Communications trends 2026: Why you need quality copywriting

And just like that, 2025 is almost over. So, what’s next? After a year full of economic uncertainty and worries about AI’s rapid growth, here’s what 2025 taught comms pros, what the communication trends of 2026 will look like, and what you need to be ready for.

Communication trends 2026. Clock set at 12 with a champagne glass and champagne in front of a Christmas tree.

Communications trends recap

In 2025, the following five communications trends took centre stage across internal communications, marketing, PR, and brand messaging in the UK.

Understandable concerns about low-quality AI-generated content, constant change, and an increasing demand for genuine, authentic storytelling drove them.

Based on what we’ve seen this year, AI will continue to evolve as a communication trend in 2026. At the same time, it’s reassuring to know that organisations still value copywriters who create high-quality content that really connects with their audiences.

Communications trend 1: Less AI slop, more human focus

Writing 56 blogs for different sectors this year has shown me that clients truly appreciate well-crafted, high-quality copy and authentic, human storytelling.

Hand of a freelance copywriter writing shorthand in a book, holding a mobile phone in the other hand

This human-centric shift (not just in blogs) was partly a backlash against low-quality AI-generated content in 2025 that audiences hated when they spotted it. AI ‘slop’ prompted a renewed emphasis on creating content that centres on human needs and experiences, connects with audiences and builds trust.

Reports such as the Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) IC Index 2025 clearly show this shift. It highlighted employees’ preference for leaders who communicate honestly and empathetically at work, leading IoIC chief executive Jennifer Sproul to conclude: “Organisations can’t afford to strip the humanity out of communication.”

Discover the tell-tale signs of AI.

Your comms plan for 2026

In 2026, your best strategy is to focus on authentic storytelling and use AI as a complementary tool. Conduct interviews with real people to showcase human voices in your articles, blogs and case studies. This strategy creates E-E-A-T (Experienced, Expert, Authoritative, and Trustworthy) content that Google loves and gives you a valuable competitive advantage across your communications.

Communications trend 2: SEO with human copywriting

Another trend I noticed in 2025 was that clients, particularly in healthcare and insurance, were using SEO agencies to optimise for target keywords while outsourcing copywriting to professional writers to improve the organic performance of their content.

Longer-form content, such as in-depth ‘how-to’ guides, benefits from this approach, especially when coupled with AI strategies. This year, clients’ SEO agencies specified relevant, user-friendly steps or headings for me to elaborate on, such as writing direct answers to questions in lists, which search engines could feature as snippets or, better still, AI Overviews (AIOs).

Your comms plan for 2026

Refresh your content using a blended approach: SEO specialists develop keywords that trigger AIOs and implement strategic optimisation, while separate human copywriters draft the copy. As an added incentive, one client told me it’s typically cheaper for businesses to take this two-pronged approach than to hire a full-service SEO agency.

Communications trend 3: Inaccuracy and the crisis of trust

If you’re a PR or marketing manager working for a small business with a finite budget, have you thought about using AI? Of course you have. According to a 2025 survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Intuit, 35% of SMEs were using the technology in 2024, and 24% planned to adopt it.

Although generative AI can increase productivity, as we all know, it also contains bias, inaccuracies, and hallucinations. One client who employs me as a sub came up with a solution to the potential trust crisis.

He suggested using CoPilot to draft short stories for his organisation’s magazine, but gave me strict instructions to check every fact and rewrite the AI-generated output. The experiment shaved some time off the process and wasn’t onerous, given that I habitually check every fact in three different, authoritative places. Moreover, the client’s subject-matter experts (SMEs) review every story before going live.

Head to What is a sub-editor?

Your comms plan for 2026

Fear among the public that business leaders are lying is at an all-time high (2025 Edelman Trust Barometer), so communicators should focus on engendering trust in 2026. Have human experts review your AI content before you share it. They can check the AI’s output for accuracy, relevance, and factual accuracy. You can build further trust by being transparent about your AI use (I primarily use it for ideation, research, and content analysis).

Communications trend 4: Long-form articles vs video and podcast content

If you’ve been a copywriter for as long as I have, you’ll have seen article length go from short to very long to no ideal length at all. In the 1990s, it wasn’t unusual for me to write a spread of 750 to 1,000 words for printed publications. In the digital era, it is more important to satisfy user intent and add value to engage your audience.

The likelihood is that long-form articles will find audiences in 2026 if clients and their writers continue to meet these criteria. However, video is the more significant communications trend, with podcasts and audio close behind.

As evidence, read Marketing Week’s list of best marketing initiatives of 2025 and HubSpot’s free State of Marketing Report 2025. HubSpot showed that short-form video was the most popular format for B2B and B2C brands (30%) and delivered the highest return on investment (21%).

Your comms plan for 2026

Marketing Week points to the need for integrated, blended approaches in 2026, with adaptability across channels and visual storytelling at the heart of campaigns. UK communicators should incorporate a range of content, such as social media posts, authentic articles focused more on quality than length, and video and podcasts, to foster connected experiences.

Communications trend 5: Experiment with and measure AI

Benjamin Franklin is famous for saying that nothing’s certain except death and taxes. If he were alive today and worked in comms, he’d probably add artificial intelligence to the list. Although AI raises ethical, regulatory, and truthfulness issues, it was one of the most talked-about aspects of life in 2025, according to the Reuters Institute.

Everyone in the communications sector, including me, has experimented with the likes of Claude, Perplexity, and CoPilot, and has grown accustomed to seeing AI overviews on search engines. In 2026, AI in communications will continue to affect professional communicators, whether you work in marketing, branding or internal communications.

Your comms plan for 2026

Given how far AI has come, everyone in communications should now use it more accurately, effectively, and strategically, including understanding and measuring its impact with data. Claude recommended parallel tracking systems, visibility metrics, using AI tools to analyse AI content and audience reactions, and tracking conversion differences between it and human-created content. In other words, use AI to audit itself.

Key takeaway: Double down on human creativity in the New Year

AI evolution will continue in 2026, but demand for insights from real people will accelerate, with authentic storytelling and transparency about AI use as the driving forces. UK communications professionals will succeed if they use AI as a tool that enhances their creativity and empathy, while validating content with human judgment.

For copywriters, the trends towards SEO integration, authority and trust building, and well-crafted copy play to our strengths. Let’s make 2026 the year when we apply our understanding and expertise to add the nuance AI lacks.