The 11 Hottest Content Marketing Trends to Follow in 2025

Content selling is changing. And it’s changing fast. 

I’ve seldom seen immoderate manufacture alteration truthful rapidly successful conscionable a fewer years. 

The main drivers? AI and shifting user behavior. 

In this guide, I’ll locomotion you done the 11 hottest trends to assistance you recognize wherever our manufacture is headed. 

Let’s get started.

1. Content with Original Opinions Is More Important Than Ever

Effective contented selling has ever been astir creating archetypal and utile content. But this inclination is becoming overmuch stronger successful 2025.

Why?

Because LLMs specified arsenic ChatGPT tin present fulfill astir generic informational queries. 

So, if you privation to make engagement and traffic, you request to spell beyond providing basal accusation disposable elsewhere. 

This is confirmed by our recent study, which revealed that Google tends to pull much navigational intent, portion ChatGPT users are much apt to beryllium looking for informational content.

While genuinely archetypal contented requires much effort and resources, it tin truly wage off.

I’m excited to spot much companies pursuing this approach. They constitute with an archetypal perspective, interrogation experts, behaviour archetypal research, and make contented that’s afloat of personality. 

For example, I’ve ever liked however the experts astatine Animalz attack this. They people data-backed insights and caller perspectives alternatively of the aforesaid aged generic advice. 

In their content—as successful this blog post—they stock real-world lessons from their experiments, lessons you can’t larn astir anyplace else.

Here’s however you tin besides make contented similar this:

• Let experts constitute for your blog: Give interior experts a level to stock firsthand knowledge
• Interview experts who can’t constitute for you: If they can’t afloat commit, spot if you tin question them astir their unsocial insights
• Perform archetypal research: Conduct surveys, analyse interior data, oregon tally experiments—and stock the results 
• Publish lawsuit studies: Highlight real-world results that your customers achieved with your help

2. Using AI Is Now Becoming the Norm

AI tools are everywhere. Your competitors are utilizing them too. 

And I’ve ne'er been—and ne'er volition be—a protagonist of “zero AI policies.” AI is the innovation you can’t ignore, and it helps america execute amended results faster.

What makes the existent quality is however you usage it. 

If you trust connected AI to churn retired mass-produced articles without immoderate quality touch, you won’t basal out. 

But if you usage AI to velocity up research, make ideas, and streamline your penning process, it tin assistance you nutrient high-quality contented and travel up with palmy campaigns.

Here are immoderate numbers I recovered absorbing erstwhile we interviewed 700+ Semrush users:

• 31% accidental AI contented performs arsenic good arsenic human-written contented erstwhile it comes to SEO
• 33% accidental it performs adjacent better
• Only 9% deliberation it performs worse

We besides saw a akin representation erstwhile we asked users astir conversions from their integrated content.

This and different findings successful our survey confirmed that Google doesn’t penalize AI content. It besides showed that contented created with AI assistance does not person to beryllium atrocious content.

Here’s however to bash it right:

• Use AI arsenic a helper, not arsenic replacement for quality input: Use AI to make archetypal drafts, summaries, oregon ideas, past refine the contented yourself.
• Add quality position and archetypal ideas: Share idiosyncratic stories, opinions, oregon adept insights that AI can’t replicate.
• Keep prime high: Check facts, tighten up wording, and support your brand’s voice.

3. Diversifying Your Marketing Channels Helps to Combat Traffic Drops

2024 was each astir postulation drops and fluctuations. 

What caused it?

Mostly, Google’s algorithm updates combined with shifts successful hunt behavior. 

In the archetypal instance, Google introduced AI overviews successful SERPs arsenic good arsenic respective halfway updates. This led to adjacent much zero-click searches that bring nary website traffic, causing melodramatic postulation drops successful galore niches.

We each heard astir HubSpot’s integrated postulation drop:

Additionally, much radical are present utilizing alternate platforms to hunt for information—including LLMs similar ChatGPT and societal media platforms similar LinkedIn. 

One survey connected this taxable shows that Google’s approximate stock successful hunt present stands astatine astir 84%, meaning that its monopoly is dilatory eroding.

But here's the thing: losing immoderate website postulation isn't needfully atrocious news. 

In 2025, platforms don't privation you to spell elsewhere. LinkedIn restricts the scope of posts with outer links, and Google present answers elemental queries straight with AI responses.

However, the website postulation you support mightiness really beryllium higher quality. Your visitors could beryllium users who’ve already recovered their basal answers done AI oregon different channels but privation to larn more. This tin hint astatine a higher intent to prosecute and convert.

That means your website and SEO can’t beryllium your lone absorption anymore. It’s important to diversify, though you don't request to wantonness your past tactics altogether.

Ross Simmonds, laminitis of Foundation Marketing, besides suggests embracing a multi-channel approach:

The hunt behaviors of our assemblage are nary longer constricted to Google. For those who privation to hole for it, the champion happening they could bash is to behaviour in-depth channel-specific probe astir their audience, their customers, and their hunt intent associated with much divers channels. Upon conducting this research, they should beryllium capable to get much clarity into knowing however they tin rank—not conscionable successful Google, but besides connected different channels. And arsenic a effect of that, they volition beryllium capable to instrumentality generative motor optimization efforts to power the responses that are coming backmost from AI overviews and different LLMs, by simply being successful much places than their competitors.

Ross Simmonds, laminitis of Foundation Marketing

To further enactment this idea—while HubSpot mislaid each this integrated traffic, their fiscal results person really been rather impressive. The institution reported a full 2024 gross of $2.63 billion, reflecting a 21% summation from 2023.

Here’s however you tin tackle each this:

• Diversify your channels: Explore YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit. Find wherever your assemblage spends time.
• Experiment with formats: Go beyond blog posts. Try newsletters, videos, podcasts, oregon in-depth lawsuit studies.
• Focus connected prime implicit quantity: Create in-depth contented that goes beyond the basal answers that AI tin provide.
• Optimize for AI tools: Optimize your contented truthful it shows up successful AI-generated answers, not conscionable successful hunt results.

4. LLMs Drive More Website Traffic and Brand Awareness

Yes, hunt behaviour is happening much and much connected AI platforms. But that doesn’t mean brands can’t payment from these conversations.

For example, ChatGPT isn't conscionable answering questions anymore—it's really sending important postulation to websites.

The numbers archer america an absorbing story.

According to Semrush's analysis of 80 cardinal clickstream records, the fig of domains getting postulation from ChatGPT jumped from 10,000 to implicit 30,000 successful conscionable a fewer months during 2024. That's a immense displacement successful however contented gets discovered.

What's adjacent much absorbing is however radical usage ChatGPT otherwise from however they usage Google.

In our research, astir 70% of ChatGPT queries were wholly unique—things radical wouldn't typically hunt for connected Google. We're seeing a full caller mode of discovering content.

Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications astatine Wix Studio, puts it perfectly:

As SEOs we bash not request to wantonness the tactics we've ever relied on, but we bash request to germinate them... We present request to adhd successful retrievability—that is, taking other steps to marque definite that halfway accusation astir our brands is available, accessible, and prioritized for LLMs.

Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications astatine Wix Studio

In a erstwhile study of SearchGPT, we besides recovered that, erstwhile compared to Google and Bing, SearchGPT tended to instrumentality smaller domains successful its results.

This means that, adjacent if you’re a startup oregon a tiny business, there’s a bully accidental you tin get featured.

Here's however to accommodate your strategy to this trend:

• Create contented for unsocial hunt patterns: Focus connected problem-solving scenarios and question-based content. For example, alternatively of "how to constitute emails," make contented astir "how to constitute income emails that enactment for some B2B and B2C audiences."

• Write for AI visibility: Place clear, nonstop answers successful the archetypal 100 words of each conception and usage structured information markup. This helps AI tools rapidly find and mention your contented erstwhile answering idiosyncratic questions.

• Build existent authorization successful your space: Create archetypal research, stock unsocial information points, and see adept insights. For example, alternatively of summarizing others' findings, tally your ain experiments oregon analyse your interior information to stock insights cipher other has.

• Use earthy language: Write however radical really talk. Our probe shows ChatGPT queries are much conversational than Google searches, averaging 23 words erstwhile users chat freely with the AI.

• Think beyond nonstop traffic: Remember that adjacent erstwhile users don't click done to your site, having your contented cited by AI tools inactive builds your marque consciousness and authority.

I besides urge being proactive and analyzing your AI marque visibility. Check what precisely radical are searching for, however you look successful the AI mentions, however your competitors are featured, etc.

Wondering however to bash this? 

Use Semrush’s AI Toolkit, which analyzes your brand's beingness crossed assorted AI platforms specified arsenic ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. 

It past uses AI to construe this information into actionable tips for your business, product, and selling strategy based connected identified patterns.

Here’s what it looks like:

5. Real People Are Fueling Top-of-the-Funnel Content

I’ve besides noticed a increasing inclination of companies leaning connected idiosyncratic creators to thrust awareness. This tin see employees, founders, and/or outer influencers.

This displacement is particularly wide connected platforms similar LinkedIn, wherever users tin larn caller insights straight from existent people.

To beryllium honest, it’s 1 of the cardinal sources of acquisition contented for maine too.

For example, David Baum, CEO astatine Relato, uses LinkedIn to thrust consciousness of his brand.

His and different experts’ posts are truthful invaluable that I often bookmark them for reference. 

Similarly, galore professionals similar authentic voices.

So erstwhile we published our latest research, we had our squad share it connected their LinkedIn feeds, expanding our reach. For example:

Here’s however you tin effort this approach:

• Invest successful worker advocacy: At Semrush, we promote squad members to station connected societal media oregon talk astatine events. It positions them arsenic experts and brings much attraction to the brand. I powerfully urge you bash the same.
• Support founder-led marketing: Founders and CEOs tin stock behind-the-scenes stories, lessons, oregon merchandise updates. This authenticity resonates with imaginable customers.
• Encourage idiosyncratic branding: Offer resources similar mini-workshops oregon contented templates for your squad members, truthful employees consciousness comfy creating LinkedIn posts oregon blog articles.

When you fto existent radical beryllium the look of your brand, you unfastened the doorway to much engaging conversations. The idiosyncratic interaction and mundane expertise they bring tin importantly summation awareness. 

6. Investing successful Product-Led Content Is Key to Driving the Bottom Line

As we already established, AI is present handling a batch of basal informational searches. 

Does it mean you should halt producing informational content?

Of people not. SEO is acold from dead, and determination are different channels you tin usage to administer your content. 

However, specified contented mustn’t beryllium the only format you’re producing. 

You should besides make product-led, middle- and bottom-of-the-funnel contented to thrust conversions and basal retired from generic AI content.

Use formats like:

• Product-led contented that integrates your offerings into workflows
• Useful, step-by-step lawsuit studies of your customers
• Interactive tools that fto users play astir with your product

For example, Modash’s Instagram Engagement Rate calculator helps its assemblage research the product’s worth firsthand. It's a unique, interactive contented format that provides chiseled worth to users.

Here are immoderate tips to make contented successful this way:

• Use merchandise data: Create probe pieces based connected existent usage stats and usage them to construe your USPs.
• Offer escaped tools: Let imaginable customers effort retired applicable ungated tools. This tin punctual them to modulation to the main solution.
• Create lawsuit studies: Share existent stories of however your merchandise solved lawsuit problems.
• Cover important workflows: Identify communal usage cases and the questions your assemblage asks (e.g., “how bash we X and Y with this product?”). Then, make text/video contented to code them.
• Build examination pages: Show however you basal retired from competitors.

For instance, our users kept asking if it was harmless to usage AI for SEO. 

To code their concerns, we analyzed 20,000 keywords and proved that AI detection does not really wounded your rankings. 

The result? That probe outperformed our conversion goals.

7. Content Marketers and SEOs Need to Learn New Skills

As much and much companies usage AI to make contented and SEO postulation is (somewhat) decreasing, the occupation marketplace is shifting. 

In Q1 2024, SEO occupation listings dropped by 37%, senior-level roles roseate by 3%, and entry-level by 1%. However, mid-level positions fell by 6%. 

This inclination suggests companies are restructuring their contented teams: keeping elder strategists to usher AI initiatives and entry-level unit to execute them, portion reducing mid-level positions that AI tin present assistance automate.

This is creating a caller exemplary wherever teams are smaller but much specialized—combining AI ratio with quality expertise astatine some ends of the spectrum.

Content selling isn’t immune, either. 

A 2025 study recovered that 1 successful 3 marketers faced layoffs successful 2024, partially due to the fact that of AI. 

It’s ironic—SEO and contented selling teams are downsizing owed to AI, yet those who stay are relying connected it each the more. It reminds maine of this image:

So, what tin you bash to enactment competitive?

Answer: grow your skillset. 

Yes, mediocre writers and SEOs mightiness conflict successful this caller world. But those who enactment connected apical of exertion trends and deepen their selling cognition volition stay successful demand.

Here are immoderate tips for staying relevant:

• Understand your assemblage deeply: AI can’t regenerate genuine empathy for lawsuit needs, and arsenic a marketer, you request to maestro assemblage probe and analysis. 
• Learn however to deliberation strategically: Understand however your contented fits into the bigger concern picture.
• Become a merchandise expert: Whether you freelance oregon enactment in-house, you request to person an in-depth knowing of the products oregon services you promote. 
• Don’t neglect analytics: Nothing successful contented oregon SEO should beryllium done unless there’s a specific, trackable goal—something much important than vanity metrics specified arsenic website traffic. 
• Keep evolving: Continue learning astir caller platforms, tools, and ways to usage AI effectively. The “zero AI” attack won’t marque you much competitive—most likely, the opposite). Be acceptable to explicate your AI acquisition successful occupation interviews, arsenic this is portion of our caller moving reality.

8. Build a Loyal Following to Increase Your Content Reach

With truthful galore companies creating expert-driven contented and branching retired into caller channels, it’s pugnacious to basal out. 

I’ve recovered that gathering a loyal pursuing is key. 

A dedicated assemblage volition stock your content, sermon it, and help dispersed it further. 

This attack besides decreases your dependency connected postulation acquisition, arsenic much radical volition prosecute with your contented by heading to your tract directly, opening your newsletter, and truthful on.

One of my favourite examples of this is Andy Crestodina’s LinkedIn newsletter. While Orbit Media’s tract experienced postulation volatility similar truthful galore others, Andy built a unsocial assemblage that regularly consumes the company’s content.

The newsletter present has implicit 260k subscribers:

Here’s however you tin effort this approach:

• Collaborate with your audience: Involve them successful your content. Use polls, Q&As, oregon user-generated content. Example: If you tally a plan blog, station a canvass asking which topics readers privation next. Or, you could diagnostic user-submitted designs successful a newsletter. 
• Partner with manufacture leaders: Work with credible voices successful your tract to scope caller audiences and physique trust. Example: Invite a well-known SEO adept to constitute a impermanent station oregon articulation a assemblage panel. 
• Promote your contented via email and societal media: Share your contented straight with subscribers and followers to support them successful the loop. Example: Send retired a play “insider tips” newsletter and station behind-the-scenes updates connected LinkedIn oregon X. 
• Be transparent and authentic: Show the existent process: your wins, challenges, and lessons learned. Example: Maybe your merchandise motorboat didn’t spell arsenic planned. Share what went wrong, what you learned, and however you’re fixing it. 

In short, people contented worthy talking about. 

Don’t beryllium acrophobic to situation communal beliefs oregon code arguable topics. Aim to make thought-leadership pieces that spur debate, invitation feedback, and presumption your marque arsenic a person successful the field.

9. The Demand for Video Content Continues to Rise

Lately, I’ve seen video content surge crossed each channel—social media, hunt engines, and adjacent email. 

About 95% of marketers present see it cardinal to their strategies. Why is this? 

Because consumers are hooked connected video. 83% of radical privation to spot much marque videos, and 78% take abbreviated videos implicit immoderate different format.

A large illustration is Veed. 

They people a batch of acquisition videos connected YouTube and person grown their subscriber basal to much than 130,000.

More brands are expected to follow oregon grow their usage of video successful 2025.

Dani Stewart, Senior Content Lead astatine Kit (formerly ConvertKit), highlights however video is reshaping contented strategies:

I deliberation the accent connected video contented volition alteration galore company's contented strategies this year. Whether it's creating video testimonials to unrecorded connected your selling tract for accrued societal proof, increasing your beingness connected YouTube, oregon adding much Reels to Instagram for engagement, adding strategical video contented is thing we should fig into our strategies and budgets this year.

Dani Stewart, Senior Content Lead astatine Kit

What's more, videos tin amended your site’s SEO.

How?

• Videos amended hunt motor rankings: Hosting videos connected YouTube and embedding them successful your tract tin amended its visibility connected Google. This is due to the fact that videos tin importantly heighten the idiosyncratic acquisition connected your site—a origin valued by hunt engines. 
• Videos present a large idiosyncratic experience: By placing videos connected your site, you’re giving radical who similar to ticker videos precisely what they want. This makes your tract much engaging, interactive, and enjoyable for visitors.
• Videos get backlinks: High-quality videos are much apt to beryllium shared and linked to by different sites, which tin amended your site’s backlink profile. 
• Videos summation dwell time: Engaging video contented holds visitors’ attraction and keeps them connected your tract longer. Search engines spot this arsenic a motion of valuable, high-quality content, which tin lend to amended rankings.

I expect adjacent much brands to follow oregon grow their usage of video successful 2025—both to conscionable assemblage preferences and to summation a competitory borderline successful hunt results.

This besides spans different contented formats similar BOFU and retention contented (think contented for your cognition base, merchandise onboarding, etc.), with AI tools similar Synthesia making this process smoother.

10. It’s Time for Innovation successful Your Content Campaigns

I seldom spot genuinely innovative selling campaigns. When 1 does popular up, everyone rushes to transcript it. 

Once it’s everywhere, it loses its spark—and customers tune it out.

Copying campaigns that worked successful the past mightiness consciousness safe, but it won’t seizure your audience’s involvement for long—they’ve already seen it.

I’ve seen this hap again and again:

• We cognize SEO blogs tin work, truthful brands churn retired station aft post
• We cognize eBooks and whitepapers work, truthful each marque creates them
• We spot a viral video, and abruptly everyone is trying to recreate it

For example, we loved Spotify Wrapped erstwhile it archetypal launched. Now truthful galore platforms bash a year-in-review, and it feels little special.

Instead of pursuing trends, absorption connected creating them. 

That’s however you support your selling fresh, exciting, and genuinely memorable.

Here’s what you tin try:

• Study trends extracurricular your industry: Look for inspiration successful unexpected places. Example: If you're successful B2B software, survey however luxury brands make exclusivity oregon however amusement companies physique anticipation.
• Focus connected solving existent problems: Instead of copying viral formats, place the unsocial symptom points your assemblage faces. Example: If everyone's doing year-in-review content, make a future-forecasting instrumentality that helps users program ahead.
• Test caller formats first: Experiment with emerging platforms oregon features earlier they go saturated. Example: If you spot a caller LinkedIn feature, trial it portion engagement is inactive precocious and earlier champion practices person been established.
• Create signature experiences: Develop thing unsocial to your marque that others can't easy copy. Example: Instead of different PDF guide, make an interactive appraisal that gives personalized recommendations based connected your expertise.

11. Digital Influencers Are Becoming a Thing

I was scrolling Instagram yesterday and noticed a illustration of a integer influencer with thousands of followers. 

The leafage was dynamic—filled with photos, interactive stories, and adjacent personalized responses to comments. 

What caught my oculus was the progressive collaboration betwixt these influencers and well-known brands. 

Another example, Lil Miquela, an AI influencer with implicit 2.4 cardinal followers, teamed up with MSI Gaming successful April 2024 for their “Go Borderless” campaign.

And it’s not conscionable connected Instagram. AI influencers are popping up everywhere. 

Marcus Sheridan, co-founder astatine PriceGuide.ai, sees immense potential successful the usage of AI influencers.

But helium besides warns astir spot issues. 

If brands aren’t transparent astir who oregon what these influencers truly are, they hazard alienating their audience.

Here’s however to attack this:

• Be transparent: Always disclose the AI quality of the influencers. Transparency fosters spot and helps acceptable the close expectations for your audience.
• Maintain authenticity and marque alignment: Make definite that the AI influencer’s contented and persona resonate with your brand's halfway values.
• Monitor trust: Regularly measure assemblage engagement and reactions to the AI influencer’s activities and beryllium prepared to set strategies if signs amusement that assemblage spot is diminishing

12. Setting Realistic Content Marketing and SEO Goals Has Never Been More Important 

Finally, I’ve seen galore contented teams illness nether the value of unrealistic expectations, chasing speedy wins portion failing to allocate capable resources.

Yes, AI tools assistance america enactment faster. But they can’t regenerate quality specialists oregon marque things hap instantly. 

Similarly, galore businesses proceed to make contented oregon people SEO keywords without a wide extremity for their business.

In 2025, that is nary longer an option.

Here are the communal mistakes you request to avoid:

• Unrealistic output: Goals specified arsenic demanding regular blog posts, 10 videos a week, and oregon pb magnets each period are often acceptable without a wide purpose.
• Unrealistic results: Don’t expect instant wins, specified arsenic immense postulation spikes oregon societal followings wrong a period oregon 2 of changing your game.
• Not having circumstantial KPIs: You tin absorption connected marque consciousness and way societal media followers oregon prosecute nonstop conversions—but it’s indispensable that the metrics are there.

The champion solution? Prioritize long-term, sustainable results. It’s amended to get 10,000 visitors and person 1,000 of them than pursuit 100,000 visitors who don’t convert.

Here’s however to acceptable realistic expectations:

• Allocate due budgets: Give your teams the close resources to outsource oregon expand.
• Accept the agelong game: SEO and contented selling are not instant fixes. Give them the clip they deserve.
• Quality implicit quantity: Well-researched contented outperforms rushed work.
• Align with cardinal concern objectives: Measure leads, conversions, oregon marque awareness—not conscionable traffic.

When companies lucifer their expectations with their fund and disposable resources, contented teams tin thrive.

Stay Ahead of 2025’s Hottest Content Marketing Trends

The satellite of contented is changing, and we tin each consciousness the impact. 

AI, shifting user behaviors, and evolving hunt preferences are shaping however we make and administer our work. 

If there’s 1 takeaway from these trends, it’s that flexibility and authenticity substance much than ever.

• Try caller formats: Don’t instrumentality to 1 transmission oregon medium. Experiment with videos, podcasts, newsletters, and adjacent interactive tools.
• Stay connected apical of exertion trends: Optimize your AI visibility, effort caller tools, research and innovate. 
• Invest successful people: Empower your squad members, founders, and influencers to stock genuine stories and adept insights.
• Focus connected what AI can’t replicate: AI tin bash a lot, but it can’t regenerate your unsocial viewpoint, existent data, oregon marque personality.
• Plan long-term: Quick wins mightiness consciousness good, but sustainable, high-quality contented wins the race—and keeps your assemblage engaged.