Revolutionizing Content Creation: AI Writing Takes Over the Typing, Leaving the Planning to Humans

Start planning to succeed

Are you struggling to write compelling content? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think. The secret to great writing is all in the planning. The first step is finding a great topic idea. Then you need a content plan that’s tailored to your audience's needs. So, there's a lot more to it than writing.

That’s why we’ve put together this seven-step guide to help you write amazing content every time. From finding the best topic ideas to proofreading your final draft, we’ll walk you through the entire process. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

----

If after reading this article you find it helpful, please feel free to share it with your network. Thanks!

----

Planning vs. writing: What's the difference?

Have you ever struggled to write an article? Isn't it a relief that we now have artificial intelligence to do the writing for us? Not so fast.

It's natural to assume that writing is difficult. It is. You sit down in front of your laptop and your mind goes blank. But while it does take a lot of skill to be a great writer, that's hardly the whole truth. The success of a piece of writing starts with a great topic idea. Then, you must create a plan.

While I mostly work as a Marketing Coach, Consultant, and Strategist, I'm also a certified B2B copywriter. I'm thrilled (really) that we can now use AI to do the writing for us. But that doesn't mean there'll be a lot of unemployed writers. Because in my opinion, most of the work involved in writing a piece of content has nothing to do with the writing itself. Here's a breakdown of the total work involved:

1. 30% – Finding great topic ideas
2. 30% – Creating a content plan
3. 5% – Creating a plan for gathering research
4. 15% – Gathering research
5. 10% – Writing the content
6. 5% – Revising the content
7. 5% – Proofreading the content

Step 1. Find great topic ideas

The topic idea is the starting point of a piece of content. A topic is an over-arching point you're trying to make. So, you must understand your audience's information needs. Know them well, and your content will almost write itself. A big part of knowing your reader is understanding their buyer's journey. They'll have many different questions throughout their journey.

A good approach to finding the best topic ideas is to think in terms of the questions buyers are asking. Brainstorm for topic ideas and group them into question categories. Then, develop the best ones.

Step 2. Create a content plan (known as a Creative Brief)

If you read a piece of content and get value from it, you'll want to read more. So, your content must be of high quality to make the right impact. And this means having a plan.

A Creative Brief (or Content Brief) is a short document that directs and informs the development and usage of your content. There must be clear instructions on what is to be created. You cannot leave anything up to chance. A written brief explains where, who, how, and why behind your content. Since good content takes time to produce, it's important to plan it in advance by creating a Content Calendar.

Step 3. Make a research gathering plan

There are two basic ingredients in a piece of written content: (1) the information and (2) the putting together of the information – the writing. No writer simply sits down and starts writing. First comes the research. Some of the strongest B2B content and copy are data-driven storytelling based on credible research.

The first step is to figure out what research you need. What data? With marketing writing, the primary focus is often the target audience. What do they want? What keeps them awake at night? What motivates them? What data and information will engage them?

Step 4. Gather the research

Gathering research for a blog may be a matter of reviewing similar blogs and then using the same sources. But this can also lead to stale, unoriginal content. Paid research in the form of statistics, graphs, and other exhibits will get better results. Another form of effective research is expert interviews. Interviewing lets a writer instantly plug into expert knowledge from anyone relevant to your content. This could be your CEO, Product Manager, Salesperson, one of your customers, or an industry expert.

Step 5. Do the writing

The process of writing is nothing like how most people perceive it to be. It’s more like an assembly job – like you’re building a house. You start with a Content Brief and the research to form a blueprint. Then the outline gives it a structure. The headline is like an address that tells the reader they are in the right place.

The introduction and summary are like the entrance and exit to the content. The paragraphs and sentences are the floors and the walls that provide direction. Once written, your content is still not complete. The writing is now at the draft stage. It’s at the next stage where the real magic happens.

Step 6. Revise the writing

The goal at the revision stage is to shape the content so it perfectly aligns your goals with your audience’s motivations for reading it. This requires a deep understanding of your chosen audience. The process of revising content involves re-reading it multiple times while empathizing with your audience. This hinges on the information provided about the target audience in the Content Brief.

This stage alone could be 30% or more of the work. It can take weeks or more to reflect on what has been written and make adjustments. Of course, if you did your homework at the planning stage, revisions could be as little as five percent of the work. This is why a content calendar is necessary. Some professional magazine editors (E.g., Inc. Magazine) plan their content eight weeks in advance.

Step 7. Proofread the writing

Proofreading the content is the final step. The proofreader doesn’t need to worry about the meaning of the copy or its impact on the target audience. The proofreading process eliminates distracting grammar issues, spelling mistakes, or sentence structure.

Unlocking the power of AI writing: Why planning is the real key to creating compelling B2B content

Artificial intelligence can help significantly with writing, revising, and proofreading. But there’s a lot more to writing than just writing. An estimated 70% or more of the work in creating written content is something other than the writing itself. Human thinking is required to direct AI writing tools. If you want to create B2B content that has an impact, then the entire process must begin with a great idea and plan.

Here again, are the seven checkpoints for achieving results-driven Trailblazer quality copy.

1. Find great topic ideas.
2. Create a content plan (The Creative Brief).
3. Make a research gathering plan.
4. Gather research.
5. Write.
6. Revise.
7. Proofread.