Episode 384

Content Predictions for 2023, My Top 3

What’s coming for content in 2023?

There are a few “the writing is on the wall” predictions that I know are coming in 2023. If you’re anything like me, you might not be the first to try something new — but you’ll watch all the trends like a hawk.

Do you remember when Clubhouse was RED HOT? I remember when people were claiming “it’s going to kill the podcasting space”, yet here we still are – going strong.

 I wanted to share with you the three content predictions I have for 2023. You may jump on board or you won’t. But I want you to walk into 2023 with a plan to try a few of these out.

1. Using AI technology regularly.

Have you seen that Canva released their new “magic write” feature? It’s a tool that takes a few starting words from you and turns them into a short article. I’ll link in the show notes to the full article it created for me, but I’m impressed by how quickly ideas came out of the process, and all I had to do was give it three words.

Magic Write Example – 3 words: content strategy, podcasting, YouTube

It was pretty elaborate for a 15-second wait time and only giving it three words.

Try Magic Write on Canva ASAP! It’s totally worth it. (Try it here for free.)

 Then, there are the avatars. You’ve seen them. I’ve seen them. Over the last three to five years, we’ve seen versions of people pop up all over social media and other places online (thanks, Metaverse!), and we’ll continue to see these used in content in some way or another.

 Are avatars going to replace people in their YouTube or other video content? Not entirely. But it’s attention-grabbing when you expect to see the same thing and then see someone’s avatar speaking to you.

 It’s a little weird to think about, but it’s also here. I think about my kids and their love of FaceTime their grandparents, and the first thing they do is go over to the avatars to switch their faces to the poop emoji or the skull or panda bear on my iPhone. It’s a subtle shift in how we communicate, but it’s something that’s not going away any time soon.

 Speaking of Avatars, the new Avatar 2 movie was fantastic, and you should see it in the movie theater!

2. Exclusive Content

Exclusive content will continue to trend upward, whether it’s a private podcast, an IG subscription, or premium monthly zoom chats. It’s the ultimate way to connect with your VIP fans.

You can charge more money for this type of content and create deep brand loyalty with your fan base when you deliver something incredible. (And that could just be you and your dedicated time with them.)

Every time I log onto Instagram, I get a new notification that someone I’m following “now has exclusive content with a subscription.” We’ve seen chat badges on YouTube, IG and TikTok. I’ve subscribed to private monthly coaching calls for an affordable price because I wanted access to ask my specific question.

Who knows. There may be other creative ways to add exclusivity to your content that’ll come on the scenes in 2023.

3. More Video and Short Content

Video and, more importantly, short videos will continue with seeing content 60 seconds or shorter. We all love videos. It’s a way to quickly connect with your audience in a way that you can’t replicate with any other form of media.

But audio-only or long-form content is still going to be around. It might be shifting.

Here’s what I predict:

Your favorite content will likely keep producing shows, episodes, and other consumables, going from one long piece into shorter, more frequent segments. We saw this trend take off in 2022 and will continue to increase.

What once was a one-hour-long podcast episode once a week may turn into three weekly episodes closer to 20 minutes long. And this is something you should try as well. Not only will you have more touchpoints with your audience throughout the week, but your content will become more “bingeable” when people can consume it faster.

Here’s the perfect example, Emily in Paris on Netflix. They just released their latest season, and it took me less than 24 hours to consume the whole thing. How? Each episode was less than 30 minutes. Ten episodes time 30 minutes = 300 minutes, or 5 hours. (Yes, I watched the whole thing while wrapping Christmas presents and making cinnamon rolls.) But those shorter episodes felt like 15 minutes long because they were so bingeable.

I know you’re not producing a Netflix show, so let’s get back to your content.

This brings me to my last point today…

Your content will continue to ebb and flow to change with the latest consumer habits. You might be red hot with a trend one day and then realize you need to pivot the next. But the one constant that’s kept me going for nearly five years is my love of creating.

I enjoy podcasting. 
I like making videos for YouTube.
I love creating something!

 So no matter the if the predictions I shared today come true or the trends that come and go, follow the path of least resistance to the thing you love to do.