
In my opinion, everyone got a bit too distracted by AI and completely forgot the fundamentals of what makes people tick and click. And now, just as I predicted, the pendulum is swinging back. Actually because of AI and the skepticism it’s created – that the demand for real, human, authentic storytelling is massively on the rise.
“Multiple reports heading into 2026 show that consumers are craving trust, authenticity, and human connection more than ever. They don’t just want information — they want meaning. They want context. Plus, they want to feel something. And storytelling is how that happens.”
You don’t have to be a genius to see that the brands that are winning right now are the ones that are most authentic and human and relatable. Which is exactly why this ancient form of communication is making such a comeback.
In fact, the percentage of LinkedIn job postings in the U.S. that include the term “storyteller” has DOUBLED. And it’s not JUST storytellers who are seeing an influx of jobs.
Now that the initial “hype” of AI has finally passed, business owners are seeing it for what it really is – an assistant. And one that they can never fully replace their human team. In fact – 55% of employers who laid off workers because of AI now regret that decision.
All of these businesses are frantically trying to re-hire humans because they realize they lost something their business cannot run without… The human touch.
According to the latest reports, there has been a whopping 260% jump in freelance hires over the past two years alone.And that number will just continue to grow as more and more businesses realize that automation isn’t everything.
Connection is.
And that’s exactly why this trend is my favorite. Because we can talk about trends and tactics and strategies all day long until we’re blue in the face. But if you don’t have the very simple foundation of human-to-humman connection, trust, and problem-solving down first , literally nothing else is going to matter.
Alright, moving on to copywriting trend #2.
TREND #2: Personal Branding Is Non-Negotiable
The second trend is the rise of personal branding and possibly even more important… visibility.
Whether you’re a freelancer, business owner, creator, or service provider, people don’t want to buy from faceless brands anymore.
And this comes back to what we just talked about in trend #1. AI has created a massive culture of mistrust and skepticism online. “Faceless brands” are no longer trustworthy.
We want humans– people who can relate with us and share real perspectives that mean something. We want someone willing to show up consistently and stand behind what they say.
Forbes and LinkedIn have both published pieces showing that authenticity, relatability, and visibility are becoming bigger trust signals than polish or perfection.
Now I know, I know, when I say “visibility” we all want to shrink back a little bit. That word is scary – right?
“You want me to post my whole life on social media?!” WHAT!!!”
But here’s the thing…
Being visible isn’t about posting every single day on social media. It’s not about having no filter and exposing every aspect of your private life online. And it’s not about following some strict content plan or dropping value bombs or cross-posting on 6 different social media platforms..
It’s simply about choosing one platform you love, and showing up on it consistently. It’s about being real and showing that you are real. I never thought “Proof of Humanity” would be a marketing strategy but hey, here we are.
And no that doesn’t mean you have to write these novel-worthy, epicly-emotional posts. It means that maybe some days you share candidly about the stress or joy of running your own business. Maybe some days you post about your self-care routine or a behind the scenes moment. Maybe some days you post a picture of your dog or a cool person you met. And maybe some days you just upload a picture of you laying on the couch – because that’s who you are.
You don’t only talk about “business,” and you don’t only share “wins”. You’re human – with ups and downs and highlights and low points and a vast variety of interests and hobbies.
Being visible online doesn’t mean you’re glued to your phone. It just means that you aren’t afraid of sharing a little peek into your life. It means that you have conversations with people in your DMs and comment section.
I love what this report from Direct Commerce says:
“As AI saturates every channel with flawless but soulless content, imperfections will start to signal something far more valuable – proof of humanity. From real voices to unfiltered imagery, the quirks and flaws that make us human will become the new markers of authenticity, and customers will instinctively gravitate toward brands that embrace those values.”
It’s not about putting on a professional front to “impress” people.
It’s about being you.
Now if this concept of showing up online terrifies you – I challenge you to my 10-day Social Media Challenge. I give you 10 super simple, easy prompts to make showing up and posting online easy.
Now on to Trend #3 of our marketing trends 2026 list…
TREND #3: Trust Is the New Currency
We’re heading into 2026 with longer buying cycles and wayless trust than ever before. 32.8% of global shoppers say they’re financially worse off than last year, and 73% of those consumers cite rising cost-of-living pressures as the reason.
People are still spending money. But people are no longer clicking “buy” just because they’re bored or something sounds exciting. They aren’t reading one well-written ad and saying “here’s my credit card”.
They’re clicking “buy” because something feels safe.
According to consumer insight reports, trust is now one of the biggest predictors of whether someone buys — not urgency, not hype, not discounts.
And this is where a lot of modern marketing is falling apart. People are getting lost in all the wrong things. Everywhere I look, I see marketers trying so hard to get more sales by offering more discounts, more bonuses, more stuff. But that’s not what people want right now.
Buyers are looking for easier decisions that save them time and offer clear value without extra effort.
So rather than overwhelming people with “fancy messaging” that sounds nice.
Keep it super simple and just be honest and straightforward about your offer.
Let me give you a few examples of what this actually looks like.
Think about two ads you’ve probably seen recently.
Ad number one says: “This will change your life in 30 days! No experience required. Guaranteed results.”
And ad number two says: “Here’s exactly who this is for. Here’s how it works. Here’s how long it realistically takes. And here are customer results to prove it.”
Which one do you trust more?
Exactly.
Or think about sales pages.
One page is full of buzzwords: “Scalable”, “Effortless”, “Game-changing,” “Unstoppable”, but it never actually explains how anything works and leaves you with more questions than answers.
The other page walks you through exactly what the product does, the problem it solves, who it’s for, what’s included, and real results.
That second one feels safer. It feels honest. One is selling hope and hype. The other is selling a clear transformation.
And this shows up in content too. Someone who only posts wins, screenshots, and highlight reels.
Versus someone who occasionally says: here’s what went wrong, here’s what I’d do differently, and here’s what I’m still figuring out. That second person feels more real – more trustworthy.
This is what good marketing does now.
It builds trust by:
- Explaining instead of exaggerating
- Showing instead of “telling.”
- Showcasing results instead of pressuring
- Revealing the process or behind-the-scenes steps
- And answering objections clearly and early
I’m telling you, in 2026 we are going back to the basics my friends.
TREND #4: Conversation-Based Marketing
For a long time, marketing was all about posting, promoting, posting, promoting – rinse and repeat over and over. And for a long time, that was enough to both gain new followers and turn those followers into customers.
But not anymore. Because social media platforms don’t just reward views and likes anymore – they reward real engagement.
Meta executives like head of Instagram Adam Mosseri have made it clear that “shares” — when a user sends a post elsewhere, such as to DMs or stories — is one of the top signals Instagram uses to rank content in the app.
Algorithms take signals like comments, saves, shares, and even DMs into account when deciding who sees your content next, because those actions show deeper interest and connection, not just a click. This is why prioritizing starting conversations is more important than ever before.
Because people don’t want to be talked at anymore. They want to be talked with. They want to see things they relate to you. And they want to find value in ways that are deeper than something they can find on Google or Chatty G in 5 seconds flat.
Marketing is becoming less about broadcasting messages and more about starting conversations.
And this is such an important shift to understand.
I had to laugh when my recent “burnt out Barbie” post went viral at the end of 2025. It was sparked by an idea a team member shared in slack and spent 30 minutes putting together some funny Out of Office replies that I felt deeply as someone who was seriously over 2025.
And I thought it would be totally relatable for my audience. And while it certainly didn’t give any copywriting, marketing, or branding advice. It was relatable, it was sharable, and because of that – it went viral. Look at the number of shares!
So when you’re creating content in 2026, stop worrying so much about sharing “value”. And start thinking about creating something that people would want to share.
Alright and moving on to marketing trend #5….
TREND #5: Context Over Content
Context is more important than content. Just a few years ago, it used to be true that if you could just post more content that would be enough to grow your audience.
But that’s not the case anymore.
Thanks to AI, literally anyone could post 100x a day if they wanted to. But would anyone care or even pay attention?
Probably not. Because when content is cheap, that makes context insanely more valuable.
So it’s no longer about how much you post… It’s about the context behind what you post.
How are you saying what you’re saying? Why does any of this matter – to you or to your followers? What are the real life examples or experiences that showcase what you’re talking about?
Again, we can bring this back to my burnt out Barbie post…It wasn’t the content that went viral… It was the related context behind the content. I was communicating something that everyone in my audience was already feeling – “hey 2025 has been one hell of a year. I’m so over it. Are you over it too?”
And as you can see… a lot of people agreed.
What’s working heading into 2026 is messaging that meets people where they are – emotionally and situationally. It’s not about being the loudest in the room. It’s about knowing who you’re talking to and knowing what they need to hear next.
And that is what we’re craving more of in 2026.
Alright, so that brings me to this final question…
What does all of this mean for you?
BIG PICTURE MOMENT
So here’s what’s really cool about all of this. If you zoom out and take a step back, you’ll realize we aren’t actually talking about 5 separate trends here. Because all of these trends point to the same thing.
Marketing isn’t becoming more automated. It’s becoming more human.
And the people who will win in 2026 aren’t chasing more tools or tactics. They’re building real communication and critical thinking skills.
And this is exactly why I freaking love copywriting so much.
It is the #1 skill anyone should learn in 2026.
Copywriting touches everything:
- Content
- Sales
- Personal branding
- Trust
- Visibility
- And conversation
Whether you want to transition into a new marketing career in 2026, start a creative side hustle or grow your business with better messaging.
Copywriting is the #1 skill you need to learn to communicate with more confidence, sell with storytelling and share persuasive ideas that inspire people to take action.
So if you want to become a confident copywriter in 2026, ignite your income and future-proof your freedom. Click the graphic below to learn more about my flagship copywriting coaching program.
Until next time. I’m Alex – Ciao for now!
