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how *not* to write content like AI
AI content marketing is here. And it all sounds the same.
But the real problem is, it also sounds the same as all the humans who have been filling the internet with high-volume, low-value SEO fodder for years.
How many times have you read a variation on:
12 questions to ask before hiring a *insert-your-industry-here* company
(and why we meet all the requirements)
You (or anyone else) could write that article for your business right now in the blink of AI.
So, can we do better?
I think so.
In my opinion, the best way to not sound like AI is to:
- start from a place that AI can’t (i.e. your personal lived experiences and applied knowledge)
and from there . . .
- make unexpected, complex, or abstract connections between concepts which provide genuine insights to other humans (but which probably won’t make much sense to robots)
But whatever your strategy ends up being, go make something that is not in danger of people asking themselves: “did AI write this?”
AI fatigue
The other day I was on the website of a local small business which provides a technical expertise service and I found an article on their blog about “AI fatigue.”
The article explained how the AI hype is wearing out and companies are re-hiring human specialists to provide more value to customers.
And then it pulled its punches at the end by concluding with a point about how the “smarter model” is using the combined power of humans and AI together to provide improvements in both innovation and efficiency (which we know is counter productive based on the innoficiency principle).
My initial reaction was that this is a somewhat milquetoast take, but, by that same token it’s hard to argue too strongly with since it doesn’t really have a hard stance one way or the other.
Then I noticed something. There was a disclaimer at the bottom of the article.
The article was produced by an “article aggregator” service.
That’s right. An article about AI fatigue which starts by explaining how everyone is sick of AI and ends by defending AI’s place in your workflow, was literally written by AI.
I could say more about this particular version of content farming, but for now, here’s the point:
AI fatigue is real and AI content farming is making it worse.
If you really want to be viewed as an expert in your field, you need to speak in your own voice. It is the only way to be both clear and authentic.
It used to be the only way to create content.
Now it’s a hit of oxygen in a stagnating bog of recycled and regurgitated slop.
(this article has been compiled from messages sent in my newsletter)
