3 Ways AI Can Make You a Better Content Strategist in 2024

Hi everyone. Content Marketing Matters is back after a month-long sabbatical!

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing Christmas and New Year (are you tired of co-workers asking you if you had a good Christmas and New Year yet?).

I’ve already noticed one way in which 2024 is set to be very similar to 2023, at least in the world of content marketing: there’s going to be a lot of discussion around the role of AI in content creation and content strategy.

In fact, many of the ‘Top Predictions for 2024’ blog posts I read or podcast I listened to before the holidays had AI adoption as another major trend to keep an eye on in 2024. In many cases, it was the major trend.

The Year of Novelty vs the Year of Adoption

I think there’s going to be one crucial difference between 2023 and 2024.

2023 seemed to be the year when we all seemed a bit in love with the novelty of AI. Look how much it can do! See how fluently ChatGPT can write a sonnet about tidying my sock drawer in the style of Shakespeare!

2024 seems to be a year where we’re looking at AI through a much more critical lens. Particularly the AI tool of the moment - large language models (or generative AI).

Firstly, there’s the small matter of the lawsuit that the New York Times has filed against the company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI. In short, the New York Times is accusing ChatGPT of plagiarising the work of its journalists and writers.

This has ignited a debate as to whether LLMs should be trained on the artistic and creative output of humans without companies like OpenAI having to pay for the copyright (spoiler alert: OpenAI don’t think they should have to pay for copyright - indeed they’re arguing it would make their business model unfeasible).

It begs the question as to whether this generation of LLMs can create truly ‘original’ content. And at a time when originality and differentiation have never been more important for both brands and the content creators they employ, it’s a debate that directly affects content marketing professionals like you and me.

The limits of the ChatGPT prompt

On LinkedIn, I’m seeing a proliferation of a type of content that serves as a live case study of this debate. I’m calling it the ChatGPT Prompt Hack.

You might have your name for it, but you probably know what I’m talking about.

These are ChatGPT prompts that can help creators and marketers unlock faster, better content using generative AI.

It normally looks and sounds something like this.

‘I want you to imagine you’re a content creator working in [industry name]. You’re going to write a piece of content for [audience name] which will address [Pain Point 1], [Pain Point 2] and [Pain Point 3]. You should keep the tone conversational and informative.’

Let’s be clear. I’m not dismissing this type of AI marketing resource wholesale.

Some of these prompts can genuinely help to create more nuanced and useful content. Mastering them is going to be an important skill in the coming months and years.

But, as I said at the start, it’s time to look at some of these AI hacks with a more critical eye.

For example, yesterday I shared a post from Heather Murray, who took aim at a ChatGPT prompt hack created by SEO guru Neil Patel. Normally, I’m a big fan of Neil Patel and his insights.

But here’s why Heather took aim at Neil’s ChatGPT prompt [quoting her directly]

? The prompt he provided is terrible.

? It would produce poor, generic results

? Which will turn people off using AI

Again, not every ChatGPT Prompt Hack is poor quality. But too many poor quality prompts are slipping through the cracks.

Here’s why I think the ChatGPT Prompt Hack can be a blind alley for content marketers.

It often assumes that creativity is a content marketer’s only problem

Too many of these hacks promise to instantly unlock a faster, better piece of content. But this assumes that the biggest obstacle to efficient content is output or creativity.

Experience has taught me that creativity or output is seldom my biggest problem. Often, I struggle with how a piece of content fits into the wider strategy. Do you know if this is the right piece of content now? How will it fit into my wider editorial strategy? How will I repurpose it?

ChatGPT isn’t the only AI tool out there

Perhaps it’s a fault with my LinkedIn algorithm (AI again, eh?) but almost all of the content I see involves ChatGPT-specific hacks.

If we saw a marketing professional talking exclusively about Monday.com or Microsoft Teams in our feeds, we’d probably view this person with suspicion. Are you earning a commission for this?

So why are so many content marketers giving endless free press to OpenAI? I’ve had just as much fun playing around with Anthropic’s Claude tool. I’ve also begun using Grammarly’s generative AI tool to get help to improve existing pieces of content.

So, to close out this week’s edition, here are three tips from me about how content marketers could use AI to improve their output and efficiency that aren’t ChatGPT hacks.

Use a mix of AI tools.

Instead of relying on just ChatGPT all the time, explore using tools like Grammarly for improving your structure, Jasper for creative headlines and social captions, or Sudowrite for editing and optimizing drafts. Each AI has different strengths based on how it was trained. Finding the right mix for different projects can elevate your content.

For example, I’ve found Claude is much better if I’m suffering from writer’s block and need help with a first draft. I find it’s much better at intuiting voice and tone based on the format. Claude is also free, meaning you don’t have to pay for GPT-4 if you want high quality AI, but your budget is tighter.

Use AI to help design your editorial calendar

Designing an editorial calendar can sometimes feel like playing three-dimensional chess. How do you create content that’s going to deliver the commercial impact you need it to, while delivering a unique and varied audience experience?

AI has helped me here. It’s suggested content formats I hadn’t considered. It’s offered up other angles or titles for a piece of content that gives it a resonance I was lacking.

Let the AI suggest initial topic ideas and headlines, then refine them with your human expertise to map out a compelling, cohesive calendar.

Repurpose and refine content

Whether it's turning an ebook into five blog posts, converting long posts into snackable social snippets or improving SEO optimisation, - AI can help unlock more value from your existing content.

Repurposing content is often the bit of my job where I’m the most likely to hit a brick wall, and I’ve sometimes been guilty of not giving my content the mileage it deserves.

I’ve had recent success with giving Claude snippets of my old content, and had it suggest new angles for different buyer personas or audiences.

How are you using AI tools to improve your content strategy? I'd love to hear from you.

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