AI tools can crank out marketing copy faster than Usain Bolt on energy drinks… But speed isn’t the problem – it’s the sameness. Generic, predictable and about as exciting as a sponge. In an age where brands need to stand out, sounding like everyone else is, well, boring.
Hands up – who’s sick of the never-ending stream of LinkedIn posts and AI-flavoured articles? Johnny Simpson swears he wrote it and reckons he’s adding value. He’s not. Half the internet feels like it’s been churned out with minimal effort – and buyers can smell it a mile off. Why should they engage with your brand if you couldn’t be bothered to engage with them?
People sense when something’s off. Sure, the keywords are there. And yeah, the structure looks solid… but it reads flatter than a weirdly impersonal pancake. That’s because AI-generated content leans on the same stock phrases and it shows – not just to seasoned marketeers, but to your customers too.
Don’t get me wrong…
AI is awesome for marketing content
When used right, it’s a serious game-changer (as AI would say). And, as an unnamed wise wizard also said:
“AI won’t replace you. Someone using AI will.”
Fingers crossed that’s the case, otherwise I’m heading down to the job centre. But, before I set off, here’s the challenge: how do you harness AI’s speed and efficiency without losing your brand’s voice? You know – that enigmatic human spark that actually connects with other humans.
Well, as a marketeer who uses AI day in, day out, I have a few answers (Boy George that sounds pretentious). In fact, I’ve concocted a guide just for you (even more pretentious). So join me for a meta look at how to harness AI in marketing content production without making it sound like it was written by a toaster.
Why AI-generated writing often feels formulaic and impersonal
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, AI content just feels… mechanical. Like an old married couple, you go back and forth with it, tweak prompts, rephrase – but it still misses the mark. It doesn’t get you. It doesn’t get it.
So, where does this content stuff come from? Some kind of immaculate conception? Not quite.
Akin to a student cramming for finals, AI models are trained on mountains of data – and when it’s time to write, they fall back on the most common patterns they’ve seen. That’s why the content often feels generic, cookie-cutter and just a bit… off.
Here are some of the usual suspects that make AI-generated marketing copy feel robotic:
Empty buzzwords and jargon:
AI loves to sprinkle in ‘impressive’ terms like ‘cutting-edge’, ‘next-generation’, ‘revolutionise’ and ‘game-changing’. Back in the day, these buzzwords had an impact. So it makes sense AI leans into them – but it goes all runaway train and refuses to stop. Used too often, these words ring hollow. They aim to ‘elevate’ your content but land as empty clichés when not backed by anything real.
Same goes for corporate-speak like ‘leverage’, ‘optimise’ and ‘utilise’. Without a human sense check, AI crams them into your copy – and your credibility takes a hit.
Filler phrases and redundancies:
AI-generated text often includes non-essential phrases that humans tend to avoid. Think ‘in today’s busy world’, ‘it’s important to note that…’, ‘ultimately’ or ‘in summary’, used habitually. These add little value and can make readers feel like they’re wading through belly button fluff.
Similarly, AI content might reiterate points with lead-ins like ‘To put it simply…’ or ‘What this means is…’ – well-intended for clarification but obvious and repetitive.
Overdone transitions:
Transitional adverbs help flow, but AI can overuse ones such as ‘furthermore’, ‘additionally’, ‘consequently’ and ‘however’. When nearly every other sentence starts with these, the text feels stiff like a… nah, I’ll leave that one.
With the spirit of champion boxers fighting it out in a blender, real writers mix it up. They do so with more natural transitions (or sometimes no transition at all). AI, on the other hand, often reverts to template phraseology.
Generic statements and openers:
AI writing often begins with broad, sometimes obvious statements. For example: ‘Many people believe’, ‘There are many ways to’ or ‘It is widely known that…’. These sweeping introductions lack a hook and feel impersonal. Similarly, AI might use detached, academic tones like ‘Some would argue’ or ‘It has been observed that’.
Such lines create distance between your brand and the reader, as if the content is talking at the audience rather than to them.
Predictable structure:
Like an 80s action movie training montage, AI plays out to a standard format. It climbs mountains. Flexes in a meat hanger. Carries logs across mountainous terrain. And trains in the shadows of typical article formats.
The end result? Typically, very predictable outlines. An intro that regurgitates the prompt, a list of evenly sized sections and a tidy conclusion starting with ‘In conclusion’. AI typically adheres to predictable patterns, which can result in generic or formulaic content.
Without intervention, you might get a paint-by-numbers blog post that lacks any surprises or unique flair.
If you found yourself nodding along like one of those dashboard bobbleheads – or shouting “YES! YES! YES!” like Sally when she met Harry – you’re not alone. We’ve all seen (and probably posted) content that just feels… off. Familiar. Overdone. Like it’s been through the AI rinse cycle one too many times.
AI prompt engineering to keep content on-brand
One of the best ways to avoid bland, robotic copy is to guide the AI with a detailed prompt. Think of the prompt as your creative brief to the machine. The more clearly you communicate your brand’s tone, the more likely the AI will produce something in that vein (or at least closer to it).
Here are prompt-crafting best practices to ensure the AI writes with your voice and style:
Be explicit about tone and style:
Don’t be shy – spell out the voice you want. For example, you might tell the AI: ‘Write in a warm, conversational tone with a touch of humour, using British English’. Including several descriptive tone words (friendly, professional, witty, etc.) in the prompt itself steers the AI toward that personality. Research has found that giving the AI specific tone directives (even providing an example of the desired style) leads to much more satisfactory output.
In short, voice it out in the prompt.
Establish a persona or role:
Another trick is to ask the AI to ‘act as’ a particular persona that aligns with your brand. For instance: ‘You are an experienced brand copywriter at [Your Company], known for a down-to-earth, cheeky tone. Write the following article in that voice….’
By assigning a role, you put the AI in the right mindset. This prompt persona approach provides context that anchors the style. It’s like priming the model with a character – in this case, your brand’s voice. This method can yield a more consistent tone and you won’t have to repeat the same style instructions for every paragraph.
If you have brand voice guidelines, avoid a short circuit in your content and share them with Johnny 5 too.
Provide examples (and even non-examples):
AI models learn well from examples. If you have a ‘gold standard’ piece of content that embodies your brand voice (perhaps a snippet from an existing blog or guidelines), include it or at least describe it in your prompt. For instance: ‘Here’s an example of our style: [insert a short excerpt]. Notice the use of wit and the casual phrasing. Emulate this style.’ You can even show the AI what not to do by citing a tone you dislike: ‘We avoid overly formal language – e.g. we wouldn’t say ‘Thus, the organisation endeavours to…’.
This combination of positive and negative examples gives the AI clearer boundaries. Essentially, you’re teaching it your preferences.
Define your audience and purpose:
Brand voice isn’t just about what you say, but whom you’re speaking to. Tell the AI who the target reader is and what you want them to feel or do. ‘Our audience is busy small business owners, so keep sentences short and advice practical’, or ‘Write as if addressing tech-savvy millennials who appreciate snark’. By specifying the audience, your business and campaign goals, the AI can adjust formality and jargon level accordingly.
An awareness of the audience helps prevent the AI from defaulting to generic one-size-fits-all prose.
Set format and structure guidelines:
If you have a preferred structure or length, outline that. For example, ‘Write an introduction, then three key points with subheadings and a conclusion with a call-to-action’. This helps avoid the AI wandering off-track or padding the piece with unnecessary sections. You can even request things like, ‘Use bullet points for the list of tips’, or ‘Include an anecdote in the intro’.
When the AI knows the desired format upfront, it’s less likely to resort to its standard template.
Iterate and refine:
Treat prompt-writing as an interactive process. You might not nail it on the first go, especially when trying to capture a nuanced brand voice. If the initial output is close but not quite there, tweak the prompt and try again. For instance, if the tone was too stiff, you might add ‘use contractions and speak in first person to sound more personal’, or if it was too flat, say ‘inject a playful analogy to lighten the tone’.
Each time, you’re coaching the AI. Remember, you can prompt AI all you want, but it’s no replacement for a brand’s unique point of view and expertise – so sometimes a couple of prompt refinements are needed to get that voice right.
Leverage tone modifiers:
Some platforms or models allow special commands or modifiers for tone (e.g. “#tone: enthusiastic or similar). Use these if available. Even without special syntax, clearly stating the desired vibe – ‘uplifting and motivational, like a pep talk’ – can nudge the AI. Don’t hesitate to combine multiple tone adjectives (e.g. ‘friendly yet professional’), as real brand voices are often a mix.
A recent report on ChatGPT tone modifiers shows how pairing adjectives (like Friendly + Professional or Casual + Conversational) can yield a balanced style. Feel free to experiment with these combinations in your prompts to see which best matches your brand persona.
How to humanise AI content:
quick fixes for better copy
Even the best AI draft needs a human touch. Think of AI as your junior writer – you’re the editor with the red pen and the brand expertise. Here’s how to give your content that human spark:
- Check the tone: Does it sound like your brand or a robot with a thesaurus?. If you wouldn’t say it at the pub, don’t publish it. Tip: Read it aloud – if it makes you wince, fix it.
- Hunt AI fingerprints: Kill the clichés. Buzzwords like ‘elevate’ and ‘leverage’ = instant AI giveaway. Vary sentence lengths, bin filler transitions (‘Indeed,’ anyone?) and add a bit of personality.
- Fact-check everything: AI is a cheeky little monkey. Sometimes it makes things up. This is politely called ‘hallucinating’. Verify stats, quotes and facts. Replace fluff with real insights or case-specific info that only you would know.
- Add human insight: Drop in a real example, stat or anecdote from your team. Something only a human (i.e. you) would say. Got a joke or rhetorical question? Bonus points – AI’s still not great at that.
- Inject expertise: Name-drop your experts. Quote your head of sales, SEO or design. Bring authority with personality. Readers trust people, not bots.
- Edit for flow: Fix awkward jumps. Reorder clunky bits. Add subheads, bullet points, bridges between ideas – make it easy to read, not a wall of text.
- Add visuals or extras: Insert an image, meme, chart or video. Embed a tweet. Show you cared enough to do more than hit ‘generate’. Humans love visuals – AI doesn’t.
Final tip: AI can help you write faster. But you make it better. The result? Content that feels real, reads right and sounds like your brand – not a machine.
Blending AI automation with human authenticity
In conclusion (*written ironically), AI-generated marketing content doesn’t have to feel robotic. By understanding the structural quirks of AI writing, you can spot and fix formulaic language. With smart prompt engineering, you guide the AI to write in your voice from the outset – aligning it with your brand’s tone and style. And with thoughtful human curation, you transform a decent AI draft into an outstanding piece of content that engages readers and builds trust.
In practice, this means treating AI as a powerful assistant, not a replacement for your creativity and expertise. Let the AI do what it does best (generate ideas and text quickly), but always review, edit and add the ingredients only you can provide: personal experience, brand personality and editorial judgment. The end result is the best of both worlds – content produced with machine efficiency and imbued with human originality.
So, before you churn out your next piece of marketing copy, paste this article into your AI chat – and let it serve as your no-nonsense guide. You can thank us later… or better yet, give us your business.
Let’s make real content that really sounds like you.
