Crafting Content That Earns Human Trust & AI Citations

By: Sarah Carleo and Hanna Bautz

Imagine walking into a conference and seeing a robot dog dancing next to a playpen full of real-life puppies. A jarring juxtaposition, but also a fitting snapshot of the current moment in content marketing (and really, everything outside of it). We’re fascinated by what technology can do, but we’re still drawn to things that feel real.
That tension came up in all sorts of ways at Content Marketing World 2026, where AI was even harder to escape than in everyday life, and conversations about the future of content seemed to be happening in every room. Here are three takeaways that stuck with us.

Your Brand Isn’t the Main Character

It’s easy to get caught up in what your organization wants to say and forget to ask why anyone should care. At CMWorld, Lightcast’s VP of Brand, Comms and Content Marketing JP Lespinasse called this “navel-gazing.” Yes, literally looking at your own belly button. His point? The best content lives at the intersection of what your organization knows, what your audience cares about and what’s happening in the world.

We’ve seen this firsthand in our work with Lightcast. By creating a standardized definition of 135 skilled-trades occupations, Lightcast addressed a gap in how the workforce is measured and understood, giving employers and policymakers a clearer picture of the skilled-trades landscape. We helped bring that bigger story to the media, generating more than 30 pieces of coverage.

The strongest story isn’t always the most obvious one. Before settling on an angle, look at what’s missing from the conversation, what questions aren’t being answered and where your expertise can add something new. Sometimes, the best way to tell your brand’s story is to look beyond it, even when that means challenging your instincts as a communications professional.

Human Voices Are the New Trust Currency

While your brand shouldn’t be the main character, it should build a strong cast of supporting characters. In an AI-saturated content landscape, recognizable human expertise carries more credibility than brand messaging alone. According to Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer, trust in individual experts (scientists and teachers) outranks trust in media by more than 20 percentage points. People trust human voices because they’re imperfect and unpredictable, unlike AI’s synthetic sameness.

Entrepreneur Joe Pulizzi’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) analogy captured the point: The show built an enduring brand portfolio around distinctive human voices. From “Weekend Update” to “The Church Lady,” the cast personas make the show memorable. And even as iconic comics like Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell moved on, producer Lorne Michaels kept curating rising stars, making the brand more resilient to talent turnover.

Similarly, a robust spokesperson bench makes a brand more authentic and AI-proof. At Next PR, we use AI visibility tools to surface buyers’ biggest questions and doubts, then position the most credible experts to answer them with lived experience and personal anecdotes. Every thought leader a brand invests in pays dividends in audience trust.

The Most Misunderstood Audience: AI

Preserving a brand’s human voice is critical, yet communications teams must also recognize that your first reader may now be a machine. Too often, we treat AI search engines as a monolith instead of as distinct audiences, like the human personas a brand already targets. From Copilot to ChatGPT, each large language model (LLM) behaves differently and cites different sources. Rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all AI visibility strategy, brands should identify which LLMs their audiences use most and tailor the content strategy to those systems’ preferences.

Another consensus coming out of the conference: press releases are not dead. Press release citations increased fivefold since July 2025, thanks to higher citation rates in ChatGPT and Gemini. So, it’s important to make press releases digestible not only for reporters, but also for AI bots. The good news? Many of the elements that make a release compelling to humans are also effective for AI, including statistics, bullet points and use of active voice.

Lastly, AI isn’t yet as sophisticated as a human reader. If you have any inconsistencies in your messaging, you run the risk of AI misunderstanding your brand. We’ve started conducting AI visibility audits for our clients across their digital properties to prevent rogue “About Us” information from causing brand confusion. Additionally, we’re advising clients to create FAQ pages on their websites, offering AI a single source of truth to pull from for relevant queries.

Navigating the Next Frontier

LLM algorithms are evolving rapidly, making AI optimization a moving target. Across sessions, it was clear that a content marketing strategy that worked for one brand a year ago won’t hold up for another brand today. That’s why it’s critical to center content around what your audience – both human and AI – is asking.

Wondering how your brand can find the sweet spot between human trust and AI citations? Drop us a line to hear our AI optimization and thought leadership recommendations.