Things are changing for people who write content. Here’s what I’ve been noticing over the past year or so.

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We’ve seen several years of brands investing more in content creation, but now the tide is beginning to turn. Macroeconomic factors and marketplace conditions are affecting the level of financial investment many brands are putting into content production.

Just like ‘The Arts’, ‘content’ is often an easy target when quick cutbacks and savings need to be made.

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Competition for freelance content work appears to be at an all-time high. Applicant numbers for content/copywriting roles appear to be at an all-time high too.

What does this mean? Hiring organisations can take their pick from large pools of applicants; whether that’s for an in-house position or freelance/contract work (and they’re taking their sweet time to decide —or so it would seem).

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Content-related AI technology like OpenAI’s ChatGPT continues to be ‘topic of the day’, every day. Content people don’t know whether to run from AI, embrace it, ignore it, or try and blow it up… but one thing is for sure; AI-driven assistants aren’t going anywhere.

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And AI was the biggest theme running through the responses I received when I asked some industry heavyweights/content experts for their views on what content and copywriters should be mindful of in 2025. Here’s the advice they shared with me…

1. Look for the unique

“With AI content and search evolving, audiences crave authentic voices and fresh angles—especially as online content starts to feel like recycled ideas.

“That means you shouldn’t just save your ‘hot takes’ for LinkedIn or social media. Bring them into your website content. Use unique perspectives, compelling stories, and expert insights to stand out.

“For instance, a headline like “Best Practices for User Retention” might not cut it in 2025. Instead, something like “How <brand name>’s CEO boosted retention by 15% (and why most onboarding surveys fail)” grabs far more attention.

“It’s specific. It promises a story, real insights, and actionable advice. The mention of data adds credibility, while the headline signals a deeper dive into what works (and what doesn’t).

“With the right research and planning, you’ll create content that won’t already exist through AI and search engines—and your audience will notice the difference.”

John Paul Hernandez, B2B SaaS Writer

2. Keep learning and experimenting with content formats

“It could be bite-sized videos, it could be LinkedIn carousels or interactive workshops… I say this because the core challenge — that of creating engaging content — is only growing with AI content flooding into and overcrowding the social and search streams.

“You need to find new ways to not only get your target user's attention but also hold it, and one of the ways to do that is releasing content in formats that are engaging to different types of content consumers.”

Masooma Memon, Content Marketer at Ink and Copy

3. Make video your go-to format

“My number one nugget of advice for B2B content and copywriters in 2025 is to learn to share your content via video if you’re not doing so already!

“Written words are extremely powerful — but with short attention spans running rampant and when you’re competing with the sheer volume of AI-created trash, your prose is up against it when it comes to getting the attention it deserves.

“So, say it with video… and now you’re making a personal connection with the audience that the written word just can’t.”

AJ Wilcox, Host of the LinkedIn Ads Show Podcast and Founder at B2Linked.com

4. There’s going to be a big ‘brand voice’ comeback

“Brand voice documents often sit gathering dust in Google Drive — rarely revisited, even by the very people who painstakingly crafted them.

“But with AI now an inseparable part of B2B content creation (yes, it is), brand voice docs are staging a comeback. This year, I foresee content leaders everywhere revisiting and transforming these static documents into dynamic, actionable tools designed to guide AI.

“The focus will shift from serving freelancers and in-house writers to enabling AI to produce authentic, brand-aligned content. And this evolution will demand more frequent updates (is ChatGPT overusing em-dashes? Refresh your brand voice, etc.).

“The era of dormant brand voice documents is over. It’s time to treat them as living, breathing assets at the heart of your content strategy and routine workflows.”

Shiv Sharma, Content Marketer at Modus Create

5. Human creativity and craftsmanship can still win

“Sadly, a lot of B2B writers are already seeing the effects of AI-first content seducing clients who don't care a lot about quality or originality.

“And it's only a matter of time before AI summarisers are reading all the content too — we may understand more about the impact of that this year.

“The main thing giving me hope right now is the fact that creativity, counterintuitive thinking, voice, and good old-fashioned craft are becoming more powerful than ever for brands who want to stand out. I'm still seeing really good case studies where great work brings great results.

“So my advice for B2B content creators? Be weirder. Be more authentic. Be open and honest and funny and nerdy, and show how much you care about what you do.”

David McGuire, B2B Copywriting and Creativity Trainer

6. Lean into data

“For individual content pros, whether they're in-house or freelance, the phrase I'd lead with is ‘lean into data’.

“We've heard for years that the buying process has changed; now, we have the data to meet customers where they are and give them what they're asking for.

“It means content can work differently now. We can be nimble; filling gaps as needed, but focusing most of our effort on larger-scale, multifunctional content programs.

“Early on, original reports will be what differentiates B2B content brands from sales-led brands. It's a big effort, with big reward. A single content project, a cornerstone of the content program, to focus effort on. Content marketers who can lean into data-led content early will see what the effort brings: focused PMM, aligned Demand Gen, bought-in Sales, and better-converting leads.”

Brooklin Nash, Co-Founder and CEO of Beam Content

7. Human stupidity beats artificial intelligence

“AI continues to showcase and show off its capabilities to effortlessly spew — at the meagre cost of ‘almost no effort’.

“But little effort rarely moves people. Especially when the audience instinctively knows how little has been invested. “Why should I read something that nobody was bothered to write?”, someone wittier than me shared on LinkedIn a few months ago.

“This creates a real opportunity for signalling, i.e. how the context, perceived cost, and effort behind something shapes how it is received. Expensive advertising works harder, in part, when people recognise the investment behind it. Take the Super Bowl, for example, where TV ads command their highest prices.

“But beyond financial cost, effort and craft are important costly signals. As AI removes friction and makes content easier and cheaper to produce, people will place more value on work that signals human thought, care, irreverence, creativity and (he says hopingly) stupidity.”

Giles Edwards, Co-founder of …Gasp! and Host of Call To Action®

8. Focus on what we can bring that AI can’t

“In a tough economy, some clients naturally prefer something quick and cheap. Generative AI such as Chat GPT can produce that for them.

“You don’t want those clients. You want the ones who appreciate quality and are willing to pay properly for it.

“The job of ChatGPT is to predict the next most likely word (it knows all the words). But that means all it can do is be average. That’s its job.

“Our job is to be unpredictable, edgy and different. To write things that ChatGPT could never write. To provide a human level of service that software can't replicate.

“It means we copywriters and content writers need to market ourselves differently. We need to focus on what we can bring that AI can’t.

“Oh, and in our contracts, we need to be clear on whether and how we use AI.”

Jackie Barrie, Copywriter, Trainer, Speaker, and Author

9. Take pride in your critical mind

“I think we’ll continue to have to face the presence of AI in our industry. It's a good moment to remind ourselves, what we bring to the table – not just so we know our worth in negotiations, but also so we hold our heads up high and feel good about our work.

“We get a kick out of ideas, not just words. We come up with genuinely new things, not just a re-mixing of stuff that already exists.

“We have critical minds. AI is easy for clients because it doesn’t question them. Part of our value is that we challenge and advise, not just ‘deliver’.

“We should embrace the weird. When everyone produces the same-sounding content, there’s a tremendous chance to help our clients stand out. We can create content that breaks the mould, and it’s time to lean into that.”

Irene Triendl, Director of B2B Marketing Strategy Consultancy at Say What?

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