7 content & media predictions for 2026

As we’re entering a more refined era of social media (refined, as in, we’re treating social as an actual media channel rather than something left to an intern), I think we’re going to see more thought put into social content rather than just calendars being filled with meme- and trend-jacking. While this helps accounts get engagement, it can hurt brand building in the long run. In an era where brand trust is eroding and becoming harder to earn, brands have to focus on the long term rather than on the short-term virality or engagement they get from participating.

Millennials have officially re-entered the conversation again. While we’ve seen a huge consumer focus on Gen Z and Gen Alpha, it’s the millennials who are starting to step into the decision-maker roles—think brand, creative direction, and more. I think we’re going to be more millennial-influenced in our content and campaigns to appeal to the generation with purchasing power. We’ve already seen brands dabble in this for their campaigns (Lancome’s Juicy Tubes and Bath and Body Works). It’s going to force brands to rethink how they appeal to these audiences from a content perspective, understand how they purchase, and create content to support that process. 

We’ve already seen social teams, but I think we’re going to see more specific, diverse content roles rather than just a generic “head of content” role. Content has evolved from being just a “nice to have” or solely for demand generation. It’s thought leadership. It’s owned media. It’s sales enablement. And while this has typically fallen under one role, it’s not sustainable if companies want to compete. Each content function needs to be separated because each content type differs and plays a specific role in a company’s operations. For the companies that are serious about their content, they’ll start to separate their content team into various roles. 

I’ve talked a lot about the concept of “slow media” in this newsletter and on TikTok. The prevalence of AI-generated content and the speed at which it's produced are burning everyone out. I think we’re going to take more time to create something of higher quality. Not just longer content, but content with more storytelling and narrative (this aligns with my first prediction). This is the content that will actually be the most beneficial for brand building and long-term growth. 

There’s an age-old debate that B2B and B2C brands have different audiences and therefore use different content channels. But anymore, it’s not B2B or B2C; it’s B2H—business to human. At the end of the day, the buyer on the other side of the screen is a human, no matter the type of product they’re purchasing. It’s why B2B brands are starting to see success on channels like TikTok—their buyers can come from anywhere. What it really comes down to is knowing and understanding the demographic, psychographic, and socialgraphic makeup of your audience to reach them best. Hence, the old playbook doesn’t work for brands anymore, forcing them to think differently about how to get their audiences and the content formats they use. Where we had a single playbook for success, in this new landscape, I don’t think there will be a single playbook for content success, but rather different ones tailored to the individual needs of the company. 

Over the last several years, we’ve seen companies emphasize building out their social channels. Now, I think we’re going to start seeing companies reinvest in their owned media channels—blogs, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc. We’re seeing this as more brands are turning into media companies, producing original, story-driven content to connect with their audiences. Brands are competing with streaming services and social media to be an entertainment destination and owned channels, and media are going to be the way they do it. I’m expecting to see more brands create in-house production studios and editorial arms just for this purpose. 

Lastly, I think we’ll begin to see a true mass exodus from social media toward private communities or IRL brand activations and experiences. We’ve already started to see more brands build communities over Slack, Discord, and Patreon, or do IRL brand activations to engage audiences. I think we’re going to see a lot more of this in 2026, as brands are tired of having little to no control over their relationships with their audiences. Moving to more private content channels (even channels like newsletters) gives brands a more direct line to their audiences, allowing them to interact with them directly. They can build not just a parasocial relationship with them, but a more 1:1 relationship, especially with their biggest fans and evangelists. 

What do you think we’ll see in 2026? Reply and let me know!