When content marketing for established online businesses becomes automated… a savvy content creator must use AI tools to streamline their research process while still adding their own unique personality to the content to stand out from the crowd and build trust with their audience.
We’ve got a comprehensive review that will show you how AI content generators can totally revolutionize your content creation process. We’ll delve into the exciting world of using AI to generate content, weighing up the pros and cons, and exploring how it can “streamline” your content creation process (because who doesn’t love corporate buzzwords?). So buckle up and get ready to be dazzled by the wonders of AI-generated content!
We’re going to cover the following:
- The pros and cons of generative AI content creation–and whether it will replace a bunch of “our” jobs.
- I’ll review four different AI content creation tools and two additional tools that are specific to podcast content creators.
- My big concern around AI content and where we’ll go from here.
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Highlights in this episode:
- [00:00:06] We’re going to cover what AI content creation tools are, how they can be applied to your marketing strategy. I’m going to review some of the top AI content generators on the market today.
- [00:02:08] Using a tool for content creation can help your business scale your content marketing efforts.
- [00:03:55] Generative AI content writing tools are not going to replace us humans just yet. We still have some unique skills and talents that robots just can’t replicate yet.
- [00:06:11] It is easier to write a basic article with AI than it is to write it on your own. [00:10:39] There are other ways you can use AI to help your writing that don’t actually involve writing.
- [00:11:23] Some semantic tools used as a content assistant can optimize your content so it’s easier to rank well.
- [00:13:14]I am reviewing four long-form content generators and two that are podcast specific.
- [00:14:32] With Neuron Writer you’ll be hand-holding it throughout use so it will take longer.
- [00:16:24] Content At Scale and Scalenut
- [00:19:18] Two podcast-specific AI writing tools. Capsho and Swell AI are aimed at podcasters.
- [00:21:31] I just reviewed six different AI content helpers for your business.
Unlock The Power Of AI Content Generation: Review of 6 Popular AI Tools
AI-based content creation tools are slowly making their way into marketing world, and marketers are using them to produce blog posts, social media posts, email copy, and more with a touch of a button. Or, at least, that’s the promise of these content generator tools. They’re designed to handle a creator’s most time-consuming tasks, allowing them to focus on the creative aspects of content creation.
If you’re itching to dip your toes into the world of AI-powered content creation but don’t know where to begin or which tools are worth shelling out your hard-earned cash for, then listen up! You’ve stumbled upon the perfect spot to get your bearings and figure out your next move. In this blog post, we’ll cover:
- what AI content creation tools are
- how they can be applied to your marketing strategy
- review some of the top AI content generators on the market today
- how they aid in writing high-quality content
- which long-form AI-generated content tools also create social media content
What’s the Deal With AI Content Creation?
GPT-3, a machine learning approach built using internet data to generate any type of writing, is an Open AI project. While AI has been around for a while, it’s ChatGPT that really made it a mainstream idea. AI has the potential to assist content creators at all stages of the creative process, and it’s no longer a far-fetched idea from a 90s film.
Using AI tools for content creation can save you precious time and money. (And who doesn’t love that? I mean, I use this as a major selling point for multiple parts of my biz.) With AI content creation, you can create top-notch content quickly and with ease while still being able to cut costs on your marketing efforts. But, of course, you have to know when to let the robots take the wheel and when to stick with what’s been working for you so far.
There are a number of benefits of using AI tools in content creation. For starters, these tools can save businesses and professionals time by automating the creation of content using a template. Popular AI templates are available on multitudes of platforms (Jasper AI, Copy AI, etc.) for:
- AIDA and PAS copywriting frameworks
- social post captions
- short-form video ideas
- analogy providers (I use these a lot!)
- blog title generation that hits SEO keywords or blog title generation that creates buzz
- rephrasing a paragraph
- marketing copy FAQs
- bullet point expanders
Moreover, using an AI content creator tool opens up the possibility of reformatting existing content to fit various communication mediums (aka repurposing) with ease. This allows businesses to use content across various media without having to invest in a team of marketers or copywriters. Turning a podcast into a three-point Reel shouldn’t have to take a half hour! Using a tool for content creation can help businesses scale their content marketing efforts without investing heavily in human resources or hiring a marketing manager.
Will Generative AI Content Writing Tools Replace Us?
AI content generation tools are a godsend when it comes to streamlining the content creation process. But let’s be real here–they ain’t gonna replace us humans just yet. Not completely, at least. We still have some unique skills and talents that robots just can’t replicate… yet. So, while these tools can definitely make our lives easier, let’s not get too carried away and start thinking we’re all gonna be replaced by machines any time soon, okay?
While AI can help mimic the tone and respond to requests to write something in a sarcastic tone versus a friendly tone, it can’t yet look at a body of work and continue that brand’s thought leadership. And thank goodness! I really like Jay Acunzo’s take on the outcry around generative AI–the problem isn’t that it mimics people so well. It’s that people–us, the content creators–are acting like robots.
As a content writer, it’s important to use a tool that is suitable and able to satisfy your needs. But one of the things that make you YOU is your ability to form authority opinions. It’s your ability to plant your flag and say, “This is what I stand for!” You’ll have to continue adding that element into your content on your own.
In the long term, artificial intelligence will undoubtedly be a part of content creation, but not all of it. It is essential to use a tool that provides high-quality writing without compromising on quality. We’ve all seen the articles talking about Bing’s chat demanding the user love them and GPT-3 making up quotes people have never said. We’ll cover plagiarism and AI detectors later, but for now, I’d suggest running anything you create through both of these–possibly two of each–before publishing.
Where AI content generation tools are winning right now
Right now, it’s easier to write a basic article on something with AI than it is to write it on your own–both from the time perspective as well as the research. Here’s a post I shared on LinkedIn last month:
Last night I was reading a fiction book. It kept referencing Wuthering Heights. Now, I love to read–but somehow I’ve never read Wuthering Heights. And since I don’t have any intention of changing that soon, I quickly googled “quick and dirty summary of wuthering heights.”
What I got was a bunch of mini-novels in terms of blog post lengths. Even the google snippets I was served weren’t helpful–they mentioned the two main character names (which I already knew), the author, and the setting of the novel.
I hopped over to ChatGPT, asked for a three-line summary of the major plot points, and got exactly what I needed.
That’s the thing about search–it’s hard to guess the exact intent of your audience. But you can tell ChatGPT your exact intent and it delivers.
And since I *also* wanted the real meat of the story–so I could understand the novel I was reading better–I asked it to tell me the plot sarcastically in one sentence.
Wow did it deliver:
“So, ‘Wuthering Heights’ is basically a heartwarming tale about a man who, after being adopted by a wealthy family, falls in love with his adopted sister and spends the rest of his life seeking revenge against everyone who wronged him, while also haunting their descendants for generations. Feel-good stuff, really.”
What’s the lesson? Make your content easy to navigate and decipher or your audience will keep on scrolling by…
Where AI-powered content tools are missing the mark
Any topic that requires nuanced thinking is a topic I wouldn’t even consider running through an AI writer. If I wanted an elaborate compare-contrast between Wuthering Heights and whatever modern equivalent book is out there, though, I’m sure all the AI writing tools would fail miserably. Similarly, the nuanced thinking that makes up The Personality-Driven Marketing Machine framework I use for my clients’ evergreen content plans is something an SEO content tool wouldn’t be able to touch.
This is something you have to write on your own–or at least hire a trusted freelancer that knows your business to help you with. Your proprietary information wouldn’t be so proprietary if an AI tool could just whip it up.
You also don’t want to, as my friend Eliya Finkelstein says, outsource your critical thinking to AI. She and I had a long text chat over an article we saw that shocked us–people suggesting you take your current Google Analytics traffic results, plug them into ChatGPT, and ask the chat to tell you what else to write about. Bad idea!
Streamline your research process
So where could you use AI writing assistance in your content creation if not talking about your IP? Why am I talking about it if I just told you not to use it for the majority of your business?
To begin with, Generative AI content writing tools can be used to streamline your research process and produce a good first draft. They can help you quickly find and compile relevant information in a short period of time, like we did with Wuthering Heights. ChatGPT, for example, enables users to type a keyword into a search box and instantly receive a list of relevant content. Sourcing quality content using these tools is easier than it is using traditional search engines, which require users to manually search for and find relevant content.
Another important benefit of using AI writers is that they are often able to generate content quickly on a topic. This can save time and resources when conducting a quick search online or writing an article quickly. However, it’s also important to recognize that there are potential flaws in content generated by artificial intelligence writers. So make sure you fact-check thoroughly before publishing anything generated by a machine.
AI-based content creation tools outside of writing
By using artificial intelligence, companies can generate a variety of content types, such as text, images, and videos. This can help businesses market their products, services, and ideas in a more engaging way. I’m primarily talking about text-based content in this article, of course. Does that mean there aren’t great AI content generators for other purposes? Of course not! I’m using Midjourney to create images that aid my long-form written content and considering tools like Plot.io if I decide to take my podcast into more of a video direction in the future.
Additionally, artificial intelligence can automatically add media, such as images and hyperlinks, to generated content to enhance the quality of the content. I’m using some of the tools below to suggest other content already on my site to interlink. Whether you’re writing a blog post or preparing a presentation, using AI to augment your content creation can streamline the process and help you get work done more efficiently.
My big concern around the use of AI content
When I look at how I use AI to generate in my content creation process, I (currently) use it to create pieces that have good breadth. I’ll cover tools in just a bit, but Neuron Writer and Scalenut both give a number score as I write and edit. My writing style doesn’t naturally lend itself to fantastic SEO rankings, so I do pay attention to these scores.
AI can help me move from a score of 40 to a score of 60–quite easily–but if everyone starts doing that to support your content creation, then the goal is no longer 60. It’s 70. Then 80. Using these semantic tools as a content assistant or to optimize your content makes it easier to rank well–especially when it’s already good and already has your thought leadership baked in–yes, but where’s the race going to lead?
It’s why I stress editing your content output heavily when you use AI content generation. Keep the YOU in it. An AI copywriting tool can’t mimic that yet. If more are more content marketers see the ease in these tools, the internet is about to get even more crowded and even noisier. If you’re going to contribute to the noise, for the love of God, contribute something worthy!
Key Takeaway:
AI content creation won’t come swooping in like a thief in the night to steal your job as long as you keep injecting some good ol’ fashioned “you” into your content. But let’s not ignore the fact that learning how to use AI tools alongside your current methods will give you an edge in the market and make you a lean, mean, content-creating machine.
AI Content Creator Tools You Can Use Today
Let’s talk about the magic of AI content creation tools. These bad boys can whip up first drafts of long and short-form content in no time flat, and not just any content, but content that’s engaging, accurate, and of top-notch quality. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to give these tools a whirl, I’ve got your back. I’ve either used these tools myself or had a trusty pal walk me through ’em. Plus, I’m throwing in a couple of podcast-specific tools to give you an idea of their potential for your own content biz and to showcase the sheer power of AI when used for a specific purpose.
The tools I’m reviewing here are primarily for long-form content and are specific to writing. Even the podcast tools are designed for the content writing that goes along with marketing a podcast.
My review criteria (and who didn’t make the cut)
There are too many AI writing tools out there for me to test and review them all. That said, I’ve used (or seen a close friend use) several that piqued my curiosity enough to either trial or buy an inexpensive lifetime deal to really put it through the paces. Here are some of my criteria to even test:
- The AI content generator tools should offer a range of options and templates to choose from–unless they’re intended for SEO blog writing only.
- They should also ensure the quality of the content is consistent, original, and creative.
- They need to pass artificial intelligence detectors and plagiarism checkers! Bonus if those tools are built into the software.
- Tools must be able to understand the emotional tone and needs of the target audience.
I’ve previously mentioned Outranking and CrawlIQ on my podcast, but I’m not including them in this official review because they lost my trust. I bought them both last year and they have not honored lifetime deals. They got tricky with language, and I’m sure they passed the lawyer-speak test, but they’ve not honored the spirit in which they sold those deals, and all the currently useful features are embargoed for lifetime holders. In addition, neither of them have a pleasing UI. They’re both clearly made by techies.
I also chose not to review tools like Jasper AI, Peppertype, or WordHero. These tools are great for ideas for your content and very short posts less than 700 words or so, but they don’t compare to the tools I’m going to review.
Neuron Writer: content optimization with semantic SEO
Neuron Writer is a content creation tool that uses natural language generation to create content in a human-like manner. This tool requires additional human input for content. It’s not going to be the option where you press a button and receive a 2,000-word article five minutes later–nor is it intended to be!
Neuron Writer performed the best for talking in my own tone of voice and including other ways of saying keywords. They call these NLP terms–and simply seeing the suggestions help me see other ways my audience might word a search request. In the article I wrote to accompany my interview with podcasting mentor Jeremy Enns, for example, the keyword I targeted was “how to build trust.” Some of the primary suggested keywords to include in the article were “foundation of trust” and “ways to build trust.” Some extended keyword suggestions were “strategies for building trust” and “basic level of respect.” I found these suggestions to be very helpful. Even though I wasn’t intending for this article to be an SEO heavy-hitter, some basic help was great.
However, depending on the type of content you’re creating, it may take a long time to produce a post using this tool. Long-form content like blog posts will take a while to create–much like writing manually. It’s the main reason I continued my search after finding this tool, even though I’m finding I like the other functions of Neuron Writer the best:
- NLP terms so keywords don’t feel like spam, but natural language in a piece of content
- Easy way to see how much breadth I cover in my headlines versus text
- A “score” to beat and a best-practice score
NW also generated content that was both engaging and relevant to my niche. Overall, Neuron Writer is a powerful tool for creating high-quality articles using AI machine learning. I just wish it didn’t take so long to use.
Pros:
- provides the most control for the content and tone of your article
- the NLP keyword suggestions feed my creativity
Cons:
- by far, the least generative–you’ll be handholding it throughout use
Content At Scale: SEO-Focused Content Publishing
AI-powered content creation tools can be great. However, they can be expensive and time-consuming to use. For instance, a popular content creation tool known as Content at Scale starts around $150 a month, though it’s one of the least time-intense of the tools I’m reviewing here. Content creators need to decide if time or cost is more important to them.
I first heard about Content At Scale from Julia McCoy, a previous podcast guest of mine who now works for them. She’s done a fantastic job of providing demos of the software, and I think this will be one of the big contenders moving forward. You will create better content in less time. I haven’t personally put this tool to use, but I’ve seen hands-on demos from friends and colleagues that impressed me enough to want to include the review here.
Because it wasn’t created by a bunch of boring coders and developers–no offense, guys–but by a group of savvy marketers who know exactly what content-forward businesses need to succeed, they have a few unique content add-ons. One of these is the ability to add a CTA throughline to the post, which can help generate more leads for your business or marketing campaign, and another is that it pulls out Key Takeaways for you. It also has a user interface that looks, shall we say, a whole lot nicer and less code-y than some of the other tools.
Pros:
- feels easier for marketers (rather than techy SEO people) to use
- meant for marketing
Cons:
- the most expensive of the bunch
- the only one that doesn’t offer a free trial of some sort
Hypotenuse: Ai writing assistant and text generator
I found this one through my friend and previous podcast guest, Jordache Johnson. He’s deep into Web3 and AI and put together a huge list of AI-related tools. Hypotenuse is a tool that can be used to automate content writing. It produces good articles with little or no effort on the user’s part. It has a variety of artificial intelligence-driven services, including a blog assistant that can automatically generate blog posts, a sales assistant that can help with sales copy, a story assistant that can write excellent narratives, and a content generator that can automatically produce content using natural language processing and artificial intelligence.
Hypotenuse was the closest in feel to Content At Scale. However, it came up short in support and customer service. This tool is still a good choice for those looking for automation tools for content creation.
Pros:
- quick article generation that felt like an easy read
- has a built-in art generator for images that go with your blogs
Cons:
- buggy; I couldn’t get it to work the first day, and it was because their system was down
Key Takeaway:
Is saving time or saving money more important to you? Whether you choose one of these AI-powered tools or a different one, weighing the benefits that matter to you will be the deciding factor.
Scalenut: AI that powers your entire content lifecycle
Scalenut is a tool that can help content creators brainstorm ideas and produce high-quality articles in a short amount of time, too. With Scalenut, users can use the Topic Clustering tool to generate SEO-friendly content ideas, and the Cruise Mode to create long blog posts in a few minutes.
When using Scalenut, users can specify a keyword or topic they are interested in writing about, and the tool will suggest SEO-friendly ideas using a machine learning algorithm. Ultimately, Scalenut provided me with the best quick output that still followed my outline, rather than just SEO content–the main reason I’m calling this one a win.
Pros:
- the best balance between auto writing and an outline I get to control
Cons:
- a bit to SEO techy for many without easy descriptions of why it would matter to me
Podcast-specific AI writing tools
I don’t want to leave out the first tools that showed me there was hope for AI content generation tools with a specific use case–and the first one I truly felt was worth the money is Capsho.
Capsho: AI copywriting software for podcasters
Capsho is a content generation tool that helps podcasters (and now video creators) create marketing pieces around their podcasts. With Capsho, users can create a custom content strategy and use the tool to generate transcripts, blog posts, social media copy, and more. One of the big benefits of Capsho’s content creation is that I can choose a content purpose–do I want a social media post that’s more educational or do I want it more promotional, for example.
I love how easy it was to get started with Capsho–I just had to sign up for an account, and I uploaded straight from my Dropbox. After that, I could choose what content I wanted to be generated and when I wanted it delivered. Also, their transcripts make me look good–it removes my verbal tics!
Pros:
- you can build your own show notes template to streamline creation
- definitely meant to market a podcast and help with podcast repurposing
- the founder team is incredibly responsive; they care
Cons:
- it’s a hefty monthly fee for how I use it ($90/mo) for a podcast each week
- some of the verbiages is much less natural than other AI tools like Neuron Writer or Hypotenuse.
Swell AI: Automate writing podcast show notes
Swell AI is another tool meant to streamline the podcast marketing process. Like Capsho, it includes show notes, social media posts, and transcripts. Unlike Capsho, it uses ChatGPT to generate the social posts; they’re not premade, so it’s another step, but the verbiage feels more natural–and you can tell it to generate in a specific tone you enjoy. Swell AI also included short, punchy topic timestamps in the show notes area, one of the features I really enjoy. They don’t provide quotes, though, which is why I wouldn’t end up paying for a subscription.
Pros:
- uses ChatGPT to create the social post so it sounds friendly
- generates up to 10 titles at one time for the podcast episode
- free plan (only one upload a month)
Cons:
- doesn’t include quotes from the episode
Key Takeaway:
Look for what you’re already doing around podcast marketing and choose the podcast AI content tool that will save you time, rather than add on things you’re not already doing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best AI content generator?
The best AI content generators really depend on the needs of the individual using them. Different applications have different capabilities – some are tailored specifically for blog writing, others for sales copy and email content creation, and so on. It’s important to take a step back and assess all of your content-related needs before jumping into a tool. Machine learning and content are moving forward hand-in-hand. For my business, I’ve found a combination of Scalenut and Neuron Writer to be the most helpful AI-generated tools. Scalenut is great for blog-style content generation, while Neuron Writer does a great job at helping cover your topic in depth without keyword stuffing. They’re both intuitive tools that make content creation a breeze, even for those who aren’t natural writers!
That said, blog article writing is a very different ballgame than writing a high-converting sales page copy, so if you need a tool that’s more specialized in that area, then you may want to look into other options.
How do you use AI in content creation?
AI content creation tools use natural language generation to write content in a way that is similar to how a person would. The tool requires a prompt, which could include topics, tone, length, and any other preferences regarding the content. After inputting a prompt, the AI content generator searches the internet and pieces together copy fitting with the requested format.
In addition to using natural language generation for content creation, artificial intelligence can also be used to improve existing content. AI content creation tools are able to examine a piece of content and identify ways it could be improved or optimized. This can include using keyword extraction to surface relevant words and phrases, as well as using sentiment analysis to detect emotional language.
Conclusion
AI content generation tools are a boon for content writing. While they can’t replace a content creator, using artificial intelligence for content creation can augment a writer’s work by cutting down the time required for research and writing high-quality content faster. Use the AI content writer tools reviewed in this article to see if there’s a way to make your creation process more efficient!
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Resources Mentioned
Music by Michael De La Torre. Thanks, Mikey!
