Utilizing AI Effectively for Content Strategists
2/27/2024 - In this article, I'll discuss the best ways to utilize AI, sharing tips that have made my life easier, particularly in writing and website maintenance.
The primary advantage of generative AI lies in its ability to handle tasks such as crafting marketing pieces, instructional content, summaries, or reimagining ideas into more digestible formats.
Yet, when it comes to nuances like tone, authenticity, humor, and intangibles crucial for producing impactful content, AI platforms still lag behind. These subtleties often elevate writing to the next level, an area where AI struggles to autonomously create.
However, when used as a supportive tool, AI can streamline the writing process, making it easier to infuse sharp humor, emotional connection, tone, voice, complexity, authority, and intricacies into the content.
Here are some effective ways I've been incorporating AI into content creation for businesses and my personal blog over the past two years, resulting in significant growth:
1. Write Sloppily and Quickly
Pour your heart into the writing and don't worry about grammar, structure, or form. Just spill your authentic thoughts into words and let AI clean up your thoughts afterward.
Free-flow writing.
I like to do as much research as I can before reaching this stage, which is somewhere between the outline and the rough draft stages.
Allowing your true thoughts to pour out quickly and fluidly gives your writing a strong flow and consistent tempo. The things you say, the sentence structure, format, and grammar may be terrible, but this is where AI becomes so helpful.
A process I like to use is to set a time that feels right for you - I prefer ten to thirty minutes at a time. Start the timer, then simply write your article or copy until the time runs out.
Copy and paste that text into Chat GPT and prompt it with: “Edit this for grammar.”
Voilà, you have a rough draft that is ready for your review and fine tuning in detail, but you have saved a significant amount of time getting those first words on the page similar to priming a piece of clay for molding.
Sometimes my free flow writing sessions can produce an incoherent mess, but there is always a seed of an original perspective and idea somewhere in there to be grown. But most of the time, I surprise myself with a pretty solid draft that is not as bad as I was expecting given the lack of worry or concern that can sometimes spark writers' block.
AI speeds up the process, allows me to be authentic to my voice, and removes the overthinking that is often plaguing us as we sit down to begin.
2. Edit in Sections
After generating a rough draft, approach it as an editor would.
Read through the content thoroughly, making edits and improvements section by section. Utilize AI to address specific areas where the writing may lack coherence or clarity.
Prompt AI with requests such as "improve the flow of this paragraph" or "make this more succinct," ensuring that the final product aligns with your intended narrative and tone.
It’s embarrassing how many times I've asked Chat GPT to "make this make sense." But in seriousness, when I pose a question like "make this make sense," it's not a request for Chat GPT to generate my thoughts or dictate what I should think.
Rather, I'm attempting to delve deeper into my own thoughts by engaging in a conversation with Chat GPT to get my copy to a place where it is a very strong starting point that I can build on.
This is a quality assurance process that refines your natural thoughts and tone, sharpening your opinions and perspectives to make them as digestible, helpful, and original as possible.
3. Work Smarter Not Harder with Your Finished Copy
Once you've meticulously edited an original work, utilize it to start working for you with AI.
You can now leverage it in multiple ways, such as creating LinkedIn posts, teaser content, quotes for email newsletters, and even metadata sections. Additionally, consider repurposing your copy into multimedia formats to improve its discoverability. This may involve creating charts, graphs, video scripts, and infographics, with Chat GPT available to assist you in utilizing free tools like Canva for this purpose.
When you have a polished draft, here’s some prompts that I have found to be timesavers:
What are the ten most interesting passages from this copy?
Write a LinkedIn post that would engage someone to read the article using this copy:
How can I transform this article copy into a rich media piece?
Provide constructive criticism for this article copy:
Write a meta description and seo title for this article copy:
This stage is personally one of my favorites in the writing process because it’s where the writing grind stops and I can enjoy the fruits of that labor by creating some supplemental content.
4. Enhance Multitasking with Speechify
Consider using speech-to-text tools like Speechify to have the content read back to you, allowing for multitasking or a break from reading. While not strictly AI, these tools complement generative AI by facilitating a seamless workflow.
5. Maintain Privacy and Security
Exercise caution when inputting sensitive or proprietary information into AI platforms. Opt for AI programs with robust privacy and security measures, such as Jasper AI, to safeguard your data and that of your clients. It’s important to protect yourself and your clients when utilizing these new-age tools, so they don’t come back to bite you in the future.
In conclusion, the strategic integration of AI into the content creation process can yield significant benefits in terms of efficiency, productivity, and quality.
By leveraging AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for human creativity and intuition, content creators can unlock new possibilities and achieve greater success in their endeavors.
Share your top tips for using generative AI in content marketing in the comments below. Thanks!