How to Use Generative AI to Help You Create Written Content, NOT to Write

By Matt Serra, Mulberry Marketing Communications 

As marketers, we have more tools than ever to automate our work. From social posts to websites, it has never been easier to produce content quickly. When used responsibly, AI can be a great enabler. But it should help people to create content, not replace the thinking, judgment and experience required to create it well.  

AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute 

Generative AI can be an outstanding tool to help jump start ideation, create concepts, conduct research and numerous other marketing tasks that help people produce better work, more efficiently. However, the ideas, frameworks and drafts AI produces should be treated as raw material, not finished work. We must apply our industry knowledge and years of marketing experience and make them our own.  

This isn’t about proving our value. It’s about quality control. AI isn’t perfect. It can get facts wrong, repeat overused language and borrow from trademarked messaging or recognizable creative campaigns. It can also produce copy that sounds good on the surface but lacks clarity or depth. Here are some of my pet peeves and tips for using generative AI to write: 

Pet Peeve: Don’t copy and paste from AI and make minimal edits. Generative AI content can provide a great foundation for an article, blog, whitepaper, etc., and it should be used as just that – a framework.  

Tip: Make it your own. Use AI copy as an outline or for inspiration. Simplify it and make the copy conversational and digestible. Ensure that it aligns with company values and messaging goals. Add statistics with footnotes to show expertise and to help your content show up in generative AI searches. 

Pet Peeve: AI has ruined the em dash – sadly. These are overly used in AI content and a glaring red flag that something has been written with AI. 

Tip: It’s okay to use em dashes appropriately and with the right frequency, but in obvious situations where a comma should be used, or if the content is littered with em dashes, replace them or rewrite the sentences. 

Pet Peeve: Remove words that you rarely used in writing prior to using generative AI and likely never use in conversation. 

Tip: Replace words like delve, revolutionize, in today’s fast paced, multifaceted, etc. These are some of the most common and obvious signs that something was written using AI. Take your time and review every word carefully. Make sure the piece is concise and makes sense. AI written content can often sound good but not say very much. 

Pet Peeve: Long social media posts packed with emojis. 

Tip: Social media copy should be conversational and engaging. Avoid long AI posts packed with industry jargon. It is okay to use emojis if they help draw reader attention to something important, but don’t use them as bullet points in every post. 

Pet Peeve: In press releases, AI will often insert “pleased to announce the introduction of” at the beginning of a press release, something I learned NOT to do in journalism school years ago.  

Tip: Use active verbs like launch, unveil, debut, announce, etc.  

Pet Peeve: AI writing is littered with unnecessary introductory phrases at the beginning of sentences, especially “At ‘xyz company’, . . .”  

Tip: Rarely start sentences with “At ‘xyz company’.” If someone is reading an article, blog or social media post that is clearly from your company, you don’t need this. 

AI is a great tool for helping us to produce better and more efficient work, but not to create. We should enhance AI generated content through the lens of our industry, and more importantly, life experience. This will ensure that it is unique and true to your brand – and that it resonates with the PEOPLE who matter most.