Everyone is using AI - how to make content that stands out

AI is no longer just a buzzword; it’s becoming a commonplace part of online life. From virtual assistants at work to personalised recommendations on your favourite music and media apps, we are inundated with AI’s influence.

As a business, AI can be a monumental tool for content creation and refinement, saving you time and money. But with more and more AI content being added to the digital landscape every second, it’s more difficult than ever to stand out.

This article is here to take you beyond the monotony of poor-quality AI content and give you plenty of ideas to get started with your own AI content creation. Read on for actionable strategies that you can try out today that will make your next AI collaboration a cut above the rest.

• The TL;DR executive summary 
• Work with AI to improve what you have
• Tell a different story - a real one
• Use new research - say something no one else is

The TL;DR executive summary 

In a saturated AI-driven content landscape, it's crucial to stand out.

Leveraging AI tools can enhance content quality and streamline your workflow. But it’s becoming far more difficult to stand out from the crowd, largely because everyone’s doing the same thing. Competition is increasing as marketers all make use of AI to try and save time and money in their content creation. 

Want some good news? Now is the perfect time to create content that truly stands out, because so much of AI-generated content is just a copy of a copy. You can stand out, just by taking the time to create something unique.

Authentic storytelling, fresh perspectives and original research are key strategies to making your content fresh and memorable. Ultimately, using these strategies will help your content find a more relevant audience, fostering a deeper connection with your customers as they engage with your content.

Work with AI to improve what you have

If you’re new to AI content, you could be mistaken for thinking that AI is all about creating things from scratch. However, it’s actually a powerful tool to optimise content that you’ve already drafted. Here are a few ways AI can help in this area:

Refine your writing
Take your bullet points, first drafts and hastily written notes and elevate them. Tools like Grammarly and the Hemingway App can enhance the grammar and readability of what you’ve already written.

You can also do this process in reverse and use GPT-3 or a similar AI program to generate content that can serve as a foundation for your personalised editing. This can be a useful way to speed up the content creation process, whilst still enabling you to be the primary author of any written content.

Bring your content to your audience
One of the first areas of digital marketing to feel the effects of an AI-driven world is SEO. There are countless SEO tools available to you, like SurferSEO and Clearscope, that can help optimise your content for search engines. If you’ve put the work in to create a strong website, get the help of AI to speed up the time it takes for your dream audience to find your work.

Similarly, AI-driven data analysis tools can aid you in identifying audience preferences and content gaps. At lightning speed, these tools can analyse massive documents, websites and more, to quickly find out where you could be bringing in more relevance and value to your audience.

Content creation with AI
Beyond refining your existing websites and content, AI platforms like GPT-3 can generate ideas, outlines, and even complete drafts for you. We find the best results always come from collaboration; bringing your unique ideas to life through the efficiency of an AI tool. So try out some of these tools for yourself, and see what fresh perspectives you can uncover, based on your requirements.

Working alongside your content creation, AI chatbots and virtual assistants can enhance user engagement and provide instant support for your audience as they interact with your brand online.

Tell a different story - a real one

The primary negative side effect for audiences interacting with AI is a lack of authenticity. As machine learning enhances your content creation, it’s vital to focus on telling human-led stories. There’s no need to sacrifice more empathetic and genuine storytelling just because you’re using AI. 

Here are a few pointers to get you started on the right foot:

Focus on authentic storytelling
Your audience doesn’t care what AI “thinks” about a topic. So keep everything human-focused. Share real-life experiences, anecdotes, and case studies to connect with readers emotionally. In this case, AI is simply there to help speed up the process, not detract from the genuine, authentic details of your writing.

We’d recommend including diverse perspectives and voices to enrich your storytelling and foster inclusivity. This is the best way to connect with your audience; no tricks or smoke and mirrors, just the real deal.

Humanise your brand
Highlight behind-the-scenes stories, employee spotlights and customer testimonials in your writing. Modern audiences aren’t just looking for a polished product and brand identity; they want to get to know the people behind the brand.

This is where real-life shared experiences of your brand, products and services can come into play. Work with AI to assist you in splicing these stories with writing that showcases your brand's values, mission, and impact on communities.

Embrace vulnerability and transparency
Finally, to really sell the humanity of your brand, strive to showcase imperfections. Admit mistakes, share challenges and demonstrate your brand’s commitment to continuous improvement. AI can help draft these written pieces, but ultimately, the most engaging elements of this content will always be the true stories you are bringing to life.

Engage in an open dialogue with audiences to build trust and foster authenticity. AI can help you with the initial contact between your brand and customers (think AI chatbots and messaging services that can run 24/7), but then you need to be present for some very human-led problem-solving.

Use new research - say something no one else is

AI is pretty limited in its ability to conduct research, and your audience requirements are far too specific to be something that an AI can authentically research. But if you conduct your own research, AI can take your findings and analyse and present them in countless ways. Here’s how to make the most of your fact-finding collaboration:

Conduct original research
This is an opportunity to explore untapped topics or niche areas within your industry. Use surveys, interviews and data analysis to uncover fresh insights and trends. AI can then take those findings and collate them into reports for you, your clients and your co-workers.

Provide unique perspectives
As a value-providing business in your industry, influence your audience with your expertise. Offer contrarian viewpoints or challenge conventional wisdom in your research to uncover what really makes your audience tick.

Analyse emerging technologies, market dynamics and consumer behaviour from a distinct angle. Sometimes, drilling down into your unique perspective can take your findings beyond more generic studies.

Once you’ve put your human stamp on your data, let AI do some of the heavy lifting and create some visually striking graphics based on your findings.

Collaborate with experts
Keep your collaborations human-led, and partner with industry leaders, academics and thought leaders to co-create content. Bringing in multiple perspectives and influences to one area of research will enrich your data. 

Forget about generic AI reporting; this is the fast track to meaningful data from your personalised studies, presented at speed, thanks to AI.

As AI becomes the accepted norm of online content creation, it is more important than ever to bring authenticity, creativity and innovation to your media. You can use AI in intentional ways to refine, optimise and create your content, bringing together AI’s innovative, fast services with human creativity and connection. Through bringing these two powerful elements together, your content can take on new heights of relevance, impact and connection.