How to actually use AI effectively in your marketing content creation (with example prompts!)
If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that AI actually is all around (Sorry I couldn’t resist.)
Did you know that 83% of marketers have said AI helps them create significantly more content than they could without it? AI is EVERYWHERE. If you pick up your phone and take a scroll through your feed, I can guarantee over half of the content is AI-generated. My fave giveaways are the the emoji bullet points, inappropriate capital letters and of course the classic ChatGPT words like 'elevate', and 'supercharge'.
The problem doesn’t lie with using AI, it’s how you use it. It’s not inherently bad, in fact, I love using it for rounding up long white papers or generating some content ideas to spring from (btw Google Gemini is amazing!)
It’s brilliant when used well. The issue comes when people click on that generate button, copy and paste and then throw it up on their socials without giving it another thought (American English slang and spelling I see you!). All you’re going to get from this is generic, robotic and buzzwordy content that not only can people spot is not your own words a mile off, but also simply doesn’t connect with your audience, or you to be honest.
So let's explore how to make ChatGPT (or any AI) work with you, not against you, to create content that’s engaging, personal, and distinctly you.
1. Make it sound like you (or your client)
AI is only as good as the instructions you give it, and one of the main ways to smash the AI game is to understand how to train it on your brand's voice and values. You need to be as specific as possible in your prompts, as well as making sure you follow section #5 of this blog post!
For example:
Instead of: Write a caption about our latest product.
Try: Here is our brand's tone of voice [Share this], our mission [share] and our goal on social media [share]. Please help us to wite a friendly, informative caption about our new eco-friendly coffee cups, emphasising sustainability and affordability. Use British English and ensure you refer back to our tone of voice guide.
Even better, share an example of your previous content so ChatGPT can mimic your style more effectively. The more context you provide, the better the result.
2. Use it for a brainstorming session
I think AI is at its best when it comes to inspo. Struggling with content ideas? Got a rough idea for a post but not sure how to develop it. Share your idea with ChatGPT (or any AI tool) and ask it for content suggestions, bonus point if you ask it to tailor it’s responses to different platforms or formats.
Example prompt:
I want to promote our upcoming workshop on business practices. Can you suggest post ideas for Instagram stories, carousel posts, and LinkedIn updates?
Again, ensure you've shared your business key information, tone of voice and goals before requesting this prompt.
This is ideal to help you outline ideas for each platform, and give you a little inspo, all whilst saving you time and effort.
3. Repurpose and reuse
Before AI came along, it was just you and your brain. So if you’ve already got great content that you’ve spent time creating, let AI help you repurpose it for new audiences. Paste in an old blog post, caption or a previous article and ask for ideas to transform it into social media posts, email newsletters, or even video scripts.
Example prompt:
Here’s a blog post on our top 10 tips for HR managers. Can you turn this into three LinkedIn captions and one Instagram reel script?
Repurposing is a fantastic way to get more mileage out of your content without starting from scratch.
4. Use it to edit and copy long-form content
If you’re repurposing long-form content like podcasts, white papers or interviews, we all know how long that can take. Yes, it's time for AI to shine. Let it do the hard work and tidy up the copy, making it ready for blog posts, social media or whichever platform you choose.
Example prompt:
Here’s a podcast transcript about our company’s journey to becoming carbon neutral. Can you turn this into a 500-word blog post, extract the key points, and use a friendly and engaging tone?
Doing this not only saves time but also makes sure you are consistent across your content.
5. ALWAYS review and refine
Edit, edit, edit (and probably edit again) AI-generated content isn’t perfect and it’s not wise to rely on it for 100% accuracy. We ARE smarter than the computer. It’s so important to review everything, tweak the tone, and add a human touch before publishing. And NEVER share sensitive business information with AI tools.
AI is definitely a powerful tool for your marketing and content process, but they need a stringent editing and sense check process by a real human being because the AI tools still can't quite capture that human tone of voice that makes community-building content so powerful.
Statistics source Hubspot/Hootsuite.