By Kasia flood
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November 15, 2024
It promises streamlined processes and creativity at scale, but its pervasive misuse pushes most further from that potential. Across social media, email and blogs, the impact has been both swift and painful– a tidal wave of half-baked, bland content from businesses and individuals alike.
Unstructured prompts and copy/pasting incomplete content without edits can cause the best ideas to fall flat. Off-the-shelf blogs are generic, long-winded reads and pre-scripted Linkedin messages lack the personalization required to truly call social media “social”… but it’s also easy to do, which is why a ton of people are. The result? Even more content than ever. 🫠
As the noise online grows even louder, how is one to cut through?
Zig when everyone else zags.
It should really go without saying that the best way to do this in a sea of machines is to be as human as possible.
AI generates content based on patterns it’s identified within training data which means that by nature, it recycles what already exists. Humans stand out for their ability to prioritize emotion over logic and create something new.
Claire Saffitz of Bon Appétit garners roughly 10 million views for each of her gourmet recreations of popular snacks like Doritos and Sour Patch Kids. Her endless trials are riff with frustrations, but are fun to watch… all while subtly showcasing the technique and expertise that back the popular magazine. In 2018 alone, First We Feast generated $7 million in hot sauce sales through its celebrity interviews, where A-listers endured unbearably hot wings. Apple’s 1997 “Crazy Ones” is legendary amongst advertisers, yet it never mentions a single product. Snapple caps and Laffy Taffy wrappers were spared from trash cans simply because they carried fun facts and jokes.
These are pretty major brand examples, so let’s consider the smaller one below. To the left is the opening paragraph of a Forbes article by Korena Keys exploring strategic adaptations digital marketers will need to make in the face of recent regulatory changes. To its right, is the opening paragraph ChatGPT created when prompted to create an article with the same topic.
Notice a difference? Keys’ content is an easier, more enjoyable read. It also approaches the intricacies of regulatory change from a completely different (and much lighter) angle.
While the humorous use of double entendres is likely the easiest to spot, it isn’t the only reason why Key’s article is more approachable— take a closer look and you’ll notice variations in her sentence structure and emphasis. Sentences vary drastically by length, putting emphasis on key areas and providing a simpler tempo to read along. Meanwhile, her use of italics, brackets and different punctuation points conveys a conversational tone, infusing her piece with a unique personality.
By comparison, AI generated content tends to speak in predictable patterns and a formal tone. The result is stiff and personality-less… It’s not wrong, but it’s not spot on either. At its best, that produces yawn-worthy walls of text that are easily scrolled past. At its worst, we’re left with the “uncanny valley” effect, where our content feels soulless and creepy.
Could you improve the output with better prompting and editing? Absolutely. The reality is many just aren’t doing that, which creates an opening: While emotional storytelling has always cut through corporate humdrum messaging, it’s more important than ever now.
It’s time to cut it with the polished, marketing-speak and start talking in your voice. How do you speak when you’re at the office? Is it the same voice as on LinkedIn? Written content gives us the space to polish and perfect what we want to say, but that’s not always an improvement. Adding back the little nuances and perfect imperfections that make you, you work wonders in differentiating your content from the rest. Lean into it.
There’s a common misconception that complex writing is an unavoidable consequence of a complex topic. Good writing corrects this. It remains clear and approachable, which can be harder than it sounds.
It’s estimated the average American reading level sits around grade 8, which is reflected in most best-selling novels. A book offers a singular, immersive experience. Following a single, linear thought is easy, but the online world isn't like that. Pop ups, ads, notifications, flashing videos and infinite scrolling provide constant disruption, making maintaining focus a struggle... This makes it absolutely critical to convey meaning in a succinct manner.
If we pull the previous cookie excerpts into Hemingway Editor, we’ll notice a glaring gap between their ability to do this:
When’s the last time ChatGPT told you your idea sucked? Chances are it hasn’t.
AI generated content is highly agreeable: It nods its head politely to anything you prompt and expands on the specific areas you ask it to. What does this produce? Consensus content.
But nobody cares about that. Satisfaction and contentment are amongst the lowest arousal emotions (that’s code for really boring and drives low engagement). Studies have shown that negative keywords within subject lines and titles can boost engagement metrics like click-through and response rates, but negativity isn't always necessary. Marketing educator and author Jonah Berger’s studies of social share rates have shown any high arousal emotion can achieve a similar effect: surprise, shock and delight included.
Know your stance, back it up and weave emotion through your narrative. This leads me to my next point…
"Hot takes" only sizzle if they carry substance.
The posts I value the most from are those where experts respectfully disagree and challenge each other's ideas in the comments. These are the true gems in the online world.
While we know “AI” to stand for “artificial intelligence”, it could just as easily (and accurately) stand for “average intelligence”... Something the online world doesn’t need more of.
If you’re looking to stand out, don’t add to the chaos. This means being intentional about the conversations you look to add to and doing your homework on any claims you make. Expertise can come from anywhere– lived experiences included, but it doesn’t happen overnight or in every area.
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Generative AI is here to stay and harnessing it properly can provide a major edge, but identifying where to integrate its support (and where not to) will be key... Determining that will require good ole human intelligence.
True North Digital is where creativity and strategy meet for exceptional results.