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I have often joked that if you go to a franchise conference, all of the Power Point slide presentations are regurgitated from previous years. Why? The foundational elements of franchising have remained the same for a very long time.Sure, there have been movement in the key fountain of leads – portals, brokers, social, PR, etc. – however, strong unit-level economics mixed with a standout service or product and supported by a visionary leadership team has long been the difference between good and great in franchising.I’m joined by Emily Grotkin (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hulstein/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=2026-franchise-growth-strategies-2730885" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hulstein/</a> ), VP of Partner and Client Success at Denamico (<a href="https://www.denamico.com/industries/franchises?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=2026-franchise-growth-strategies-2730885" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.denamico.com/industries/franchises</a>)&nbsp;And don’t forget to register for FranCamp (<a href="https://www.1851francamp.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=2026-franchise-growth-strategies-2730885" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">1851francamp.com</a>) — real peer-to-peer franchise growth consulting and planning. (Next stop: New Jersey in June).So, now some of the insights (more to be discussed on the Webinar, so make sure you don’t miss it). To prepare these insights I did what I think is the best – listen. I went back through the franchisee profiles/surveys we have done in the last year and extracted some key learnings that can be impactful to your plan for 2026:<ol><li>Podcasts: “Learned of BRAND after seeing CEO on a podcast.” This came up multiple times. And here’s what’s crazy – it wasn’t popularity contest podcasts. Thus, the listenership didn’t matter. All it took was for one listener to become a lead, qualified lead and a deal.</li><li>Webinars: This came up several times, as well – and they were long-lead time leads.&nbsp;</li><li>TikTok: “Looked at TikTok day-in-the-life”. There are two insights in here – the value of TikTok/Reels/Shorts and video in general and, the importance of having content that truly showcases the day-in-the-life. Put the candidate in the shoes of the franchisee. Let them see themselves as being in charge of their own life.&nbsp;</li><li>Gemini/ChatGPT: I went back to last year and didn’t see this mentioned at all. In 2026, it was listed more than 25 times as key in research. What content are you producing that integrates with Ai?</li><li>Four walls: Talking with franchisees and customers first continue to come up. So, what is the owner/operator story within your four walls (not just franchising – but true story) and how quickly are you introducing franchisees on your website and in the email/drips?</li></ol>Want more? Deeper insights were shared.

1851 Franchise Coffee & Analytics graphic with headshot of Nick Powills

Franchise Lead Gen Trends: Insights for 2026 Planning

1851 Franchise

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According to surveys conducted in 2025, franchise brands need to consider expanding their presence through platforms from podcasts to TikTok to get in front of the right candidates.

What to Implement in 2026 According to 2025 Franchisee Surveys

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Franchise development is rarely about selling a concept alone. More often, it's about helping prospective franchisees see themselves in the opportunity.For&nbsp;<a href="https://www.booxkeepingfranchise.com/">BooXkeeping</a>, the nation's only bookkeeping franchise, that strategy has become a core part of its growth story. Through a nearly two-year partnership with&nbsp;<a href="https://hellomainland.com/">Mainland</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/booxkeeping/info">BooXkeeping</a> has used franchisee-led storytelling, executive thought leadership and strategic PR to highlight the diverse backgrounds of its franchise owners and reinforce the brand's value proposition to prospective candidates.According to&nbsp;<a href="http://linkedin.com/in/maxemma">Max Emma</a>, co-founder and CEO of BooXkeeping, the relationship has evolved far beyond a traditional marketing engagement."I've been working with Mainland for close to two years," Emma said. "I met&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/powills">Nick [Powills]</a> through a podcast that he did about bookkeeping, and then we just started talking. I really enjoyed the way he is looking at business, and I am learning a lot from him and his team pretty much on a daily basis."Over time, the relationship expanded into strategic collaboration across franchise development, industry visibility and growth initiatives. "Nick has been instrumental in introducing me to some people from the franchise brands that we do bookkeeping for to M&amp;A deals where we find equity partners for our brand," Emma said.<h2>Turning Franchisees Into the Story</h2>One of the biggest differentiators for BooXkeeping is that its franchisees don't fit a single mold. Some come from corporate finance backgrounds. Others are entrepreneurs. Some are franchise veterans. Others are entering business ownership for the first time.Mainland's approach has been to surface those individual stories rather than relying on generic franchise announcements."What Mainland is doing is providing PR announcements for all of my new franchisees where they get a chance to tell their story," Emma said. "And my franchisees are all different. Even though we do bookkeeping, everybody's different."That diversity is reflected across BooXkeeping's growing library of franchisee features.When former NFL linebacker and Smoothie King franchisee Josh Martin joined the system, for example,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/smoothie-king-franchisee-and-former-nfl-player-josh-martin-to-open-booxkeeping-franchise-in-denver-2726528">Mainland highlighted his transition from professional sports and multi-unit franchising into bookkeeping ownership</a>. Rather than focusing solely on the franchise sale, the story explored how Martin viewed bookkeeping as a critical operational function for business owners and why he believed the model fit his long-term goals.Similarly,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/booxkeeping/from-ice-cream-to-income-streams-how-greg-cox-found-his-sweet-spot-with-booxkeeping-2730162">franchisee Greg Cox brought a different perspective</a> that demonstrated how operators from different industries can successfully transition into bookkeeping. After years in the ice cream industry, Cox discovered BooXkeeping as a way to build recurring revenue and create a scalable professional services business.<a href="https://1851franchise.com/booxkeeping/empowering-entrepreneurship-woman-in-charge-goes-from-wall-street-to-franchising-with-booxkeeping-2725253">Another feature spotlighted Wall Street veteran and entrepreneur Johanna Calderon</a>, whose journey into BooXkeeping highlighted female entrepreneurship, financial expertise and business ownership. The story resonated with a different audience altogether, proving that there is no single path into the franchise system."The stories are different," Emma said. "That's what I like. They're not copy and paste from one franchisee to another one."<h2>Creating Validation Through Real-World Examples</h2>For franchise candidates conducting due diligence, those stories become more than content. They become case studies. Each profile helps prospects understand who succeeds within the system, how franchisees leverage their existing experience and why they chose BooXkeeping over other opportunities.Instead of hearing only from the franchisor, candidates gain insight from people who have already made the decision. This approach aligns with one of Mainland's core beliefs: franchisees are often a brand's most powerful marketing asset.By consistently publishing owner stories, BooXkeeping creates a growing body of proof points that support conversations throughout the franchise sales process. Prospects can find examples that align with their own backgrounds, goals and professional experiences.<h2>Beyond Franchisee Stories</h2>As BooXkeeping continues to evolve, Mainland has also helped communicate company milestones, operational innovations and executive achievements.Coverage has&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/booxkeeping/bookkeeping-support-program-runwayx-2732008">included the launch of RunwayX</a>, BooXkeeping's bookkeeping support program designed to help entrepreneurs navigate critical growth stages, as well as a great profile in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/buying-a-franchise/how-they-navigated-divorce-while-still-growing-their-business">Entrepreneur</a> on the origins of the business.&nbsp;"What I like about working with Mainland is that I can ask for their expertise because they've been doing it for such a long time," Emma said.Because BooXkeeping operates in a niche category and Emma is constantly exploring new approaches to franchise development, he values having experienced advisors available to pressure-test ideas."My account manager is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadcohen">Chad Cohen</a>. I really like working with him and the firm, but it goes beyond just being an account manager," Emma said. "Whenever we have a question or I want to run an idea by somebody, I just text Chad and we have a conversation. I'm always looking for ways to be different. Some ideas are crazy, but I always run them by Chad or Nick and say, 'Hey, how about that?' They kill some of my ideas or they embrace some other ones. So I love it."That accessibility has allowed the relationship to function more like an extension of the BooXkeeping team than a traditional vendor engagement."Having somebody who is responsible for the account actually makes a lot of sense versus being just one brand among 300 brands and you get who you get," Emma said. "I really enjoy that relationship."<h2>More Than PR</h2>For Mainland, BooXkeeping demonstrates how franchise storytelling can support growth beyond a single press release or announcement.By consistently highlighting franchisee journeys, celebrating company milestones and amplifying leadership perspectives, the brand has created a content ecosystem that educates, validates and attracts prospective franchisees.The result is a growing library of authentic stories that showcase what makes BooXkeeping unique and help future franchisees envision their own success within the system.Growing and selling franchises is difficult. Want to learn more about how Mainland helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit<a href="https://hellomainland.com">&nbsp;https://hellomainland.com</a> and see what we can do for you.

From former NFL players to franchise finance veterans, BooXkeeping has leveraged Mainland's storytelling platform to create powerful validation for prospective franchisees.

How BooXkeeping Uses Franchisee Storytelling to Strengthen Franchise Development With Mainland and 1851 Franchise

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Franchise buyers have more tools than ever to research brands, and artificial intelligence (AI) is&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/goodspark/why-franchise-brands-need-to-rethink-distribution-in-the-ai-era-2732127#featured">quickly becoming one of them</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://hellomainland.com/">Mainland</a> is already thinking about how that shift could change marketing and public relations moving forward.“You watch the news or listen to the voices of this world, there is some fear over what the future of our job force will be in a world of AI,” said Mainland co-founder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/powills/">Nick Powills</a>. “Rightfully so. Anytime a new technology pops into production, it can raise some concerns for people who don't know how to use it and how to leverage it.”As a franchise PR agency,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/mainland/info">Mainland</a> works at the intersection of storytelling, media and brand visibility. That means understanding not only where media is today, but where it is headed next.“We have to be looking at what is going to evolve and change in that category and in delivery,” Powills said. “One, to make sure we're staying ahead of the curve as a business and, second, to make sure we're staying ahead of the curve for our clients.”<h2>Media Has Changed and PR Is Changing With It</h2>Social media is one of the clearest examples of how fast media can change. In the past, brands relied on newspapers, television and radio to reach audiences. Today, anyone with a phone and a platform can become part of the media conversation.“All of a sudden, we, the people, became the media,” Powills said. “And it's fascinating because it's impacted elections. It reports on breaking news faster than anything else.”&nbsp;That change has directly impacted PR. Traditional media placements still matter, but they are no longer the only path to getting seen. Podcasts, creators, influencers and digital-first storytelling have all become part of the mix. PR has to be built across multiple channels where both people and AI are getting their information.&nbsp;“In the past, it was PR, meaning ‘Let's go get in biz journals and daily newspapers and radio and TV,’” Powills said. “Then comes podcasts, then comes bloggers. And so now the availability of the message continues to heat up.”<h2>AI Is Becoming Part of Franchise Buyer Due Diligence</h2>One of the biggest shifts Mainland is watching is how&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/goodspark/ai-franchise-sales-2732234#featured">AI is changing the research process</a> for franchise buyers. Prospective franchisees can now use tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude or Google’s Gemini to ask detailed questions about a franchise before ever submitting an inquiry form.“I can go on to ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini or whatever system I use and I can say, ‘Should I buy this franchise? What are the pros and cons of buying this franchise? Who are their top franchisees?’” Powills said. “What AI is doing is acting as my Wikipedia before buying a business.”&nbsp;As AI becomes part of the research process, brands need to think about how their stories are being found, summarized and presented before a buyer ever reaches out. That means thinking carefully about where their story appears and how AI tools may interpret it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>The Future of PR Is Bigger Than Media Relations</h2>AI does not signal the end of PR. But it does change the job. Rather than focusing only on pitching journalists, PR professionals will increasingly need to think strategically about how stories are structured, distributed and understood by both humans and machines.“PR is going to change drastically,” Powills said. “We’re not going to be in the business of pitching just the media any longer because the media is going to continue to change. It’s going to be in the business of building influence around a product or a business.”Powills believes that this will raise the bar for communications professionals. PR professionals will need to raise their level of professionalism and deepen their knowledge base. “They’re going to have to have a strategic conversation,” he said. “They’re not just going to be doers.”<h2>Building Brand Stories for the AI Era</h2>At Mainland, the focus is on helping brands make their stories visible wherever people search for information, whether that is through traditional media, podcasts, search engines or AI assistants.“We have to make sure it’s machine-ready, it’s machine learning, it’s telling the good, the bad and the ugly and we’re transparent,” Powills said. “I think transparency is going to lift up even more as this gets stronger.”Now, franchise brands have to think strategically beyond earned media impressions and ask a new set of questions: How is the brand being talked about online? What information is AI pulling into answers? And what story is a prospective franchise buyer hearing before they ever speak to the development team?“When you’re looking at how to hire a PR agency, you’re actually finding one that is thinking about how do we integrate your story, not just in the Wall Street Journal, but in ChatGPT,” Powills said. “And it carries equal, if not greater, weight for what you can do for your brand.”AI is reshaping how franchise stories are found and shared, and the agencies that adapt early will be the ones helping brands stay visible in this new era.&nbsp; To learn more about working with Mainland, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://hellomainland.com/">https://hellomainland.com/</a>.&nbsp;

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