Leading Meaningful Growth with Evidence-First Storytelling

Why brands are trading volume for authority in 2026

2025 was a difficult year for a significant number of health journalists, content writers, and editorial teams. Massive layoffs hit far too close to home for many. Generative AI was one factor in the industry shift. Financial instability related to budget cuts and organizational slashing by the U.S. government also played a role in staff reductions. Whatever the cause, reports of writers’ and journalists’ demise were everywhere.

Despite much talk to the contrary, journalism isn’t dead or dying. It is adapting and changing with the times. Journalism is experiencing evolutionary growth into what our world needs now. More than ever, journalists and health writers are needed to ensure the health information we read, hear, and watch is accurate.

As a health journalist, I recognize my role in this. We don’t need to keep pumping out content at a breakneck pace. We need trustworthy information from deeper reporting. Intentional growth and adapting to change are professional choices I’m making. Freelance writing isn’t hustle culture for me.

Evidence-First Storytelling

Like-minded writers who wish to continue engaging audiences with content that provides deeper reporting should be selective in their use of evidence-based data and trustworthy sources. This type of deeper reporting delves into greater context while providing more transparency and nuance to the writing. Deeper reporting will drive the evolutionary growth in our industry in 2026.

I’ve had the good fortune of working with brands and organizations that value a deeper understanding of health information. They demand evidence-backed science to maintain their brand value and trustworthiness. Most often, that is why they’ve chosen to work with a nurse writer like myself.

My background as a healthcare provider prepared me to navigate deeper reporting. Not only do I know the importance of interpreting evidence-based data accurately, but I also know how challenging some of the research is to interpret and extrapolate information from in a way that the average reader can understand.

Brands can grow with less valuable content. This type of growth may lead to high-volume traffic, but it is often shallow growth. More meaningful growth occurs when a brand or organization showcases authority and trust that engages the audience. In 2026, we will continue to see more of this meaningful growth as brands increasingly rely on reviewers and writers who lend authority to their work. This includes having health care professionals, such as doctors, nurses, dieticians, and others, create and review health content.

Trends Powering Brand Longevity

Three trends I see organizations and brands using to shape the growth of health content in 2026 include:

Evidence-first storytelling. Organizations and brands will use evidence-first storytelling to establish credibility. Building a narrative for the article or reporting using verifiable data and real events will ground the audience in reality. Writers using this type of storytelling will build trust.

Editorial rigor in brand content. Brand content created with editorial rigor aims to address the audience’s pain points and interests, rather than pushing sales. Using thoroughly researched and reliable sources, great care is taken to avoid errors and misrepresentation. Content typically remains brand-consistent while offering original insights and expertise by leveraging subject-matter experts to establish brand authority.

Smarter SEO, not louder SEO. Making SEO smarter means shifting from keyword stuffing to a focus on providing genuine value to the end user. With a spotlight on user intent, brands and organizations deliver confident information that readers are searching for, moving beyond basic meta tags and backlinks. Smarter SEO is also optimized for multiple platforms, such as YouTube or TikTok, and optimized with metadata and captions.

Setting the Bar Higher

In addition to these trends toward deeper reporting, there are basic elements writers can use to ensure they communicate their work clearly to readers without sacrificing depth.

• Writing for clarity across literacy levels. I know this is challenging for some writers. Being a wordsmith means showcasing our creativity…and sometimes losing the audience. Speaking with patients about their health in a clinical setting taught me this quickly. Take on the challenge of speaking intelligently without losing your reader with language they find difficult to read.

• Use stringent sourcing standards. Apply this to your work, even if not required by the editor. Set yourself apart. High sourcing standards will elevate the quality of your work and ensure your articles rise to the level of deeper reporting. 

• Maintain ethical boundaries with your health communications. Do this by first following the ‘do no harm’ motto used by healthcare providers. Make sure what you are creating is in the best interest of the end reader. Keep equity and fairness in mind when writing and editing.

Growth for writers and journalists in 2026 will take more intention with their work. By using writers who are adept at creating responsible health communications that have depth, accuracy, and trustworthiness, organizations and brands will more likely see meaningful growth. If you’re building health content with longevity and trust in mind, this is the kind of work I’m focusing on in 2026.