The Top 3 Copywriting Trends To Watch in 2026

If you're wondering how to stay relevant and write content that actually connects in the AI era—we need to talk about what’s really working in 2026.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the top 3 copywriting trends I’m seeing that are reshaping the way heart-centered entrepreneurs market and message their offers. These predictions are grounded in what’s already shifting across my clients, peers, and my own business.

What We Cover:

• The 3 shifts you need to know NOW for success in 2026 (and beyond)
• Why “human vs. AI” is the wrong question—and what matters more
• How to write for AI search and for real people
• What support clients want (what’s working NOW)
• Future-proofing your content so it still converts a year from now

➡️ SHOW NOTES: Grab all the links and resources mentioned in this episode on the blog here! https://www.megankachigan.com/2026-copywriting-trends

Have a question about digital marketing, messaging, or copywriting? Get YOUR questions answered on the show! Submit here → https://forms.gle/9rPT7dtAKQCErzUg6

FREE RESOURCE: Copy not converting? Increase your conversion rate in 30-mins or less with my free Messaging & Positioning Audit.

CONNECT WITH MEGAN:
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Transcript

The copywriting landscape is shifting again. I've been in business since pre pandemic, pre AI and I feel like we are still dealing with the aftermath and the after effects of those two major shifts that affected our industry, and not just our industry and beyond. So today I want to share with you the three copywriting trends that you cannot afford to ignore in 2026 These are simple strategic shifts that you can implement now, as they are already changing the way values driven businesses, write, sell and show up online. So whether you are a podcast or using content to fuel your marketing, a copywriter helping clients find their voice in a noisy space, or a coach, consultant, speaker, or some other type of expert, and you're just tired of shouting into the algorithm void, these trends really shifts are going to help you be smarter with your marketing, so that it actually brings in your best fit clients without this feeling like another full time job on top of doing what you actually do best. So first, before I dive into the three things I want to share with you for 2026 let's review my copywriting trend predictions from last year in 2025 and see how I did. And I'm not gonna lie, not gonna toot my own horn here, but I am pretty impressed looking back at what I said. So I had four different trends that I talked about, and the first one was that AI copywriting is not converting, and I'm going to expand on this today,
but yeah, I would say the pendulum really swung hard to AI is going to take over. Copywriters and so many other people aren't going to have a job anymore,
and now I feel like the pendulum is starting to swing back of like, yeah, AI is absolutely a helpful tool. We need to be aI literally literate, and we need to use it, but AI copywriting alone, like we've all seen those posts where we're like, okay, chat, GPT clearly wrote this, and then you just end up losing so much trust in the person that you read that from. Or just like,
experiencing, I don't know about you, but like for me, I like experience a lot of like, micro grief and sadness, like hearing some of my favorite thought leaders in the space where it's just like, oh, this, this isn't actually you.
So okay, I'm going to hop back to that because, of course, I'm going to talk about that, what that's going to look like for 2026 but I think I hit it pretty spot on for 2025 I also talked about having a heavy focus on ROI when hiring, people are being more so much more discerning with their hires. And I think that's still going to be true going into 2026 that again, I feel like, as a follow up, I wrote my 2026 prediction before looking back at 2025 and I'm like, Oh, they actually like, feel like all follow ups to this, but really, these are the big things.
So there was so much fear in the market, in the economy, and that makes business owners want to cut back on their hired support, whether that's w2, 1099, retainer, hourly, whatever.
And I think it's going to be an interesting swing for 2026 so, okay, I'm going to get to that one, but let's finish reviewing 2025 I'm scrolling down through my episode here. Oh, hard sell. Tactics are out for sure. Everyone is. Over it.
We know right, like the era of webinars are so over.
Actually, I do know one person who still does them pretty well, but I think the traditional webinar is is for the most part, out. The hard sell tactics are out. The aggressive bro strategies are out. So yeah, that one was very much spot on. And then the last one I said, was about communicating consistently, not just with your clients, but also, like in your marketing, being consistent about it, to get off that referral roller coaster to get more into content repurposing so you're not burning out doing it. And I think that's still true, and I think people have stepped into that more because we've seen, we've seen the whole cycle of what happens, and it's exhausting, to be honest. So I think all of those are good things that that really came to light in 2025 but now I want to shift into what is going to happen for 2026 where are we already starting to see momentum and things shift to and in my experience, working with multiple six and seven figure clients, what has been working with them? What are like the trends? And I actually hate the word trends, but like, what are these like, golden threads of commonality between all of these higher level clients, even across industries from professional personal development to life coaching to health and wellness coaching to business and marketing.
What are kind of these common threads that I'm seeing? And there were three things that really stood out to me for 2026
the trends, the shifts that we need to watch. So the first shift I want to share with you is that the best AI copywriting will be human first. So it's really a hybrid that we're looking at, like, we in 2025 we swung hard to it's all AI. And I don't think we're ever gonna go back to like, it's all fully human, though, maybe like, I definitely have some clients where, like, I just don't use AI at all, because one for me as a trained copywriter, like, sometimes it's just easier to just do it myself and get totally in flow. But I really think that the future of copywriting is not human versus AI. It's not something that we're pitting against each other, but it's really human with AI. Like, how can we use AI as a team member so that we don't have to choose between efficiency or humanity? Because the truth is, you need both. You need both. So as AI continues to evolve, the real skill will no longer be like using AI, but how can you really partner with it? Because obviously we know the best copywriting is never going to sound like a robot pretending to be human, but instead it's going to be human using technology to write with more depth, with more empathy and more precision than ever before, and we're going to get that way by going deep into like, well, who really am I? What do I want to be known for? What is my message? What is my mission? What is this reason why I started the business? And those questions are going to be more important than ever to revisit, and that's one of the reasons why my messaging journal continues to sell so well is because that is giving you the prompts, the questions for you to answer, and even if you just feed that to chat. GPT, once you finish the messaging journal, it's going to give you so much better output. And even if you don't use it for chat. GBT, it's just the clarity that it's going to bring you is going to make your copywriting, your marketing, your decisions, so much easier, because you have the foundation, the solid foundation, in place. So I mean, if you think about it, efficiency alone doesn't sell. That's a nice to have, but what really sells is empathy. That has always been the number one skill of copywriters to have empathy, and as more brands flood the internet with templated and chatgpt sounding content, the businesses that are going to win are those whose audience can still feel a real person behind every message, and that's where this hybrid human first approach comes in, because the future belongs to entrepreneurs who use AI as a powerful assistant, but still lead with their own voice, story and values, and this is what I mean when I. Say that like we're talking about less hustle and more heart. And this also what I mean by values, first marketing, the name of my podcast here, your values have to shine through in order for you to stand out in a sea of sameness from others in your industry. And now more than ever, people are going to cling to you and stay with you and have a high client retention rate because they share your same values. That is the foundation on which we are standing. So you need to know what those are. And just to clarify, because so many people ask me, you're sharing your values. Doesn't mean like, I stand for authenticity, I stand for simplicity. Like you're not just, like, explicitly saying these are my values. You're like, actually just living them out. So people know, without you having to say what they are. And it's also not necessarily spouting your religious or political beliefs, though, if that is important to you and you want to use your platform to share those things that absolutely you do you and go ahead, but you don't necessarily have to share those things, if that is not within your comfort zone, zone of vulnerability that you want to share, that is not necessarily what I mean by values. First, marketing, you can still market with your values without sharing a peep about your political or religious beliefs. Okay, don't want to go off on that tangent, but let's get back on track here so we know that people don't just want to read a polished copy anymore. They really want to connect with the human behind the brand. They want to know your story, your pivots, even your mistakes, like we want to feel your humanness, not your perfection, because at the end of the day, content should lead to connection. Connection is going to lead to conversations. And conversations are what build relationships and like that's actually what builds your business for the long haul so many copywriters say, I write you content that converts. And I mean, like, technically, yes, but that's instead of going from like A to B to C, that's going from like a to z, and you're skipping all of the nuance in the middle, which is really important, because you can't make that leap from content to conversion. You know, just in the snap of your fingers, there are other things that need to be placed in place so that more of your content can ultimately lead to that conversion. And I know that so many of you feel that authenticity is an overused buzzword, and I agree, we use it a lot, but I think that's because it's true and genuine. Authenticity is a business advantage, and I think it's something that people say a lot, but like, we don't actually see. And really, I think the best marketers will build smart systems that allow them to maintain consistency and intimacy, and their content won't just sell, but it's actually going to scale trust because they create more like, oh my gosh, you get me type of moments, and that is really what we want. That is what is going to get people signing up and selling out your programs and staying with you, the retention, the client retention, which more people need to talk about, that is what this does. So when AI is used intentionally, it can actually deepen the human connection. It can help you organize your thoughts, save time, bring your best ideas to life faster, without ever replacing your voice. So I think this is hard, because
I think like 80% of people that we see are using it wrong, and it can be a huge turn off,
but there are smart ways to use chat, GPT for copywriting that make it convert better while still sounding on brand. I actually did a whole podcast episode earlier on. I've linked it in the show notes about eight smart ways that I use chat GPT, and it doesn't necessarily have to be for like it still can speed up your process without Spitting out your final draft. That's a whole nother can of worms, but I will leave that resource for you in the blog, in the show notes, for you to check out if you're interested in that. So what I teach is that I want you to use AI, if, like, if you want to use AI to amplify your message, and if you're only using it to save time, like it can dilute your message, it can dilute the power of your voice, and it can break trust, like your use of AI is not neutral. It's either going to help you or, I think, used in the wrong way, it could actually hurt you and diminish trust and brand reputation. So this is important. And this is really important to get right, and it's I, I would not be haphazard in just trying it out, testing out, not really having an education behind it, throwing it up there, and then you're actually like, losing trust with your people. But on the other hand, the flip side of the coin is that when it's done right, AI can actually help you write smarter, faster and more aligned copy that truly sounds like you. And we broke that down further with Kinsey from authentic AI in our recent episode called AI copywriting that sounds like you. Again, I've linked that in the show notes. It's really powerful. Kinsey is so smart, she is an AI expert, and she is one of the people that really, I mean, when AI first came out, and she shares that she felt the same way too, of, like, very skeptical. And I know I was too because, like, this is a powerful tool, but like, how can we use it well
and to really embrace it? It was, it was a big mindset shift for me when I had that conversation with her, so it's definitely a good one to check out, and she has some great resources in there as well.
So if you're like, Okay, I'm in but like, what does this actually look like in real life? I also have a case study with a top 1% podcaster. We use this hybrid human first approach to turn her podcast and brand voice into a content system that runs entirely by her assistant, and it converts even while she's on vacation. She took a three week vacation, and this system kept running without her working on it, without me working on it anymore. I had completed it, and this was like the stress test, and it worked, and it continues to work. And every time I see her post come out, I'm just like, Yes, I know that was me, and I'm not even doing anything anymore. So it is really, really powerful. And that is really the offer that I'm like, going all in on now is this hybrid copywriting I'm building out the system for you with the SOPs of like, here's what I would actually do, and now I'm putting my copywriting brain into a custom GPT for you, and then teaching your VA or your assistant or your junior marketer. Here's exactly what I would do and how to carry out the steps with like over the shoulder loom videos written out, SOPs, all of the things so that anyone could could recreate it. And it's been, it's really been taking off. So again, check out the show notes. If that is interesting to you. I definitely would encourage you to read the case study, and then we can hop on a call if something that you want to talk further about, and just share a little bit more about your particular situation and how you would think about using it. So okay, at the end of the day, the most profitable brands in 2026 are going to sound unmistakably human, full of emotion and heart, and it's so funny. I'm like, seeing people I joked on threads, and everyone agreed was like, wow, when I see a typo in copywriting or, like, on your post or something, it's actually so refreshing, because I know you actually wrote it. It wasn't AI, and it's great, like people don't want that super polished version anymore. They want the real raw you. And I think that's always been the case, but it's really been highlighted more in this age of AI where everything can be so perfect, but to witness someone's like, imperfections, mistakes and all of like, the real stuff, and not just the highlights. Like, those are the things that, like, actually bond us together as humans. You know, like, I'm thinking of like going on a road trip with friends or being at a conference, and like trying to find a place to eat in the city that we are all unfamiliar with. And like, those were, like, incredibly bonding moments, because we had to, like people saw the real raw you, like it wasn't this facade of perfection, but like they experienced the real you, and that's what creates that strong human bond. And why not recreate that as much as we can in our content and in our copywriting. Okay, so AI
copywriting is going to be a hybrid AI and human in 2026 we the pendulum is swinging back to like, okay, yes, we, for sure, need humans on this, and we're not going to let AI go. It is a great tool, but it needs to be used well and in the right way, and by someone who's actually trained in it, not just playing around with it.
Okay, so then number two, the second trend that I am seeing, and I am so excited for this one, and it also might be controversial, but I have two reasons why I'm going to say
this blogging is back. Yep, the smartest creators are quietly rebuilding their blogs. I hear all of the 2009 era bloggers rejoicing. It might feel old school, especially when, like short form video has been so popular, but blogging is going to have a major comeback. And let me give you the two main reasons why I say that. One, if you are not blogging in 2026 you are invisible to AI search.
AI does not prioritize social media as the most credible source, and rightly so. Right, like thank goodness. But when you ask chat, GPT a question. It doesn't primarily pull from reels, carousel carousels, Tiktok videos or disappearing stories. No. It pulls its sources from long form written content, that means blog posts, articles, websites written by real humans with credibility, authority and a clear point of view. That means, in this AI driven future that we're approaching, the creators who write well and write often are going to dominate the search results, even outside of traditional SEO. So in 2026 your goal is not just to rank on Google, though. I do think that is still is still is important, and it's not dead and it's not dying, but your goal is to train AI to recognize and reference your ideas, because when AI summarizes information you want it, citing you as that source of truth. And blogging has always been about ownership, but in the next era of marketing, it's about proof too, like when someone borrows your ideas, you want to be able to point to your website with a public timestamp and say that started here. AI, search is shifting, I don't wanna say, from keywords, but in addition to keywords, what matters even more than it did in the past is the credibility and the context. So that means publishing thoughtful, long form, written content is your best defense and your strongest differentiator. And I'm going to probably too I have a whole nother episode planned going into this, but for the sake of time right now, I want to get into the second reason why I think blogging is so back, and that is that social media reach is declining fast, and people are just over the exhaustion of the algorithm, right? We're exhausted by playing the algorithm game. And then, you know me and my love for data, the average organic reach on Instagram is down to about 6%
and I hear so many people complaining about it on threads and so on, but you're competing against algorithms that reward volume and not necessarily value that. They are created to keep you a slave to doing stories and like, I don't know about you, but like, I just want to live my life and not necessarily have to record everything.
So on the other hand, when you're doing this long form written content on your own website, that compounds over time, it continues to bring traffic, visibility and sales long after you have hit publish. That is the power of owned marketing. And when I think about my clients and even colleagues who are bloggers, and even myself, who has been blogging regularly, we all have either a handful of blogs, or at least that one blog from like 2017, or like several years ago, and we're like that blog keeps bringing me traffic, it keeps bringing me clients. It keeps growing my email list, and I haven't touched that thing in years, right? That blog just sits there, but it keeps working for me. So if you really want a life first business, this has to be a priority for you. This is the way to create once and have it convert for months or even years, and when you build a system around it, that one blog post can fuel months of content, podcast episodes, social captions, email sequences, even AI training data like this is how you Create consistently without burnout,
and you don't need to post more. You don't need to post smarter. I mean, so to I think to post smarter, that often means creating for search first, then repurposing onto platforms with less longevity, so that you have a marketing strategy that leaves room for rest and for revenue.
So if you want help creating this kind of content that works for you, long after it is published, I can either do it for you with my done for you services or support your strategy. If you want to do it yourself, but like want a little bit of Can you guide me? And you tell me, if this is any good, is this worth publishing? Kind of thing that all happens inside copy clarity club, both of those are linked in the show notes, and they really give you a Content Foundation that builds trust, scales visibility, and really creates a legacy online without spending all day on social media. And to give social some credit. I'm not saying you have to go and delete all of your accounts, though, though, like, by all means, do if you want to, but like, I have social media, but I don't necessarily have to post every single day. And I want my dependence on it to be less. I want scrolling to be less. And it's just there as a way to connect when I want to connect and not feel like a lifeline that I have to show up on for my business, right? There's a difference there. And like for sure, I think it matters that you have a nine grid or a three grid, or some sort of presence on certain social platforms for people to find you and connect with you there. But I wouldn't necessarily put all my eggs in that basket. So Wrapping this one up, I didn't think I would get so long winded, but clearly, I'm so passionate about all these things, I'm gonna say AI search has really changed so much, and blogging can become your biggest asset. And if you're like, if you enjoy writing, like, one, why the heck are you not doing this? And two, if you don't enjoy writing, or if you're like, I'm more of a verbal processor, great. Do it a podcast first, and turn that podcast into a blog. Or hire me, and I can do that for you. I just take your audio and then turn it into the blog from there, so it's literally no extra amount of your time. Or I've even done it where, like, turning YouTube videos, if that was their primary channel, or even Instagram stories and Instagram reels like, that was just genuinely her thing, and it's like, oh, Craig, great. Like, if that is where it's easiest, actually easiest for you to post content. One, I think you're the minority. But two, I have done that too, where we're like, Okay, let's take that your best performing pieces, turn it into email marketing. Take your best performing pieces, expand on those and turn those into a blog. So it doesn't matter where you want your starting point to be, you can still repurpose that and turn that into a blog, whether you want the blog to be your starting point or something that you expand and repurpose into a blog, because you want that SEO. And by SEO, I also mean AIO Geo. We have all of these different acronyms for it, but basically, to be found on AI search, in addition to Google, blogging is the way to go for that. I think I've made my case clear. Okay, let's move on to number three. We've talked about hybrid AI copywriting and human copywriting, blending them together to really get the best of both worlds. We've talked about blogging is back for that AI search credibility and because social media reach is declining, and also just the personal exhaustion is is there the scrolling we know is just not serving us. And then three, my third and final prediction for 2026, in this episode is, I'm gonna say it. I'm gonna say it done for you services over coaching and courses. Everyone is selling shortcuts, but implementation is going to win. The DIY era is ending. Clients don't want another course. They want results. The online business world is shifting again, and this time, we are seeing a major return to done for you support. I think so many of us have been burned by coaches and even burned by marketers too, and we don't want someone to tell us what to do. We want to like like you might as well, instead of spending money on someone telling you what to do, you can just spend the money on a service provider to like actually see the data for yourself, because that coach you know doesn't necessarily know they're giving you their best guidance based on their experience and knowledge and education, but they don't know. They don't know, like, what the data will tell you. So after years of information overload, the course boom era of 2020,
entrepreneur and like, even chat GPT, just like information is so cheap now, right? We can just ask our LLM.
Now we're realizing that we don't need more ideas, right? We have so many ideas. What we actually need now is to implement them. So and so many of my clients come to me with this exact problem. They say, I have so many ideas, but I'm not executing on any of them. So nothing is happening. How can we make that happen? And that is what I love to do, is to take your ideas and your big picture vision and say, okay, here are the nitty gritty details and SOPs of how we actually make that happen for you.
And don't get me wrong, there is still a play. For coaching in 2026 I have so much respect for coaches. I have personally benefited from coaching. Most of my clients are also coaches across business, marketing, Personal Development, Health Wellness industries, like done for you, is not replacing coaching, but it is turning information into implementation strategy into execution and ideas into assets.