There has been a lot of publicity, both positive and negative, about AI. Some hail it as the next best thing and love what it offers, while others worry about the very real risks it poses.
Currently, and I don't have a crystal ball, I am somewhere in the middle.
Will I use AI to write all my blog posts and content? No. But then I enjoy writing and I always feel like a human touch adds another level.
Will I on the other hand let it remove some of the drudge that comes alongside running a content-based business (think niche blogs)? Yes, I will. I will do that because it allows me to speed up my workflow and prevents me from having to start with a blank sheet.
In case you are in a similar situation, here are some ideas on how to use AI in your workflow.
HERE ARE THE WAYS AI CAN ACT AS AN ASSISTANT
• It can generate blog post ideas based on customer questions and interests.
• It can generate a blog post outline for you. Helping you to discover the content people are searching for much faster.
• It can generate ideas for posts on social media in your niche and even write those for you if you would like it to. (AI should always be checked for accuracy and edited as needed). Fancy creating a month's worth of posts in an hour or two? AI can help.
• We all know that Pinterest is great for getting more visibility for our products and services. However, Pinterest can be time-consuming. AI can take your keyword and write an SEO-optimised description for you, radically speeding up your workflow.
• For product descriptions (think Etsy, Shopify or your own store) it can take the keywords you give it and come up with an SEO-optimised description. Might you need to edit it? Yes, of course - it's an assistant, not a CEO 😉
• Have a blog post that you want to turn into a video script for YouTube? AI is your man...or woman...or bot! 🤦
• Want to create an infographic for your niche? AI can suggest data and statistics to include in infographics and provide design ideas.
• Want to create a podcast, video, e-book, lead magnet, etc? AI can come up with ideas in your niche.
• AI can suggest copy for landing/sales pages and provide ideas for design and layout.
• AI can suggest topics for webinars and provide content ideas for slides and presentations.
• Frequently asked questions: AI can create a list of frequently asked questions and provide answers for customers. Yes, you need to check and edit!
HERE ARE SOME WAYS IT CAN (ALMOST) DO THE JOB FOR YOU
• Feed it the basic info and AI can write the outline of an email for you. Whether that's a sales-orientated email or a newsletter. Should you fact-check and edit for your voice? Yes!
• AI can write complete blog posts for you. Again, you should ALWAYS fact-check and edit. Depending on how much you enjoy writing you should in fact heavily edit to bring through your own voice. (Is Google against AI written blog posts? The answer at the moment seems to be that they are not (of course I cannot guarantee what the future will bring), as long as the content falls under their EEAT guidelines - "expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness". For them, it seems to be the quality of the content, rather than how it is produced, that matters. (However, of course, that means that you must produce high-quality content that is fact-checked and edited - are you noticing a theme here? 😊 )
• AI can also write affiliate-based content for you, particularly related to Amazon - again my fact-checking, high-quality editing obsession remains in place!
After all that is said, do I think AI replaces copywriters, brand experts, writers, etc? No, I think in fact that there will be more need than ever for people who are speaking in an authentic (human) voice.
However, where I think AI can help busy small business owners and bloggers - who are already wearing too many hats - is to spark ideas and to help them streamline their workflow.
If that sounds like something you want to explore further, then join me in my upcoming group coaching program. It's for bloggers and for anyone who needs to create content in their business.
You can find all the details at the link below.
Some good points here Alison. Sometimes, all you need is a little inspiration and AI can certainly provide that allowing you to run with the content and make it your own. :)
Good points. I use AI for a lot of the same reasons you mentioned but I won't let AI completely write an article either. I can definitely pick out an AI article from a mile away because it sounds just like a robot. It uses too many big words, often in tones that people just don't talk like. 👏