174: Top 6 marketing & copywriting trends for 2026
6 marketing and copywriting trends that will define 2026 (and why most businesses will miss them)
We're nearing the end of the year, and this is my favourite time to zoom out and look at the big picture. I get to see what's shifting in the online business world, what's working inside my clients' businesses, and what's working inside my own business.
That's exactly why I'm here to share my observations about where this industry is heading in 2026.
These aren't just trends I'm hoping will happen - these are the shifts I'm already seeing with my clients and in my own business.
Trend #1: Community becomes your new marketing flywheel
For the last few years, I've been talking about the shift away from transactional marketing to more relational, human-centered marketing. In 2026, this is going in a whole new dimension.
I'm not just talking about relationship-first marketing anymore. I'm talking about building relationships inside a formal community and focusing on community building as your core strategy.
Community is no longer a funnel step or part of the offer (like joining a private Facebook group when you buy something).
Community IS the offer.
You sell the community, and the community has benefits, upsells, and programs you can access because you're a member.
Community is gonna become the engine that drives your entire business.
Here's why: people are craving spaces where they can feel connected, supported, and seen - not just marketed to. The businesses that will grow the fastest and most sustainably will be the ones who have intentionally cultivated communities, whether big communities or micro communities that create momentum, build trust, and create that sense of belonging.
It doesn't have to be complicated. It can look like a membership, a small group program, a Slack or Voxer thread, local meetups, a Circle or Skool community, Facebook or LinkedIn groups, or even the community within your client roster.
Community is where retention happens. It's where referrals happen. It's where your people become your biggest advocates. With a strong community, businesses are more likely to increase their average order value and reduce customer acquisition costs.
Think of community as a flywheel for your business.
Once you get it turning, it powers itself. Your marketing and sales become easier, more joyful, and more effective.
Trend #2: Relationship-based selling becomes non-negotiable
If 2025 taught us anything, it's that personalized human-to-human connections convert better than any mass-produced content or trend. In 2026, relationship-based selling is gonna become even more essential.
Buyers are more thoughtful right now. They're more discerning, and they want to feel genuinely cared for before they say yes to working with someone.
We are in an era where trust and connection are at an incredible low - maybe an all-time low.
What differentiates you in that marketplace? What builds trust? You.
It's your face, your personality, your brand. It is you.
Wherever you can be front and center of your sales and customer journey is gonna pay off. You want to be face-first in your marketing and sales.
I'm talking about the micro moments and connections you can personally make with your prospects, followers, and customers. It can look like a warm DM, a thoughtful voice note, a short Loom video, a handwritten card, a quick check-in with someone who signed up for your webinar, or a personal reply to a new newsletter subscriber.
These small moments create emotional safety. They build trust, and trust is what moves someone from being interested to being in. This is especially true for higher-level buyers.
Relationship selling isn't an extra - it IS the sales system. When people feel chosen, they will choose you back.
Trend #3: Implementation beats information every single time
We are not living in an information-scarce world. We do not need more information. We don't need more how-tos, more courses, more PDFs, more swipe files. We don't need more training.
We need more doing. We need more implementing.
Your audience has access to endless content, but what they don't have is support to implement the content they already have.
In 2026, I'm seeing my clients and myself leaning into…
Less learning and more implementing, less teaching and more doing.
Create a space where you can provide implementation, accountability, co-working and co-creation, hands-on support. Create a container where people can make real progress.
Think VIP days, intensives, mini masterminds, strategy workshops - anything where people can sprint and skyrocket their implementation is gonna be valued in the marketplace this year.
People are overwhelmed and tired. We don't need more information. We need someone to hold our hand as we implement.
Trend #4: Premium positioning with an offer ladder
I've been talking about this for the last six months - the importance of premium positioning. The market has shifted. We are more sophisticated. Your buyers are more sophisticated. They don't need entry-level offers anymore. They need advanced, expert-level solutions.
Positioning yourself as that expert is gonna appeal to that kind of buyer. You'll be able to charge more, you have higher profitability, and lower effort on your part because you're just showing up in your true gift.
Here's the twist: premium doesn't mean just selling one gigantic signature offer. We're also seeing the rise of unbundling things to give people more of a taste or an entry-level first step on that ladder to working with you.
Think of how you can sell a piece of your expert-level framework instead of the whole meal deal.
Sell your framework or playbook separately. Offer focused workshops, intensives, or mini masterminds to give people a taste of working with you.
Have a few different digestible entry points, but we're focused on that advanced buyer, not a beginner buyer. Once they've had a chance to have that taste with you, that first step with you, then you sell them the premium, deeper transformation at the top of the ladder.
This strategy has been working really well for me in the last few months. Clients weren't ready to invest in a full project or maybe a full VIP day, but I could sell them a playbook. I could sell them that first piece of the work that I do with every client, and then they upgraded into the full project.
The structure gives your audience choice, autonomy, and safety because they're able to invest as a test. It allows them to enter your world safely, experience your expertise, build trust and relationship with you, and then selling them into the higher offer becomes a no-brainer.
Trend #5: Regenerative, sustainable marketing practices
This is more about our own need to create sustainability, and I've seen this trend in other areas of society - being more sustainable with consumerism, more cost-efficient with groceries, turning one meal into several with leftovers, being more sustainable with fashion by repairing items or thrift shopping.
This trend is affecting our marketing too, and it's out of necessity because we are all exhausted. This constant push to create more content, launch more offers, and be everywhere is frankly unsustainable.
The entrepreneurs who will burn out fastest will be the ones who try to meet the algorithm, be viral, be everywhere at the expense of their own energy.
I love the idea of regenerative sustainable marketing practices because it invites us to do the opposite.
It invites us to slow down and approach our business like an ecosystem with natural cycles and natural seasons.
Instead of constantly producing new content, you have permission to remix old content, reuse what works, rotate your themes, create annual or seasonal rhythms, and slow down in some seasons and ramp up in others. Build a system that supports sustainability, not depletion.
This approach will create more creativity, support your mental health, and generate better results. The reality is people need to see the same message multiple times - some say seven times, some say 13 or 18 times.
Keep repeating your message. Keep repurposing and regenerating the marketing that works for you. Don't try to constantly reinvent the wheel.
Especially for Gen Xers in business - the demands on our personal lives are so great, and we're constantly having to context switch to support people in our lives. Approaching our marketing, messaging, positioning, and sales through this lens of sustainability and regeneration really serves us. It allows us to focus on our genius zone and not be pulled in other directions to try this trend or hop on that viral thing.
Grab my content remix strategy (free workbook)
If you’re looking for tactical and practical ways to be more regenerative and seasonal with your marketing and content, make sure you grab my content remix strategy. It’s a free workbook with out-of-the-box ways you can repurpose your existing content - it includes example and swipes from some of the biggest creators - to remind you that not only is it smart to repurpose, but it’s essential. Get the remix strategy at www.kimkiel.com/remix
Trend #6: AIO and GEO optimization
This is a huge shift in marketing, and it's happening quickly. Search is becoming generative. People are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, using Google's AI overviews, Meta AI, and social media's search engines to answer their questions.
These tools operate differently than traditional SEO. I recently heard someone speak about GEO and AIO - generative engine optimization and artificial intelligence optimization.
Essentially, it means structuring your content so AI search engines can easily understand and recommend it. You do that by focusing on clarity, data, and being viewed as trustworthy.
To show up in AI search, your content needs to very clearly articulate your niche, who you serve, what you do, and clearly answer questions that people are typing into chat. You need to demonstrate expertise and trust across multiple platforms. You need to use structured content that answers questions people are typing into chat, and you need credible proof points while remaining consistent in how you describe your work.
AI is rewarding clarity, not cleverness. Authority, not volume. Consistency over virality.
AI tools value vetted, trustworthy content more than personal promotion.
Any trusted media sources that feature you and your name will give you a higher ranking. Being mentioned on other blogs, by other podcasters, or appearing on other platforms will help you show up in generative search.
I was surprised to hear that AI tools prioritize a platform like LinkedIn because it's a professional network and viewed as trustworthy versus Instagram or TikTok, which is viewed as more personal promotion and therefore less trustworthy.
I'm gonna continue leaning into LinkedIn first in 2026, then cross-post to Instagram and Facebook. I'm gonna prioritize speaking on other podcasts, looking for guest blogging opportunities, and maybe this will be the year I get serious about seeking media or PR features - all to support search pulling me up when people are asking questions about copywriting, messaging, marketing, and high-ticket sales.
If you’ve been sleeping on LinkedIn and want a little motivation to get going, then you should grab my 30-day FAFO LinkedIn Challenge. Go to kimkiel.com/fafo
The bottom line
These trends reflect a shift in how we connect, how we market, and how we serve. In many ways, it's simply a return to good old-fashioned marketing principles and business development.
Meet people, connect with them, demonstrate that you're a premium expert in your space, invite them to work with you, and rinse and repeat the processes and marketing that are already working.
2026 is gonna reward business owners who prioritize clarity, humanity, sustainability, and true community. It's a year where thoughtful marketing wins, where humanity wins, where community wins, where connection wins, and where your grounded wisdom becomes your competitive advantage.
Resources
Pivot to Premium
In Pivot to Premium, I help you identify and implement your premium offer ladder and your high-ticket message so you can attract and win more premium clients. If you’re ready to elevate your message and sales in 2026, you should consider joining. www.kimkiel.com/pivot
Content Remix Strategy (free workbook)
If you’re looking for tactical and practical ways to be more regenerative and seasonal with your marketing and content, make sure you grab my content remix strategy. It’s a free workbook with out-of-the-box ways you can repurpose your existing content - it includes example and swipes from some of the biggest creators - to remind you that not only is it smart to repurpose, but it’s essential. Get the remix strategy at www.kimkiel.com/remix
30-day FAFO LinkedIn Challenge
If you’ve been sleeping on LinkedIn and want a little motivation to get going, then you should grab my 30-day FAFO LinkedIn Challenge. Go to kimkiel.com/fafo
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[00:00:50] Hello, hello, and welcome back to this episode of The Communication Podcast. We are nearing the end of the year. It's a time to look back and look ahead and I really hope that you have built in some time to take a break over the holidays, the upcoming holidays, step away from the constant demands of your business and your inbox.
[00:01:14] For me this time of year gives me a chance to zoom out and look at the big picture to see what's shifting in the online business and marketing world to see what's working inside my client's businesses to see what's working inside of my business.
[00:01:29] That's why I'm here to share with you, my look and observation at where this industry is heading in 2026. And specifically, I'm talking about the marketing and copywriting trends for 2026. So let's dive in. Trend number one. Is the importance of community and connection. Now, for the last few years, I've talked about the shift away from transactional marketing to more [00:02:00] relational human centered marketing, and in 2026, this is
[00:02:05] going in a whole new dimension, and I'm not just talking about relationship first marketing. I'm talking about building relationships inside a formal community and focusing on community building. Community is no longer a funnel step or it's not part of the offer. Like you join a private Facebook group when you buy something instead, community.
[00:02:29] Is the offer. You sell the community and the community has benefits, upsells, programs you can access because you're a member of the community. Community is going to become the engine that drives your entire business. Here's why people, especially now, are craving spaces where they can feel connected, supported, seen, not just marketed to the businesses that will grow the fastest and the most sustainably, I believe, will be the ones who have intentionally cultivated communities.
[00:03:05] Big communities or even micro communities that create momentum, that build trust and create that sense of belonging. Robert Chelini is famous for his seven principles of persuasion, and one of those principles is unity or belonging. And so I really think doubling down onto. Building Unity Building community building belonging is going to pay off really big for businesses in 2026, and it doesn't have to be complicated.
[00:03:37] It can look like a membership, a small group program, a Slack or Vox or thread. Local meetups, a circle or school community, Facebook or LinkedIn groups, or even the community within your client roster Community is where retention happens. It's where referrals happen. It's where your people [00:04:00] become your biggest advocates.
[00:04:01] So with a strong community. Businesses are more likely to increase their average order value and reduce customer acquisition costs. So think of community as a flywheel for your business. Once you get it turning, it powers itself, your marketing and sales become easier, more joyful, and more effective. So definitely grow a community in 2026.
[00:04:28] The second trend is on. It's related to the first trend, but it's on relationship based selling and marketing. And if 2025 taught us anything, it is that these personalized human to human connections convert better than any mass produced content or trend. Uh, and in 2026, relationship based selling is going to become even more essential.
[00:04:53] Buyers are more thoughtful right now. They're more discerning and they want to feel genuinely cared for before they say yes to working with someone. We are in an era where trust and disconnection are at an incredible low, maybe an all time low. And what differentiates you in that marketplace? What builds trust is you.
[00:05:16] It is your face, it's your personality, it's your brand, it is you. So wherever you can be in the front and center of your sales and customer journey is going to pay off. You want to be. Face first in your marketing and sales. And I'm not just talking about like face first videos. I'm talking about the micro moments and connections you can personally make with your prospects, followers, and customers.
[00:05:44] And it can look like a warm dm, a thoughtful voice note, a short loom video that you include. A handwritten card. A quick check in with someone who signed up for your webinar or a personal reply to a [00:06:00] new newsletter subscriber. These small moments create emotional safety. They build trust, and trust is what moves someone from being interested.
[00:06:12] To being in, uh, and this is especially true for higher level buyers. Relationship selling is not an extra, it is the sales system. When people feel chosen, they will choose you back. So definitely invest in being, building those relationships on a personal level with everyone you encounter through some of those.
[00:06:35] Little low lift ways that build delight, build surprise, and build trust. So like a loom video, a handwritten card, um, a worm dm. Don't overthink it, just do it. Trend number three I'm seeing is implementation over information. Like we are not living in an information scarce world. We do not need more information.
[00:06:57] We do not need more how to, how-tos, more courses, more PDFs, more swipe files. We don't need more training. We need more doing, we need more Implementing your audience has access to endless content, but what they don't have is support to implement the content they already have. So in 2026, I'm seeing my clients and myself as well leaning in to into less learning and more implementing.
[00:07:28] Less teaching and more doing so create a space where you can provide implementation, provide accountability, provide co-working and co-creation, hands-on support. Create a container where, where people can make real progress. So think VIP days intensives, mini masterminds, strategy workshops, anything where people can sprint and skyrocket their um, implementation is going to [00:08:00] be valued in the marketplace this year.
[00:08:03] People are overwhelmed, they're tired, and we don't need more information. We need someone to hold our hand as we implement. So think of how you can create offers that provide that kind of implementation support. Either you take it off of your client's plates or you create a space or a community, uh, where people can implement with you.
[00:08:26] Trend number four is one I've been talking about for a while. It is premium positioning and a premium offer ladder. Uh, so. I have been talking about this for a while, for about the last six months, about the importance of premium positioning. The market has shifted. We are more sophisticated. Your buyers are more sophisticated.
[00:08:48] They don't need entry level offers anymore. They need advanced expert level solutions. So positioning yourself as that expert is going to appeal to that. Kind of buyer, you'll be able to charge more. You have higher profitability, you have lower effort on your part because you're just showing up in your true gift.
[00:09:12] So I have been talking about this and I am now seeing a lot more creators talking about high ticket premium positioning, high ticket selling. So it is definitely a trend that you wanna hop on. Uh, but here's the twist. Premium doesn't mean just selling one gigantic signature offer. We're also seeing the rise of kind of.
[00:09:37] Uh, unbundling things to give people more of a taste or like an entry level, a first step on that ladder to working with you. So think of how you can sell a piece of your expert level framework. Um. Instead of the whole, the whole meal deal. So sell your framework or your playbook separately. [00:10:00] Offer focused workshops, intensives or mini masterminds to give people a taste of working with you.
[00:10:07] Uh, have a few different. Digestible entry points, but again, we're focused on that advanced buyer, not a beginner buyer. Um, and then once they've had a chance to have that taste with you, that first step with you, then you sell them the premium, deeper transformation at the top of the ladder. Now, the strategy was working really well for me in the last few months.
[00:10:32] Clients weren't really. Really ready to invest in a full project or maybe a full VIP day, but I could sell them a playbook. I could sell them that first piece of the work that I do with every client, and then they upgraded into the full project. The structure gives your audience choice and autonomy and safety because they're able to invest as a test and just to make sure that it's okay to invest with you at that higher level.
[00:11:01] It allows them to enter your world safely, experience your expertise to build trust and build relationship with you, and then selling them into the higher offer becomes a no brainer. Uh, you'll be viewed as a leader who can serve at multiple depths, but you're not going to feel burnt out because it's all within your, your area of excellence, and you're.
[00:11:24] Choosing to sell at a higher level and charge a more premium rate. This is what we do inside my community and program. Pivot to premium. I help you identify and implement your premium offer ladder and develop your high ticket message so you can attract and win more of those premium clients. So if you're ready to elevate your message and your sales in 2026, I'd love for you to consider joining Pivot to Premium.
[00:11:52] So. Go to kim keel.com/pivot to check that out. The fifth trend I am seeing is. A trend [00:12:00] towards regenerative sustainable marketing. And this is more on our own need to create this. Uh, and I've seen this in other areas of society, this trend to be more sustainable and consumerism to be more, um, co uh, cost efficient with our groceries to turn one meal into several with leftovers or to be more sustainable with fashion to, um.
[00:12:25] To repair our items or to go thrift shopping. And I believe that this trend is also affecting our marketing too. And it's out of necessity because we are all exhausted. This constant push to create more content, launch more offers and be everywhere is frankly unsustainable. And so the entrepreneurs who will burn out fastest will be the ones who will try to meet the algorithm, be viral, be everywhere, uh, at the expense of their own energy.
[00:12:54] Energy. So I really love the idea of regenerative sustainable marketing practices because it invites us to do the opposite. It invites us to slow down and approach our business like an ecosystem with natural cycles and natural seasons, and instead of constantly producing new content. You have permission to remix old content, to reuse what works, to rotate your themes, to create annual or seasonal rhythms, and to slow down in some seasons and ramp up in others, but to build a system that supports su sustainability and not depletion.
[00:13:35] This approach will create more creativity, will create, will support your mental health, and it will generate better results. Because the reality is people need to see the same message multiple times, some say seven times. Some say 13 or 18 times. So keep repeating your message. Keep repurposing and regenerating the marketing that [00:14:00] works for you.
[00:14:00] Don't try to constantly reinvent the wheel, and I, especially for Gen Xers and business like we, the demands on our personal lives are so great and we're constantly having to context switch to support those people in our lives. That I think really approaching our marketing. Our messaging, our positioning, and our sales through this lens of sustainability, regeneration, repurposing really serves us and it really allows us to focus on our genius zone and to not be pulled in other directions to try this trend or hop on this viral thing like focus on your zone of genius.
[00:14:42] Keep repeating your messages, lean into what works, and don't be afraid to scale back when you need that in your season of life. Now, if you're looking for some tactical and practical ways to do this, make sure you grab my Content Remix Strategy. It's a free workbook with out of the box ways you can repurpose your existing content.
[00:15:00] It includes examples and swipes from some of the biggest creators to some of the smaller creators. And it mostly reminds you that not only is it smart to repurpose, but it's essential to repurpose. So go to kim keel.com/remix to access that strategy and embed it into your business. And the final trend I wanna share with you is, uh.
[00:15:25] A i, o and GIO now GEO rather a i, o and GEO. So this is a huge shift in the marketing and it's happening quickly. Search is becoming generative. People are asking chat, GPT, perplexity. They're using Google's I overviews, meta ai, and uh, social media's, other search engines. To answer their questions, and these tools operate a little differently than traditional SEO.
[00:15:55] Uh, I recently saw a woman named Simone Sote speak [00:16:00] inside a community I was in, and what she shared blew my mind. She talked about GEO and a IO, generative engine optimization and artificial intelligence optimization. Essentially what it means is structuring your content so. AI search engines can easily understand and recommend it, and the way you do that is by focusing on clarity on data and by.
[00:16:27] Being viewed as being very trustworthy. So showing up in these generative AI tools is going to be essential for your business to show up in ai search your content needs to very clearly articulate your niche, who you serve, what you do, and very clearly answer those questions that people are typing into chat.
[00:16:50] You need to demonstrate expertise and trust across multiple platforms. Uh, you need to use structured, um, content that answers questions that people are typing into chat, and you need, you need to show credible proof points and remain consistent in how you describe your work. AI is rewarding clarity, not cleverness.
[00:17:14] They're rewarding authority, not volume and consistency over virality. What Simone shared was that AI tools value vetted trustworthy content more than personal promotion. So any trusted media sources. Feature you in your name will give you a higher ranking. Being mentioned on other blogs by other podcasters or appearing on other platforms will help you show up in generative search.
[00:17:41] I was also really surprised to hear that AI tools prioritize a platform like LinkedIn because it's a professional network and it's viewed as trustworthy versus Instagram or TikTok, which is viewed as more. Personal promotion and therefore less trustworthy. So I'm gonna [00:18:00] continue leaning into LinkedIn first in 2026.
[00:18:04] And then, yeah, I'll cross post to Instagram and Facebook. I am gonna prioritize speaking on other podcasts and looking for guest blogging opportunities, and maybe this will be the year that I get serious about seeking media or PR features because all of those activities are to support search. Pulling me up when people are asking questions about copywriting, messaging, marketing, high ticket sales.
[00:18:32] Now, if you've been sleeping on LinkedIn or you wanna really kickstart your LinkedIn presence in 2026, then you should grab my fuck around and find out LinkedIn Challenge. It's a self-led four week challenge with weekly activities and prompts to get you moving and implementing it is not a course, it's not a training, it's a guidebook with steps you implement.
[00:18:55] And the people who've taken the challenge, including myself, uh, have seen. Amazing results. We got new clients, we had more engagement and impressions on our posts, and we gained new followers. You can grab this resource for just 30 bucks. It's like a buck a day for this 30 day challenge. Um, and you'll find out what happens when you f around on LinkedIn.
[00:19:17] So go to kim keel.com/afo to grab that challenge. So my friend, let's recap the top six trends. In marketing and copywriting for 2026. Number one trend is community is going to be your new marketing flywheel. Number two, relationship selling and those micro connections are going to be critical. Trend number three, implementation over information.
[00:19:49] Number four, premium positioning and a premium offer ladder. Are essential. Number five, invest in [00:20:00] regenerative sustainable marketing. And number six, invest in a IO and GEO. These trends reflect, uh, shift in how we connect. How we market and how we serve. And in many ways, it's simply a return to good old fashioned marketing principles and business development.
[00:20:20] Meet people, connect with them, demonstrate that you're a premium expert in your space. Invite them to work with you and rinse and repeat the processes and marketing that are already working. 2026 is gonna reward business owners who prioritize clarity. Humanity, sustainability, and true community. It's a year where thoughtful marketing wins, where humanity wins, where community wins, where connection wins, and where your grounded wisdom becomes your competitive advantage.
[00:20:55] Now if you want help implementing any of these trends this year, from clarifying your messaging to tightening your premium offer suite, to writing copy that actually connects and converts, I'd love to support you. So please reach out and join us inside Pivot to Premium where we're. We are exploring all of these trends in real time.
[00:21:16] I am bringing in experts to help us implement and take action faster on things like building community or generative AI search. If you wanna be a part of this community of expert bad asses. Who are doing the work, making connections and building our businesses, marketing our expertise, then Pivot to Premium is a great fit for you.
[00:21:37] So please reach out to chat with me about it or find out more at kim keel.com/pivot. And I'm curious what you think. Do you agree with these trends? Am I missing anything? Please let me know and stay tuned because I'm going to host a workshop in the new year that will dive a little deeper into what these trends can mean for you and your business.
[00:21:59] So stay tuned [00:22:00] for that. But until then, thanks for listening and I'll see you next week.
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