Content Creation and AI: Good or Bad?
on July 31, 2023
The introduction of AI content generation has had a major impact on professional content creation. As a result, some business owners have attempted to switch from paying live content creators to AI tools to save time and money. Like most things, however, AI generators and editors may not be the all-inclusive solution you've been waiting for.
Learn what these AI tools can (and can't) do and how to maximize their potential without sacrificing the human element that helps you stand out from your competitors and reach your audience on a more personal level.
- How AI Tools Can Save Time on Content Marketing
- The Downsides of AI Tools
- Using AI to Enhance (Not Replace!) Your Marketing
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How AI Tools Can Save Time on Content Marketing
AI text generators and editing tools are a great addition to your content marketing strategy. These programs pull information from the web to create or improve content. This makes them excellent resources for assisting with your current and future marketing projects.
AI Text Generators (e.g. ChatGPT)
AI text generators, like ChatGPT and Google Bard, work by scanning the Internet for information about whatever topic you choose. With a few prompts, these programs can answer your research questions and generate whole pages of text about your topic. This is a great way to identify new ideas for content, create outlines for content you already have planned, and cut your research time down.
AI Editing Tools (e.g., Grammarly)
Editing tools that use AI, such as Grammarly, are used to provide improvement suggestions for writing in real-time or as a once-over for completed content. If you have a sentence that sounds a little off but can't figure out why, an AI editing tool will suggest an alternative structure that either fixes the problem or helps you see the statement in a different way.
Harnessing the Right Prompts
AI editing tools often work in the background and provide suggestions without prompting, but text generators need a little help to get you the information you need. Learning to use prompts correctly is the best way to steer the program in your desired direction. Here are several options you can try:
- Always start prompts with an action word
- Try role-playing with the program and give it a part to play
- Be specific about what you want the AI to do
- Giving more information will get more precise results
- Avoid bias in your prompts to keep information accurate
- Explain what kind of answer you want and provide good and bad examples
Example prompt: Create a content outline that provides a complete guide on (insert topic), incorporate SEO, and use target keywords to generate headings and subheadings that address critical elements of the topic and are relevant to our target audience. Our target audience is (audience placeholder).
The Downsides of AI Tools
Although AI tools are incredibly useful in assisting with your content generation, they don't work well as complete substitutes for living content creators for several reasons. Choosing to rely entirely on AI for your content marketing needs comes with a number of risks.
Generic Content
AI content generators are advertised as being capable of pulling compelling content from available information online and creating text that passes as human-created. However, since the source of information is content that others have already created, it's important to realize that AI is not good at coming up with new ideas. This results in the content missing the value that most Internet users seek.
Repetitive Verbiage
AI generators use information from existing content to create new content. The algorithms choose the best phrasing based on complex data analytics, which could leave you with repeating words or phrases. This also means AI-created content by different users on the same subject is likely to sound very similar.
Fact-Checking Required
Since AI uses information from the Internet, which is home to a wide variety of false claims, there are no guarantees about the accuracy of the text you receive. This makes fact-checking a critical step before posting anything AI-generated.
Little Knowledge Past 2021
ChatGPT has a wealth of information available, but it doesn't work well on more current topics. Currently, the program only has access to information posted before 2021.
Free Vs. Paid Subscription Inconsistencies
Paid subscriptions for AI tools come with promises of better features, but the tools don't always deliver on that promise. While some bells and whistles are included, they may not actually add value to the experience and are sometimes oversold without living up to the hype.
SEO Rankings Gamble
Does Google currently penalize AI content? Not currently.
Will Google penalize AI content in the future? This is always a possibility, and search engines don't often make their ranking changes public. This means your AI content could cause you to take a hit in your rankings without you knowing until it's too late.
Can Google detect AI content? Yes. The repetitive nature of AI content has made it possible for Google (and other online AI detection websites) to scan content for signs of AI creation.
Using AI to Enhance (Not Replace!) Your Marketing
AI technology has come a long way but isn't sophisticated enough to replace human writers. However, that doesn't mean it has no value in your marketing efforts. Consider using these tools to help guide your content, providing you with better information to get your projects started and assisting with deciding which direction you want it to go.
Need help with your content marketing? Rocket Media can help!
Trying to lower your budget with AI content can be tempting, but having seasoned content marketers and SEO strategists on your side ensures you get the most out of everything AI tools have to offer. Schedule a free call today to learn how Rocket Media can help you increase website traffic, gain more qualified leads, and grow your business.
