We (and AI) Did It: Storytelling Is Great Again!
Posted on Mar. 4, 2026 / Subscribe 0
By Charlie Hatch,
It was this month six years ago when Covid came crashing onto American shores, halting business and society as we knew it.
Thought leaders said we entered a “new normal” – one where businesses and individuals would need to “pivot” and become “adaptable.”
Enter March 2026 … and it still feels that way. No, we’re not battling a pandemic, thankfully. But with each passing day – and with each LLM update – things are flipped upside down.
On Feb. 22, Citrini Research published “THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS,” highlighting what society might resemble in two years if AI is as innovative as expected. The next day, $700 billion was wiped away on the stock market. (Spark Note’s version: Many of us would lose more than our jobs.)
A month from today, the current preferred LLM will likely be replaced by another – one with better updates and newfound use cases. If it’s not Gemini, it’s Claude. Or – maybe it’s ChatGPT again. (Don’t forget about DeepSeek.)
Yet, amidst this “new normal,” everyone can agree on one thing: Storytelling is important again (for everyone outside of comms).
Back in December, the Wall Street Journal wrote, “Companies Are Desperately Seeking ‘Storytellers.’ Five days later, our mates across the pond at The Guardian said, “Storytellers: how the world’s oldest job became the hottest new corporate job title.” (Note: The world’s oldest job shouldn’t be confused with the world's oldest profession.)
The future is unwritten when it comes to AI’s impact on our jobs and our responsibilities, but it’s clear what we – and brands say – has never been more important.
If SEO bogged down beautiful written copy (says the former newspaper reporter), GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, seems to be the opposite. With GEO, brands are weighted by their authority and what they say. Accuracy is paramount and earned media coverage is vital. Woo-hoo!
Well-constructive narratives are great for readers, and they give generative engines the signals they need to confidently reference and reuse content.
Case in point: Within the last month, our marketing agency had a business contact us about traditional PR and a brand awareness campaign. The business found us using ChatGPT. We’ve also noticed clients with more earned media coverage (a greater share of voice) have developed more business leads than their competitors.
For years, we heard news releases were dead and should be buried. Now, they’re an easy way for LLMs to find your work and help push your business over the top.
PR has always been about credibility, and that won’t change. Thought leadership, case studies, executive perspectives, and brand purpose stories can and will continue to demonstrate expertise in a way no keyword strategy ever could.
Even in a GEO-driven environment – “New Normal 2.0” – human behavior matters. Content that people read fully, share, reference, and discuss matters.
Predicting what happens next with AI would be stupid. The unknowns remain unknown.
What we do know, though, is storytelling is what makes communications practitioners great. It’s what separates us from others. Let’s embrace and lean into that – whatever direction AI takes us next.
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