Summary:
Content strategy is the backbone of business success in today’s digital world. It helps companies craft purposeful content that engages audiences, achieves goals, and builds trust, driving long-term growth
Hey, human writer here! As a seasoned content strategist, with over 10 years of experience, I’ve learned a thing or two about creating content and learning how to juggle different projects.
From conducting audits and modeling content to crafting compelling web stories, every piece of content is created with time, care, and purpose. Then along comes AI tools like ChatGPT, shaking up how we approach content creation and strategy.
When ChatGPT first made its waves, I wondered, “Is AI coming for my job?” The short answer? No. My role blends creativity, strategic thinking, and data insights, all while focusing on my clients’ needs and goals. AI tools just don’t have the ability to replicate human experiences, context, and the unique creativity someone like myself (a content strategist), brings to the table.
Yes, I use AI as part of my workflow. But it’s just another tool in my toolbox, like spell check or Grammarly — except instead of fixing typos, these programs help me brainstorm ideas, organize my thoughts and offer general insights.
The truth is, compelling content—complete with empathy, nuanced understanding, and a personal touch—remains uniquely human. AI is a powerful tool, but it’s my creativity and expertise that makes my work resonate with the businesses I collaborate with and the people they serve.
A few good ways to use AI for content support
Here’s how I use tools like ChatGP for my content workflows. You might find these tips helpful for your own organization or personal projects too:
Brainstorming
When I’m stuck in a creative rut, ChatGPT helps me think of fresh ideas and explore new angles. I might ask the tool to come up with different perspectives on a topic, suggest headlines or themes.
Breaking through writer’s block
We’ve all been there — staring at a blank page with no idea where to start. I’ll have the topic or the ideas in my head, but I may not know how they should sound on a page, or in what order.. So I start by using a tool like Otter to record my thoughts, speaking freely as If I were explaining something to a friend. Then, I copy the transcript into ChatGPT, asking the tool to refine and organize the content. This gives me more structure or a direction of where to go.
Organizing and summarizing content:
When I have a lot of research to read, from public facing sources, I can lean on AI tools to help me sift through information quickly, pulling out key points and summarizing data. This makes sure I capture all the essential insights without getting bogged down in details.
Audit support
Regular content audits are crucial for maintaining a high-quality content strategy. And sometimes I’ve used ChatGP to help me analyze large volumes of public facing content to identify patterns, and highlight common themes. This helps me hone in on areas that may need more support so I can optimize my approach.
Saving time
AI tools can handle routine tasks like organizing notes or summarizing articles, freeing up my time for the strategic and creative work I enjoy.
Different ways of saying something
When I’m stuck trying to find the right words, I use ChatGPT to explore different ways to phrase sentences or find synonyms. If my writing feels repetitive or unclear, I’ll toss in a sentence or two to get new ideas and freshen up my language.
Let’s not forget, AI isn’t perfect
AI can be a great compliment to some of your content tasks. But we can’t forget AI has its limitations and shouldn’t be used as your single source of truth.
I wouldn’t recommend copying and pasting AI-generated content directly into your work. It can sound generic and mechanical, and the information might not always be accurate.
Here’s how I see it, my clients look to me for my unique insights and expertise, not something they could get themselves from a quick AI chat.
These are some things to keep in mind when using AI tools:
Copyright
With ChatGPT and similar AI tools, copyright can get tricky. Since these models generate content based on existing data, there’s a risk that the information you’re giving might unintentionally resemble copyrighted material. Plus, ownership of AI-generated content is unclear. That’s why it’s best to use AI outputs as guides instead of copying the out puts word-for-word. If you’re using AI at work, be transparent about it and follow your workplace guidelines and best practices.
Bias and fairness
AI models don’t have personal beliefs, experiences or opinions, but they can unintentionally reflect biases from their training data. If the data used to train the model contains biases or societal stereotypes, these can appear in the AI’s outputs.
There’s no content strategy
ChatGPT doesn’t create content in the same way a strategist like myself would. It generates text based on patterns and prompts. Sure, it can provide useful information and produce conversational-sounding language, the output is often generic and lacks the depth of a well-thought-out strategy.
Hallucinations
AI can sometimes spit out incorrect or misleading information because it generates responses based on patterns in its training data, not by fact-checking. So AI-generated content should always be double-checked and verified with reliable sources. Sharing incorrect information can hurt your credibility and trustworthiness.
Authenticity and emotion:
Chat GPT has never had its heart broken, lost a job or worried about what the future looks like — human writers have had to deal with all sorts of life events which shape the way we write. It’s these human experiences that gives our writing authenticity and meaning. AI tools could never.
Privacy
When using tools like ChatGPT, remember that OpenAI (the company behind the tool) might use your interactions to improve the model, so some of your data could be reviewed. You can opt out of having your data used for training if you prefer. Just keep in mind that deleting a chat doesn’t remove it from ChatGPT’s memory — you’ll need to go into the settings to manage or delete your information directly.
Changing the writing process.
Using AI has certainly changed the way we develop content. Yes, these tools can make our lives more efficient, but it’s about blending the tools into our workflow in a way that supports our creativity and critical thinking, instead of replacing it. To keep things balanced, set clear guardrails: use AI for brainstorming and structuring, but make sure you’re always adding your own insights and maintaining your unique voice and ideas.
So what’s the verdict?
AI tools like ChatGPT are here to enhance our work, but we should always proceed with caution. Whenever we use AI, let’s remind ourselves that these tools work best for gathering general information, structuring content, brainstorming, or organizing our thoughts. They’re not a substitute for critical thinking.
So if you do need help for things like creating a content strategy or a robust governance plan, reach out to us. We’re all humans here, and we’ve helped hundreds of clients tell better stories online.
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