You’ve heard of all the great ways AI can help you create content, but you’ve also seen some terrible examples of it. So, how can you use it to improve your content?

The good news is that using AI doesn’t require any special coding skills. Think of it less like using AI to create content, and more like collaborating with it to improve your writing. 

Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

What AI Can (and Can’t) Do for You

AI writing tools are brilliant at helping you beat the blank page, generating ideas, drafting structures, and suggesting different ways to phrase things. They can save you a significant amount of time and effort.

However, and this is important, AI is a helper, not a replacement for you. It doesn’t know your audience the way you do, it can occasionally get facts wrong, and it has no personal experience or genuine opinions.

The writing you produce together still needs your voice, your judgement, and your review. Building in your company and/or product’s voice is equally important – and something you know better than any AI tool.

The Dos for AI Writing Support 

  1. Be specific with your instructions. 
    1. The more detail you give, the better the result will be. This is sometimes called prompt engineering — which simply means crafting clear, helpful and detailed instructions for the AI.
    2. A common beginner mistake is giving vague instructions and then feeling disappointed with generic results. For instance, instead of typing “write a blog about coffee”, try “write a friendly 500-word blog post for beginner home baristas about how to choose the right coffee beans.” You’ll be amazed at the difference.
  2. Give the AI context. 
    1. Tell it what the purpose of the content is, who the audience is, what tone you’d like (professional, casual, humorous), what spellings to use (American, British) and any key points you want covered.
    2. The AI can’t read your mind, but it responds brilliantly when you spell things out.
  3. Use it as a starting point. 
    1. A first draft from an AI is just that – a first draft. Use it as a springboard, then edit, rewrite, personalise and make it your own.
    2. Experiment. If the first response isn’t quite what you wanted, don’t give up. Try rewording your request or asking the AI to adjust: things like “Can you use a friendlier tone?” or “Can you shorten this to three paragraphs?” work a treat.

The Don’ts 

  1. Don’t publish without reviewing. 
    1. AI can confidently state things as facts that are actually inaccurate or out of date. This is commonly referred to as AI hallucination. 
    2. Always fact-check anything specific – statistics, dates, names, or technical claims – before sharing your work with the world. And don’t forgot to check its sources!
  2. Don’t let it erase your voice. 
    1. Readers connect with you, not a generic, polished-but-bland piece of text. 
    2. After the AI gives you a draft, read it aloud. Does it sound like you? If not, edit until it does. 
    3. Rewrite sections in your own words, add your own examples and anecdotes, and inject your personality.
  3. Don’t rely on it for sensitive topics. 
    1. AI tools can sometimes produce content that sounds authoritative but is oversimplified or even misleading, particularly around health, legal, or financial matters. 
    2. Apply extra scrutiny in these areas.

How Can You Review AI Written Output?

Remember, whilst AI is great as a helpful collaborator, it is important to take ownership of the final piece.

Below is a helpful checklist to work through once you have a draft:

  • Is the writing accurate? Double-check facts or figures and verify sources.
  • Does it flow naturally? Read it aloud: clunky sentences or excessive adjective usage will jump out at you. AI tends to use excessive punctuation, especially “-“ and “…” which can break up a writing’s natural flow.
  • Is the tone right? Adjust anything that feels too formal, too casual, or simply unlike you or your company.
  • Is there repetition? AI occasionally circles back to the same point; trim anything that feels redundant.
  • Is there insensitivity? AI can unintentionally produce content that may be insensitive to certain readers: read critically and adjust.
  • Is it genuinely useful to the reader? Ask yourself whether someone reading this would actually find it helpful.

 

You’ve Got This!

AI writing tools are designed to be accessible, and the more you use them, the more confident you’ll become. Start small: ask it to help you brainstorm ideas or draft a single paragraph, and build from there.

Used thoughtfully, AI can be one of the most useful tools in your content creation kit. Welcome to the adventure!