The world is changing. Here are the top content trends I expect to see in 2025 that should help us adapt to those changes.

In business, we have to adapt to changing environments, economies and audiences all the time. 2024 has been a big year. A lot has happened on a global scale in terms of conflicts, politics and technological advancements. The cost of living has continued to rise, and many people are struggling. What people want to read about, hear and watch in 2025 is very different to that of five or ten years ago.

To keep afloat in the world of business, we need to be on the pulse when it comes to what our audiences want and where the gaps are in the market. I’ve collated six of the top content trends I expect to see in 2025. Incorporating these into your business should help you set up your practice to better navigate the year ahead.

My 6 Top Content Marketing Trends for 2025

1. The Use of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. While of course we need to conduct our own individual risk and value assessments, using AI can bring some fantastic benefits. AI allows brands to enhance personalisation for their audience. It offers the customisation of content based on user behaviour and preferences.

AI is also a helpful tool for brainstorming ideas and generating content. It can help you to improve efficiency and save time in content creation. Of course, as thought leaders, you’ll always need to be sure you’re adding your unique input and editing anything produced to check for accuracy. And if you’re producing content for the internet, keep in mind that Google’s algorithms favour high-quality, unique content.

Some AI tools that thought leaders could continue using to help with content marketing might be:

• ChatGPT

• Copy.ai

• Copyleaks

• Oracle AI

Others you might consider:

• StealthGPT

• Surfer SEO

• Jasper AI

• Crayo

• Originality AI

• Writer.com

• FullStory

• Zapier

• Chatfuel

• Grammarly

• Albert.ai

• Brand24

Tip: Use AI to improve your process efficiency, but don’t forget the value of your own thinking!

2. Podcast Pandemonium

Recent data shows that it’s a fantastic time to create a podcast in Australia. Nielsen’s latest Advanced Audiences research revealed that podcast popularity rose by 16% in the 12 months to June 2024. Older audiences are particularly interested. The number of Aussie listeners aged 60 and over increased by a whopping 49% to 1.125 million. Female listeners aged 55 years and over increased by 52%.

But what to talk about? Advanced Audiences revealed that 41% of podcast listeners enjoyed comedy, while 38% favoured society and culture. 46% of those surveyed said they chose podcasts to be entertained, while 36% said they wanted to be informed,

The moral of the story is: where’s your podcast? If you’re not yet offering your audience one, it may be the perfect time to consider it. Think about your unique insight or niche appeal, and market it. Podcasts are a great way to get more of your content to your audience.

Tip: Repurpose your best podcast content and turn it into social media quotes, graphs, blogs and newsletters.

3. Authentic Video and Audio

Videos continue to be king. In particular, short-form videos running under 60 seconds. This makes sense when you consider how overloaded we are with information all day, every day. Audiences love switching their brains off and consuming entertaining content in short snippets. TikTok and Instagram Reels are particularly popular.

Tip: Keep those videos short and snappy!

4. Bring the Fun

The world is a serious, often sad place right now. Audiences look to their phones to bring a bit of lightness to their day. Creating on-trend, entertaining content will place you in a good position for engagement.

Content fatigue is real. You’ve no doubt felt it yourself. The same old topics featured in the same old style of blog post, with the same old call to action. If you’re guilty of this — and in our time-poor world, frankly, who isn’t — it’s time to mix things up a bit in 2025.

Think outside the box or look to your favourite content creators or channels for inspiration. Inject some humour. throw in a meme. Get interactive with your content — audiences love to fill out quizzes or answer a question. Interview an interesting expert or big name in the field, and you can tap into their tribe at the same time.

Tip: Think about what YOU would love to read, listen to or watch.

5. Consider Where Your Audience Is

To really nail your content marketing trends 2025, it’s important to consider where your audience is. If you had to focus on just one or two platforms, where would you spend your time, energy and resources? In today’s world, you can likely take location out of the equation. The market has shifted, and we’re no longer oriented on brands and experts that are physically near to us. Today, we can access them anywhere in the world. That means your clients can access you from anywhere in the world as well.

But this globalisation means you have to narrow down who you are best able to help and how to reach them.

Tip: Remember to adjust your content timing to take into account a global market.

6. Consider Voice Search Optimisation

How many homes do you know that are kitted out with a smart speaker? Or an audio system in the car that responds to voice activation? Virtual assistant technology like Apple’s Sir, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are now hugely popular.

Interestingly, this has also changed the way many people search for content online. Instead of typing keywords into an interest search engine, now many of us are simply asking our questions via voice search. ‘Hey Siri, where’s the best coffee near me?’ Or ‘Hey Google, who invented voice recognition technology?’

Of course the way we request information by voice is typically more conversational and casual in style than the keywords we might type into a search bar. You would be wise to get a head start on this trend by adapting your SEO strategies to fit. This means long-tail keywords, predominantly in a question format, and more natural or conversational.

Tip: Consider the keywords you’ve optimised your website for and how someone might request the same information via voice search.

What other content marketing trends do you envisage for 2025? How are you preparing to adapt?

I’d love to hear your thoughts…