Top content trends and statistics for 2025 success

Thousands of new pieces of content are being added to websites every month, often covering similar themes. Here’s how to make yours stand out amid a sea of words
The temptation at the start of every year is to look for the new, and to scour reports for the most authoritative trends in content marketing, to share with you, our loyal readers.
But this year, we decided to do something different – and show how much value can be found by looking backwards, too. During 2024 we reviewed thousands of pieces of content produced by companies in sectors including professional services, banking and energy to explore what was out there and what we liked – as well as what we didn’t. This gave us some big clues about what is trending in terms of topics, formats and styling, what is working – and what could be done better.
One of our guiding philosophies in 10 years of FirstWord has been the concept of tapas – that every piece of content can (and should) be sliced and diced to maximise its impact and attract different audiences with varying attention spans on multiple platforms. So, in that spirit, here are some of our key findings and examples from our content tours, shared as helpful guides to what good can look like. We’ve interspersed these with some of the more interesting statistics from some of the biggest surveys – so enjoy!
In a rush? The full article is well worth your time, but here are the key tips to stand out in a crowded content arena.
- The written word remains king… Most companies are still leaning heavily on articles and blogs as a content staple, and good storytelling will always be in vogue to engage and educate audiences.
- … but mix it up – consider adding images, interactive graphics and charts, complementary video and article summaries to make content of any length more visually appealing and engaging.
- Value quality over quantity, always – steer away from the theoretical and lean on the tangible, adding genuine insight to conversations by offering a new lens on a topic or new data, backed up with real-world examples.
- Creativity with headlines pays off – trawling through acres of thought leadership proved that creative headlines are scarce – and welcome when they appear. Fun and quirkiness can help you stand out.
- Get podcasting – podcasts are now firmly in the mainstream as a content form. They fit well with modern lifestyles and are an excellent way to connect with audiences, explore different perspectives and involve external experts.
- Prioritise presentation – badly organised content is a waste. Stale is bad. Take as much care with presentation and organisation as you do with the content itself.
The state of play: could be better?
More than half of marketers rate their content strategy as only “moderately effective”, according to the Content Marketing Institute’s benchmark outlook for 2025 survey. The reasons for this lukewarm response included not using data to choose what to create (35 per cent) and an emphasis on quantity over quality (20 per cent). Clearly, there’s significant room for improvement, as well as frustration at not doing better.
Our review of 30 big players in professional services, banking and energy uncovered another issue: virtually everyone is covering the big three transformative themes of our times – AI, digitalisation and sustainability. This ubiquity makes it hard for individual pieces to stand out.
So what can we learn from what is being published – often at scale – by some of the biggest names in town?
The battle for eyeballs is not new, but (as we have long said) the answer is to lean on internal expertise and focus on what makes your content or point of view original. Most often, that involves throwing new light on a topic and/or bringing new data to the table.
PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, for example, is a great example of how proprietary survey data generates unique insights that can bring a distinct and competitive content edge. Elsewhere, this Bain article on How to Feed AI’s Hunger for Power is a fresh take on a topic du jour which combines deep insights and expertise on two distinct issues and how they intersect. BNP Paribas’ piece on Accelerating the climate action agenda with AI is another example of the latter.
Sometimes, though, the difference can be scale and simply going bigger and better than those around you. One standout technology piece we found was ADNOC’s Powering Possible report. Billed as the first-ever study “focused on the AI-energy nexus”, it outlines key areas in which the energy and technology sectors can collaborate to “drive an inclusive transformation”. Co-authored with Microsoft, this is truly thought leadership at full throttle.
Beyond the blog
Another finding from the CMI report is that the most popular content format over the past 12 months remains short posts and blogs, used by 92 per cent of marketers surveyed.
Video, at 75 per cent, came in second – and we also saw evidence of this in our content travels. There was noticeably more video – with examples including this intro to hydrogen from ExxonMobil, as well as Shell’s six-piece video series with business leaders on how and why they are choosing to decarbonise. Another nice example is HSBC’s use of video for case-study content such as this one on how Isle of Harris Distillery in North West Scotland has been growing internationally since 2016.
But companies aren’t just going bigger on video. More articles were illustrated with images and infographics than in previous reviews as organisations wake up to the importance of creating more visually engaging content. The data-laden slideshow in this energy transition article from BCG is just one of many examples.
Beautiful storytelling, of course, is always in fashion – and we particularly enjoyed this feature from BP on 60 years of progress: pioneering energy in the North Sea told through three generations of the same family. HubSpot’s State of Marketing 2025 report specifically predicts an increase in visual content in 2025, which hopefully means we’ll see more content along the lines of Petrobras’ beautiful interactive Journey of Energy.
Moving away from the visual, it is clear that podcasts are now firmly mainstream – and HubSpot’s research also picked up on this, with podcast and other audio content predicted to increase in 2025. Some companies we reviewed, such as banks J P Morgan and Citi, have two or three separate series, and consultancy A&M has a mighty 13 individual series neatly organised on a podcast hub page.
If you’re on the fence about going down the audio route with your content in 2025, consider this: podcasts are not just popular, they’re also influential. Research from Edison revealed that 46 per cent of weekly podcast listeners have purchased a product or service after hearing about it on a podcast.
Get creative
One way to pull in readers is by using quirky, distinctive headlines – but we saw far too few of these on our travels. This is a missed opportunity given ever-shortening attention spans and the ongoing need to stand out. But a few caught our eye: Is there AI in my burger and fries? is an A&M article on fast-food restaurant acquisition; and Capgemini’s ChatGPT and I have trust issues is on the trustworthiness of AI. UBS’s chief economist Paul Donovan is also a fan of the fun, with highly clickable examples including Is BoE Governor Bailey a Swiftie? and The EU’s naughty list.
In addition to highlighting the good, one note about something to avoid – presenting content poorly or organising it badly. We’re not going to name and shame, but there were some genuine surprises out there. Given the time, care and expense that goes into creating quality thought-leadership content in any format, failing to make it easy to find simply doesn’t make sense.
Hubs don’t need to be overly complex – see Morgan Stanley’s functional but filterable insights page – but they do need to be accessible and easily navigable. After all, what’s the point in creating insightful and engaging thought leadership if you can’t showcase what you are doing, for the audience you created it for?
And finally… some other interesting stats that are worth bringing to your attention:
- According to the CMI research, 81 per cent of B2B marketers used generative AI tools in their work in 2024, compared to 72 per cent the previous year.
- However, while many teams experiment with it, few integrate it – with only 19 per cent incorporating it into their daily processes and workflows.
- Data is also becoming more important in decision-making, with 35 per cent saying it’s the biggest way marketing has changed in the past year.
- LinkedIn is consistently cited as the social media platform that brings the best results for organisations and this year is no different, with a mighty 85 per cent of those surveyed by the CMI saying it delivers the best value.
- In terms of investment for 2025, 61 per cent expect to see an increase in video spend and 52 per cent in thought-leadership content.
- Can we help you with any aspect of your content? Get in touch to see how we can use our experience working with 200-plus clients in 18 countries to help meet your content goals in 2025.