A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it.
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Orbit Media’s 2025 Blogging Survey just dropped, and it reads like a walk through a Hall of Mirrors.
You think you’re looking at a clear reflection of what’s working in modern marketing. But take one step to the side and—whoa!—you see something entirely different. One minute there’s a large head with stumpy legs; the next you see an impossibly long torso.
It’s as if two very different ideas of marketing are staring back at you.
I spent a long time squinting at this wacky collection of heads-limbs-teeth-torso… trying to make sense of how they might fit together.
Here are the 5 big themes + counter-themes I spotted:
1. Maturing + Fragmenting
Content is more professional than ever—yet it’s splintering across platforms, formats, and micro-audiences.
2. More Content + Less Frequency
Longer, more frequent posts perform best—yet most marketers are publishing fewer, shorter ones.
3. AI Everywhere + Nowhere
AI is nearly universal—but the more you let it write for you, the worse your results.
4. Best Practices + Least Practiced
The tactics that work best (original research, influencer collabs) are the ones we use least.
5. Track Everything + Ignore It
Measurement drives success—yet too many hit publish and never glance back.
* * *
So, what do we do—other than… well, not that?
Oh, friend… I have THOUGHTS. Some big, some tactical.
👉 Embrace the Post-Information Age
Information isn’t scarce anymore—it’s everywhere. AI has turned it into an infinite commodity. The real scarcity now is meaning, trust, attention.
If anyone can churn out a blog post, whitepaper, or deck in minutes… then what matters isn’t output volume—it’s insight, originality, and credibility.
AI makes information abundant and cheap. Humans create what’s scarce—and therefore valuable.
In other words, the Post-Information Age is the Age of Interpretation and Imagination.
Your craft is your differentiator. Your voice is the long-game payoff.
Side note: I am tempted to point out that I’ve been saying this literally since 2010… waaaay before the robots showed up and made the strategy even more urgent. Had the LinkedIn bros now pimping writing advice and “10 Prompts that Make You Sound hUmaN” listened to me 10 years ago… they’d already be way ahead.
But I’m not going to do that to you.
Or wait, maybe I am.
👉 Lean into the harder plays
The best results come from the harder plays: long-form posts, sharp editing (sharp—not just spellcheck, mmkay?), original research, influencer collaborations, rich visuals. (Even “wickedly” rich.) 😄
Offer depth that others won’t touch. Show thinking that could only come from you.
Examples:
- Education: Toast’s “When AI Saved Brunch“—data-based storytelling with real people at its heart.
- Entertainment: Six Flags’ 8-minute horror film, “Come Out and Play.” It makes you want to scream your way into Fright Fest. (Or, if you’re me, run the other way.)
👉 Treat AI like a workout buddy
Think of AI like a gym membership.
Everyone has one. The winners are the ones who show up and put in the reps they need to grow. They use AI to spot them, not lift the weights for them.
The winners treat AI like a partner.
The losers hand it their Fitbit and wait in the parking lot.
👉 Take the less traveled path
Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded.
>>> Full pipin’ hot report here <<<