In many creative circles, the accelerating presence of AI in the workplace is a cause for panic, but it needn’t be. Generative AI has already surpassed anything most of us could imagine, but it doesn’t take much tinkering with it to realize that content created solely by AI just isn’t quite right. Marketing professionals know it when we see it, and customers know it when they see it, too.
The key to unlocking AI's potential in creative fields, like content marketing, is to see AI for what it is — a new, incredibly powerful creative tool that can make work much easier and faster if you take the time to learn how to use it well.
From generic to genuine: the right AI prompt matters
AI doesn’t do well when it’s given too much latitude. Because it's working from billions of words scraped from the internet during its training, you’re always going to get generic copy unless you give it some guardrails. To get the best results, you need to give clear, detailed prompts. “Write me a blog about content marketing” isn’t going to produce a publishable result. But “write a blog tailored for startup founders about the benefits of content marketing leading up to series B funding” and providing a thoughtful outline will probably get you a strong enough draft to use as a starting point for editing, saving a ton of time.
Editing is where humans shine
AI is great for creating a first draft, and it can even do a decent job roughly editing that draft if it’s given effective prompts. But for true fine tuning, a human editor is non-negotiable. Editing an AI-produced draft still requires polishing up all the aspects of the blog you would if it came to you from a human writer, but there are some specific things you’ll want to keep a sharp eye out for when editing AI content.
Hallucinations (aka false information) — Generative AI models are trained on vast, diverse datasets sourced from the internet, which inherently contain a mixture of both accurate and outdated or incorrect information. As a result, AIs often confidently write statements or facts that are in reality false. Fact-checking protocols are the only way to ensure you don’t publish something that’s incorrect.
Repetitive phrasing — AI might use the same phrases or similar sentence structures repeatedly throughout the text. This lack of variation can make the content feel mechanical or overly uniform.
Awkward syntax — Sometimes AI constructs sentences in ways that are grammatically correct but stylistically unusual or awkward. These constructions might not flow naturally as they would in human-written text.
Lack of depth or nuance: AI-generated content can sometimes gloss over complex topics without offering the deep or nuanced understanding that an expert human writer might provide. This is a prime opportunity for a human editor to fill in the gaps.
Inconsistent tone: Maintaining a consistent voice throughout a piece can be a challenge for AI. Fixing awkward shifts can move the content from disjointed and uneven to a smooth conversational tone.
Non-sequitur transitions: AI might struggle with logical progression between sections or paragraphs, leading to transitions that feel forced or irrelevant to the main topic. Editing for flow and coherence is essential.
Custom GPTs are your short cut to brand consistency
Even seasoned human copywriters require onboarding to grasp a brand's specific tone and style, and AI needs even more detailed guidance to achieve the same consistency. By developing a custom GPT pre-trained on your brand’s guidelines, you can eliminate the need to specify these nuances for each new content request. A well-trained custom GPT can instantly produce content that consistently reflects your brand’s voice and tone.
The future of content marketing is AI-human collaboration
Used strategically, AI can give you human-level content results with AI-shortened production times. The key is to use AI as a tool rather than a replacement. Combining human creativity, insight, and oversight with AI produces polished, effective content that’s true to your brand. It’s a dynamic collaboration that lets content marketers manage large volumes of work while ensuring high quality and a human touch.
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