We’ve been watching AI take human jobs for a while now — industrial, manufacturing, and even financial industries have been massively disrupted by the ability of machines to think like humans. But what about creatives? Are they at risk too? Could AI-generated content replace human writers any time soon?

Some marketers and innovators say yes. New technology tools powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology started the swell of AI-generated content on search engine results pages and elsewhere on the internet. Chatter about massive cost savings propelled by AI-written articles has put content creators on watch for signs their jobs may be at risk.

But is the hype real? Should we all be worried that content marketing as we know it is being taken over by machines?

If you ask me (and the powers-that-be at Google), the answer is no — at least not any time soon. I’ll explain why and share an experiment of my own.

#AI-generated #content has improved, but it won’t replace human content creators any time soon, says @BrennerMichael via @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

State of AI-generated content in 2022

Computers have used natural-language generation (NLG) to create text for decades. It’s only in recent years, however, that the technology’s become sophisticated enough for marketers to talk about its potential for content creation.

When OpenAI released the GPT tool (short for Generative Pre-trained Transformer) in 2020, it seemed like the potential may be realized. Since then, two more updates (GPT-2 and GPT-3) have been released, and GPT-4 is expected to be released in the coming months.

Each version has gotten progressively better at producing text that reads as if a real human wrote it. The release of GPT-3 resulted in an exponential jump in skill and accuracy as compared to GPT-2.

Image source

GPT-produced content is presumably floating around the internet without being recognized as AI-generated (at least not by human readers). Its prevalence will only continue to grow in the coming years.

But will GPT-produced content replace human writers anytime soon? Unlikely.

AI-generated content still lacks the necessary nuance to meet high-quality content marketing standards. Not to mention that Google still says it’s spam.

#AI-generated #content lacks the necessary nuance for high-quality content, and @Google still says it’s spam, says @BrennerMichael via @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

For content marketers living by the laws of Google (AKA every content marketer), that’s a deal-breaker. If Google doesn’t rank AI-generated content, AI content creators simply can’t replace human content creators.

Google’s take on AI-generated content

During a recent Google SEO Hangout, senior webmaster trends analyst John Mueller left no room for wondering. In short: AI-generated content breaks from the webmaster guidelines Google’s had “since almost the beginning.”

The question was posed by Reddit moderator Rohan Chaubey. He referenced a recent thread on which John had commented that creators should not be using AI-generated content but failed to elaborate. When asked for clarification, John said:

My suspicion is that maybe the quality of content is a little bit better than the really old-school tools, but for us it’s still automatically-generated content, and that means for us, it’s still against the Webmaster guide. So we would consider that to be spam.

So there you have it. I’ve seen some interesting commentary about this exchange that suggests Google is hypocritical about AI-generated content. After all, they’re one of the most AI-powered companies in the world. Why wouldn’t they support a tool that allows marketers to use the same technology?

It’s easy to assume Google’s worried their tools wouldn’t distinguish AI-generated content from its human-created counterpart — and maybe it’s true to some extent. But I don’t think that’s the motivation for their position on this subject.

Google has long been a proponent of human-centered content. We’ve all heard it — don’t write for the algorithms; write for your actual audience. Google has developed algorithms specifically to recognize real human value and even given creators guidelines (like EAT and YMYL) to understand how they’re evaluating said value.

AI-generated content (at least in its current form) compromises the central tenant that Google (and all of us as content marketers) have long operated under: Content is more valuable than traditional advertising because it’s human-centered. It helps people — whether they’re about to make a purchase or not.

If Google approved and ranked AI-generated content, it would lose the quality standard that’s given them a more than 90% share of the search engine market.

My AI content experiment

I was pretty confident in my take on this after years of following the progress of GPT and other tools. Still, I thought it best to test GPT and see what it came up with.

I used one of the most foundational topics relevant to my business: why is content marketing important? I asked GPT to write a blog intro about it. Here’s what I got:

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

When executed correctly, content marketing can be an extremely effective way for companies to connect with their target audiences, build trust and credibility, and boost sales. Additionally, content marketing can help companies to position themselves as thought leaders in their industries, which can further help to attract new customers and drive business growth.

After reading it, my previous confidence in my take on AI-generated content dipped. Of course, my prompt was simple, but this text is totally acceptable for a blog intro. No grammatical errors. Reads to me as if a human wrote it.

Then I did two things.

First, I had a friend enter the same inquiry on a separate GPT account. Their intro was extremely similar to mine. Not a total red flag — both were accurate, and as we know blog articles often include similar content about common topics — but not ideal. I’d rather not publish blog posts that start almost exactly the same as others ranking for the same keywords.

#AI created an adequate blog intro, but it was too similar to another AI-created intro on the topic to stand out in search, says @BrennerMichael via @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

Then, I asked GPT to write me a long-form article on the topic. This time, I got an OK article, but it was generic. Points were repeated, nuance (like personal commentary or real-world examples) was absent, and no new perspectives were included.

My takeaway: AI-generated content tools like GPT can be useful now. But they’re definitely not ready to replace humans.

Gain benefits using GPT and similar AI tools

Right now, AI-generated content fits better into the role of a tool writers can use and not the role of the writer.

#AI-generated #content fits better into the role of a tool writers can use and not the role of the writer, says @BrennerMichael via @CMIContent. #ContentCreationClick To Tweet

As I wrote this article and tried out GPT, a couple of beneficial use cases came to mind:

Fight writers’ block

The blank page can be daunting for even the most seasoned content writers. Asking a tool like GPT for some blog intro ideas could be just the thing to get ideas flowing for a new piece.

Create an (extremely rough) first draft

I thought the full article I requested from GPT provided some bare bones for an article. I could see it as a sort of outline generator for companies to share with writers who could add their spin to it.

Conduct AI-powered research

I did a final experiment with GPT for an article “with statistics” about digital marketing. The result was a draft with tons of stats — complete with sources — on the subject. The screenshot shows five statistics, which is only about a quarter of the ones included. It includes:

• $146.6 billion is spent on digital marketing in the United States, according to eMarketer.
• 80% of people would rather buy a product or service online than in-store, as reported by HubSpot.
• 57% of consumers won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed site from Adobe.
• 75% of people judge a company’s credibility based on its website sign, according to HubSpot.
• Search is the No. 1 driver to content sites, beating social media by more than 300%, as reported by Compete.

Image source

This AI-generated content could drive a powerful initial direction for an article that’s quicker to identify than sifting through full-length articles found in Google search rankings.

#AI-generated #content can be helpful to fight writer’s block, create a broad outline, or find statistics on your topic, says @BrennerMichael via @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

Why we still need humans to write

My final thoughts led me back to a core tenet of value-driven marketing: empathy. No one knows my audience better than me, and no one knows yours better than you. Especially not a machine — no matter how smart said machine might be.

AI-generated content as a replacement for human writers is still a long way off (if not totally impossible) because it lacks the ability to channel empathy into the content. What you get from GPT (and the like) is an accurate but generic summary of what’s already been said on a topic rather than a piece written specifically to provide new perspectives to your audience.

Your customers are way too savvy for that kind of content, and frankly, it doesn’t meet the standards set by brands to provide value. For the foreseeable future, human-centered and human-created content still wins.

Do you know what’s not fun?

Another site stealing your content.

Copyright violations have happened since the beginning of Google time. Years ago, I wrote a blog post about what to do if somebody steals your content.

Fortunately, the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) makes it “easy” to get offending content taken down.

In many cases, someone honestly didn’t know that they can’t reuse content from another site. The mistake is innocent, an embarrassing learning experience, and easily fixable.

They’ll never make that mistake again.

But what happens to those other people who love pushing the envelope. They upload other people’s content because “nobody will notice,” and “it’s not like we’re hurting anyone.”

Some people even believe that reprinting others’ content without their permission gives the content “exposure to a new audience.”

Yes. Seriously.

Often, these folks receive multiple DMCA takedown notices. Sure, they eventually comply and take down the content. But many of them go back to their previous dumb behavior and upload something else that violates another person’s copyright.

Why? Because they mistakenly believe that there aren’t any Google consequences.

And they’d be wrong.

Wondering what can happen if you steal content and post it on your site?

Search expert, Glenn Gabe, dropped this bit of Google knowledge. Here’s his tweet:

Yup, you read that right — an 89 percent drop.

Imagine losing almost 90 percent of your traffic overnight?

Oh, it would hurt. And it would hurt bad.

First, OF COURSE, there’s an algorithm designed to catch copyright infringers. The Pirate algorithm has been around for a long time. Like, 2012.

Second, this is Google reinforcing that copyright violation is a big deal. And site owners who continue to do it will be punished the best way Google knows how — cutting off a site’s visibility.

So, know that stealing others’ content has consequences. Google may not punish you immediately. But, know that Google is watching…and that traffic drop-off could happen any minute.

To me, that’s not worth the risk.

What do you think about the “Google punishment” for stealing content?

Have you dealt with a client who felt that stealing content was A-OK? Does knowing that Google is punishing offenders make you smile? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

While you can use many software tools to help manage and scale influencer marketing programs, don’t forget to look back.

Old-school methods – alongside the tools – can mitigate the common pitfalls of influencer marketing. I asked six experts in the influencer arena for their best technique, and they went retro with their recommendations.

Let’s explore:

1. Influence through influencers

John Andrews, president, The Katadhin Company, says:

When we were starting Collective Bias (a shopper-focused influence marketing firm), we had a general rule: Someone on our team had to personally know the influencers we worked. This got harder as we grew, but we typically hired our influencers to manage our programs and influencer relationships. We called this approach influence by influencers.

Hire #influencers to manage your programs and influencer relationships, says @Katadhin via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

The best part was we had a real understanding of the influencer process and virtually instant feedback when our business approach or messaging wasn’t connecting with their goals. We also implemented a hand-raising model where influencers chose the programs that were right for them. They knew their audiences better than any data set ever could. The analytics then built themselves as we measured the impact from campaign to campaign and captured the audience metrics along the way. Over time, we built a great understanding of what groups of influencers were the best for any given campaign.

2. Ask employees for their picks

Justin Levy, director of social and influencer marketing, Demandbase, says:

One of the best resources for influencer marketing is asking your employees who they find value from. When identifying someone as an influencer is often based on similar criteria, such as the number of followers, topic, location, etc., learning from your employees is even more important.

One of the best resources for #InfluencerMarketing is asking your employees who they find value from, says @justinlevy via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

We are working on a campaign focused on the sales persona (sales leaders, account executives, sales development reps, sales ops, and rev ops). Beyond influencers with whom we already have relationships and newly researched influencers, I’m meeting with members of our sales team to find out who they follow and what communities they find valuable. It’s also important to focus on online communities where niche conversations are happening and who is leading these conversations.

3. Focus on the audiences

Rand Fishkin, founder, SparkToro, says:

Oddly enough, I actually don’t love the ‘influencer marketing’ model nor most influencer tools for two reasons:

• Traditional influencers are rarely followed for their product endorsements and rarely trusted for them either. If you’re a giant consumer brand seeking raw impressions, influencers can work fine, but if your goal is more targeted, it’s usually a mismatch.
• Almost every influencer marketing tool ranks results based on follower counts and the influencer’s self-described area of focus. But that’s not what brands should care about.

Instead, you should focus on whether the audience of a given person or publication is relevant to your message. Are these followers really the people you want to reach? And do they trust this source to give them information about this topic? This is why I’d rather be featured in a small email newsletter that reaches my target audience than go viral on TikTok or Instagram from a highly followed but irrelevant account.

Focus on whether the audience of a given #influencer or publication is relevant to your message, says @randfish via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

4. Communicate

Johanna Voss, founder, Johannavoss.com, says:

The best influencer marketing tool for driving great outcomes is communication, luckily, it’s something we all have available to us. When an influencer is partnering with a brand/agency for a campaign, understanding the campaign’s goals is incredibly helpful so that the influencer can best figure out on their end what set of deliverables would achieve that goal.

The best #InfluencerMarketing tool for driving great outcomes is communication between the influencer and the brand, says @JohannaVoss via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

Perhaps the campaign goals are app downloads or new user signups. For an influencer who does more education and brand awareness than conversions, it’s in their best interest to pass on the project versus committing and failing to meet expectations, leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Conversely, if an influencer is great at converting and they know their winning combo of making that happen is through storytelling via Instagram stories and links to click, they can put together a scope of work to do just that.

From the first moment of connection between an agency/brand and an influencer/manager, asking questions from the talent side to get the full perspective of the project gets everyone on the same page from the get-go. Questions about timing, exclusivity, expectations, goals, and creative vision from the brand side and open-ended questions such as ‘Is there anything else I should know about this project?’ will be insightful and helpful to achieving the goals and knocking the campaign out of the park.

5. Be authentic

Hilary Thompson, off-page SEO and digital PR team lead, Portent, says:

Relying on one tool to attain success in influencer marketing is not ideal. The key to success is building relationships, and that can easily be done without complicated or expensive tools.

Email and Zoom have been our favorite platforms for building relationships and establishing trust. Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation, even a remote one.

The key to #InfluencerMarketing success is building relationships. You don’t need expensive tools, says Hilary Thompson of @portent via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

Authenticity is the key to successful influencer partnerships, and when an influencer can meet you, exchange ideas, talk about the product or brand, and receive feedback directly about their integrations, there is a connection, a level of trust and authenticity, and engagement in each ad that is irreplaceable.

6. Do podcasts

Trevor Oldham, founder, Podcasting You, says:

The best influencer marketing tool for driving robust outcomes from collaboration comes from podcasting. This can be either hosting a podcast with guests or guesting on other people’s podcasts. Where else can you spend 30 minutes with someone where the only task at hand is to have a conversation?

The best #InfluencerMarketing tool for driving robust outcomes from collaboration comes from podcasting, says Trevor Oldham of Podcasting You via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

From these conversations are built collaborations beyond your wildest dreams. If you do not have your own podcast or not guesting on other people’s podcasts, you are missing a gold mine of collaboration.

Make sure to integrate your old-school influencer tools

True influence doesn’t start with tools. It begins and ends with a network of influencers who drive valuable conversations within your chosen audience.

Some tech tools are necessary for scaling your influencer marketing strategy, especially around process, data, and content analysis. But never forget to integrate old-school “tools” into your influencer strategy. The goal of influencer marketing is always to get a return on the relationship.

Every customer has the potential to alter perceptions of your business positively or negatively. When handled proactively, their word-of-mouth influence can be a powerful tool for your content marketing team.

Not only is word-of-mouth marketing much more cost-effective than paid strategies, it can produce a greater impact in the short and long term. Research from Kantar found that 93% of consumers say they trust their family and friends and 91% trust review sites for brand and service information. Advertising was at the bottom of the list – only 38% say they trust it.

90+% of consumers trust family, friends, and review sites for brand and service information, according to @Kantar via @CallRuby @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

Companies using authentic reviews and user-generated content from their customers in their content marketing tactics bolster their own reputation while expanding their customer base.

Here are four ways to incorporate word-of-mouth marketing into your content:

1. Feature relevant user-generated content

Done well, user-generated content can be perfectly authentic and make an impact. Reshare social shout-outs about your business. This is a low-effort way to draw attention to the public affection your business is garnering. But don’t stop there:

• Identify content that focuses on the service or product you provide. Look for content that shows the customer using or benefitting from your service or product. That type of “use-in-context” content can be invaluable.
• Elevate customer stories that involve your brand as a whole or your products/services. Follow up with customers who have shared their opinions publicly to see if they want to tell their stories in more detail. Make them the star of the story – let them do the explaining so that your brand doesn’t have to.

Resharing #social shout-outs about your business is a low-effort #ContentMarketing strategy, says @CallRuby via @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

TIP: Word-of-mouth content does not have to rely on lengthy reviews. Even a photo with a brief, positive caption can work.

Example: The Home Edit organizing brand, which has a Netflix show, created an Instagram post with this positive quote from Katherine Sivells: “Thanks to @TheHomeEdit, when I open a drawer or closet, I find myself saying, ‘We need to call Sumner.’ Then I realize it’s not “we,” it’s me and I don’t have Sumner’s number.”

2. Engage in real-time conversations

Your content marketing team should pay attention to customers’ social media posts even when they relate to customer service, not marketing. You can amplify the reach of customer feedback by engaging in the moment. Not to mention, responsiveness can quickly turn a negative into a positive when you can resolve or clarify a situation.

To join the conversation with customers, consider these strategies:

• Monitor mentions in real-time so you can join the conversation as it’s unfolding and address it if you want the conversation to end or propel the talk to keep it going. Customers value responsiveness highly – a HubSpot survey found that 90% rate an immediate response as important or very important when they have a customer service question.
• Thoughtfully insert yourself into the conversation. Whether a customer is putting out a call for help, asking a question, showing off your product, or talking about a great experience, engage authentically rather than hijacking the conversation. Answer the question, provide assistance, say thanks, and talk about why you love the product, too. If the natural opportunity is truly there, you may be able to share details about a new product or service.
• Sound like a person, not a company. Brands that do well in real-time conversations with customers are those that come across as a person, not a corporate brand. These conversations are not the time to sell your branded messaging. These are the opportunities to show off your personality, brand values, and commitment to your customers.

Example: Online pet supply company Chewy replied to a tweet from a customer remarking about their cat sitting in the small box rather than the bigger (Chewy-branded) box. They didn’t talk about their cat-related supplies or how to order and get a box. Instead, they responded with “You know what they say, if it fits I sits,” and a cat emoji.

You know what they say, if I fits I sits.

— Chewy (@Chewy) March 31, 2022

@Chewy is a brand that gets its #social voice right, replying to customers’ tweets with a personal voice, not a corporate brand, says @CallRuby via @CMIContent.Click To Tweet

3. Build stories around customer reviews

People are inspired to write reviews because of outstanding (or poor) service, and many customers won’t make a purchase without looking at reviews. So those stellar customer reviews you already have? Proudly use them in your content – with the permission of the customer.

• Find the reviews that most accurately describe your brand and what you do and build stories around them. Elevate across social channels, your blog, and your newsletter.
• Look for a customer with a specific problem or need that your company was able to solve. Add context to the review by sharing any behind-the-scenes work that went into solving the challenge.
• Convert standout quotes from customers into visual posts for social media.
• Turn multiple reviews into a content series by coupling together similar reviews to tell one story that demonstrates your company’s service consistency.

Example: Patagonia actively encourages customers who use its Worn Wear repair service to tell the stories behind their repaired garments. One customer writes about her Patagonia nano puff jacket. Within her colorful back story: “Sharp ends of yucca plants and prickly pear pierced tens of holes in the jacket, but it preserved through weeks in the desert, protecting me from sharp flora and chilly morning temperatures alike.”

Image source

Example: At my company, we used feedback from SensoryKidz, an occupational therapy business, for this Instagram post. The visualized quote – “I was doing five things at one time. When the phone rang, I had to go into therapist mode – even though I’m not a therapist – because families are anxious to get something done,” Mike said, jokingly adding, “we need more Mikes.” The accompanying caption went into more details about what SensoryKidz is and why its owners need our virtual receptionist services.

4. Create and share video testimonials

Customer videos can be a valuable asset in your content marketing strategy. Like other forms of word-of-mouth content, they can serve as a vetting source for potential customers. When done well, they deliver personal narratives where future customers can see themselves or their problems being solved. These videos also can be used in multiple ways:

• Feature full video testimonials on your company’s website. They can be paired with a brief write-up or as part of a larger case study.
• Share snippets of the video on social media with perfectly edited soundbites that feature how your brand delivers on expectations.
• Create a thematic blog post series around the content from these videos.
• Build your audience on YouTube (and other video streaming services). This content can then be leveraged in your search engine optimization and your Google My Business profile.
• Use in your email outreach.