In a digital ecosystem saturated by artificial intelligence and infobesity, it’s no longer enough to communicate: you have to captivate. Content creation remains the central pillar of digital brand awareness, but the rules of the game have changed since the advent of social networks.
To transform your audience into loyal customers, here’s an analysis of the essential trends to incorporate into your editorial strategy in 2026.
Vertical video and short format: the new standard of engagement
If video was already a strong trend in the past, it is now the dominant format on the web. However, the method of consumption has changed radically. The era of the horizontal format is giving way to verticality, imposed by smartphone use.
Why opt for short-form video?
- Key formats: TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts dominate traffic.
- Retention: “Snack Content” (short, punchy content) responds to a general decline in attention spans.
- Accessibility: contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a movie budget. Authenticity takes precedence over technical perfection.
An effective strategy should incorporate “face-to-face” videos to humanize the brand, as well as “Live Shopping” sessions or webinars to engage the community in real time.
The “Mobile-First” approach and user experience (UX)
“Thinking mobile” is no longer an option, it’s a technical and ergonomic requirement. Google now indexes websites primarily on their mobile version (Mobile-First Indexing).
To maximize your visibility and conversion rates, your content must meet these criteria:
- Loading speed: a slow site on mobile increases the bounce rate.
- Systematic subtitling: 85% of videos on social networks are viewed without sound. Subtitles are essential for capturing audiences on the move or in the office.
- Vertical formats: your infographics, images and newsletters must be legible without having to zoom in on a 6-inch screen.
Our experts’ advice: user experience (UX) is an integral part of SEO. Content that is difficult to consume on mobile will send negative signals to search engines, penalizing your rankings.
UGC (User Generated Content): the key to trust and conversion
While branded content lays the foundations for your expertise, user-generated content (UGC) validates your promise. Consumers trust their peers more than institutional speeches.
UGC is no longer limited to written customer reviews. It now encompasses :
- Unboxing/Test videos: very popular on TikTok and Instagram.
- Real-life photos: to help prospects project themselves.
- Video testimonials: more authentic and difficult to falsify.
Why integrate UGC into your content strategy?
- Social Proof: visitors are 2.4 times more likely to buy if they see content created by other customers.
- Long-tail keywords: customers often use natural, specific terms in their reviews that you wouldn’t have thought to target, enriching your SEO semantics.
- Volume of content: it’s an inexhaustible source of fresh content for your social networks and website, at lower production costs.
Don’t hesitate to encourage the creation of UGC via contests, branded hashtags, or by reposting (with permission) the best publications from your community. It’s the surest way to turn your customers into ambassadors.
Quality content: the importance of E-E-A-T in the age of AI
With the democratization of AI authoring tools (such as ChatGPT or Claude), the web is flooded with generic content. To stand out from the crowd, Google and its answer engines (GEO) are now focusing on E-E-A-T criteria:
- Experience (your real-life experience).
- Expertise (your technical know-how).
- Authority (your reputation in the industry).
- Trust.
It’s important to produce content that adds real value, tailored precisely to your “Persona” (target audience). Whether they’re doctors or teenagers, tone and content must prove your legitimacy.
Our experts’ advice: invest in human proofreading and fact-checking. A brand that publishes impeccable content, sourced and signed off by experts, strengthens its credibility and inspires trust.
Generative AI for editorial strategy: towards a hybrid model
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into content creation is no longer a futuristic trend, it’s an operational norm. However, for 2026, the challenge is no longer mass production (often sanctioned by algorithms as “spam”), but intelligent collaboration.
To succeed, your strategy must adopt the “human-in-the-loop” approach:
- AI as a research and structure assistant: use LLMs (Large Language Models) to combat blank page syndrome, generate detailed outlines, or identify semantic gaps in your topics. AI excels at data analysis, but humans excel at judgment.
- The 80/20 rule for quality: let AI handle 80% of the hard work (drafts, summaries, format variations), but devote 20% of your time to adding the irreplaceable “human touch”: your business expertise, your strong opinions and your emotional feedback.
- Hyper-customization at scale: AI now makes it possible to adapt the same pillar content into a multitude of native formats (Twitter/X Thread, LinkedIn post, video script) in a matter of seconds, maximizing the profitability of each idea.
Our experts’ advice: don’t try to hide the use of AI, but surpass it. Google values content that demonstrates E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness). AI provides information, you provide trust.
Beyond creation: intelligent omnichannel distribution
Content production is not an end in itself; it’s the fuel of your digital ecosystem. A common mistake is to publish an article or video only once. In 2026, the trend is towards content recycling (Repurposing).
A single long video (such as an interview or webinar) can become :
- An SEO-optimized blog post.
- 5 to 10 short videos (Reels/Shorts).
- An engaging newsletter.
- A series of LinkedIn or X (Twitter) posts.
- A podcast episode.
Don’t forget Employee Advocacy: your employees are your best ambassadors. Encourage them to relay your content to multiply your organic reach.
Content creation has become an expert profession requiring a 360° vision, combining SEO techniques, video creativity and editorial relevance.
To structure your strategy and produce high-performance content (videos, articles, visuals), the experts in our creative studio will work with you to transform your audience into a growth driver.
