Some (unsolicited) GTM predictions for 2026:

1. What ChatGPT says about your product becomes the top product marketing KPI.

It’s seen as the most “objective” source about why you’re better (or worse) than alternatives. Exec teams obsess over it.

2. Tech companies go on a buying spree for media & community assets.

We saw a wave of this in 2021-2022. HubSpot & The Hustle. Pendo & Mind the Product. Semrush & Backlinko. The rationale back then was SEO. The rationale now will be AEO.

Plus media brands have always been >> than software at building an organic audience. Software is >> at monetizing an audience.

3. PLG loses its appeal (again) as AI companies shift attention upmarket to bigger deals & stickier customers.

The retention rates on <$50/month AI products are… not great. (I’m trying to be polite.)

4. People stop using automation as a 💪 and prioritize AI that improves quality (conversion, CSAT, accuracy).

Everyone knows AI can make companies more efficient. But can it improve performance?

5. Direct mail/gifting comes back in style as a way to reach buyers.

People are back in the office. A thoughtful gift gets opened & remembered more than 10 automated emails.

6. Competitive differentiation becomes the top Board level priority.

Too many AI products still sound & look the same, and buyers don’t know how to decide. This might not have mattered much when there was so much market pull for AI. But deals will increasingly become a knife fight.

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Curious to hear what y’all think 🔮