AI For Writing? How To Use AI to Write Content (the right way…)

AI for writing and content creation has become a hot topic. Some swear by it, others loathe it, but the truth lies somewhere in between. AI can be a powerful tool—if you use it correctly. The key is understanding its strengths and limitations. This guide isn’t about replacing writers with AI or generating thousands of generic articles. It’s about showing you how to use AI as a powerful assistant to elevate your content, save time, and keep the human touch intact.

Done right, AI won’t just speed up your process; it’ll help you refine ideas, rework your tone, and organize your thoughts in ways that keep your brand distinctive and memorable. Misused, it’ll churn out the kind of soulless fluff that no one wants to read. This is your playbook for making sure AI is an ally, not a liability.

Watch the video here 👇 or keep reading…

Why AI-Generated Content Fails Without a Human Touch

AI is great at a lot of things, but writing impactful, memorable content isn’t one of them—at least not on its own. Here’s why relying solely on AI to generate your content is a recipe for mediocrity:

1. AI Content is Designed to Be Average

At its core, AI operates by predicting the most probable next word in a sentence based on billions of documents it’s been trained on. It’s built to find the statistical middle ground, not to innovate or surprise. The result? Content that’s scientifically average.

If your brand relies on being memorable, distinctive, or even remotely original, why settle for “meh”? The internet is already saturated with average content. Adding more won’t help you stand out.

2. It Doesn’t Convert Customers

AI-generated content often falls into two traps:

• Regurgitation: AI pulls ideas from existing sources, leading to content that offers nothing new.
• Hallucination: AI sometimes generates completely fabricated information.

Even when it’s factual, AI content rarely speaks directly to what your customers need. It’s not designed to persuade, empathize, or connect. Customers don’t convert because they’ve read something bland—they convert because they feel understood.

3. It Lacks Human Appeal

People, especially younger audiences, are craving authenticity. Platforms like TikTok and YouTube are thriving because they showcase real people with real experiences. AI can’t deliver that.

By its very nature, AI can’t provide the quirks, emotions, or personal touch that make content relatable. A brand that feels human will always outperform one that feels robotic.

4. It Won’t Make Your Brand Memorable

Content needs a personality. It needs humour, storytelling, and a unique voice that resonates with your audience. AI can’t replicate your brand’s personality or infuse content with those subtle quirks that make it stand out.

As Andrea Bassani put it:

“Everyone wants to use AI to write content, but no one wants to read content written by AI.”

That’s the truth—your audience can tell the difference. Without a human touch, your content risks blending into the noise, leaving your brand forgotten.

The Right Way to Use AI for Content Creation

AI isn’t here to replace your creativity—it’s here to amplify it. When used correctly, AI becomes your ultimate writing assistant, saving you time and helping you refine your work while keeping your unique touch intact.

Case Study: Tangential AI Content and Search Engine Land

To see how AI can enhance, rather than replace, creative content, let’s look at a real example—an article I wrote for Search Engine Land titled “Tangential AI SEO: Finding Keywords No One Else Has”.

This wasn’t just any article. It was a 4,500-word piece packed with unique ideas and methodologies that resonated deeply with its audience. The response was incredible:

• 21,000+ reads
• 141 social shares
• Backlinks galore

How AI Helped Create This Article

Writing a 4,500-word article like this could have easily taken me 8–9 hours. With AI, I finished it in around three hours without compromising creativity, personality, or depth. Now, I get it: three hours isn’t the 5–10 minutes you might hope for when using AI. But as I mentioned earlier, content created in 5–10 minutes won’t stand the test of time. It won’t build your brand, and it certainly won’t convert your audience.

AI should be a shortcut, not a magic teleportation device. So, let’s break down how I used AI to craft this article efficiently and effectively.

Tip 1: Use a transcribing/dictating software + AI

Content creation begins with ideas. The fastest way to get them out of your head is to speak them. Use a transcription tool on your laptop or phone and talk through your thoughts. Don’t worry about grammar, structure, or whether it even makes sense. The point is to capture your raw, unfiltered ideas.

The result will be messy, scattered, and likely full of “ums” and “you knows”—but that’s exactly what you need to start.

Talking through your ideas saves time compared to writing them from scratch, and it mimics the conversational tone that resonates with readers. Once the ideas are down, you can use AI to clean up the chaos, refine the flow, and transform the mess into something polished and professional.

In the case of my Tangental SEO Article, the whole introduction was done by me speaking on my laptop and then using a prompt like:

“Rewrite this to read and flow better. Use a friendly tone of voice”.

The result was great 👇.

Great, the introduction was done in 30 seconds. I obviously used the same technique to write a lot of the other sections too.

Tip 2: Supercharge Your Examples with AI

Strong examples make your content relatable and memorable, but coming up with a variety of them can be time-consuming. This is where AI shines. After you’ve written one or two examples, use AI to expand on your ideas by generating additional ones that fit your tone and topic.

For instance, in my Tangential SEO article, I explained the concept of creating content that’s indirectly related to your core business. My initial example was about Nike focusing on topics like music playlists for workouts instead of just sportswear 👇

While this example worked, I wanted more variety to drive the point home.

I fed my example into AI with a prompt like:

“Here’s my example of tangential content: [insert example]. Can you suggest three more similar examples that are creative and relatable?”

And, in a few seconds, I have some other examples👇👌

Tip 3: Use AI to Brainstorm and Expand on Key Points

Even when you have strong ideas, AI can help you take them further. It’s not just about making your content longer; it’s about adding depth, variety, and perspective. Whether you’re brainstorming additional points or fleshing out the ones you already have, AI can save you time and help you create a richer piece of content.

When writing my Tangential SEO article, I initially came up with three reasons brands should create tangential content:

• Broader audience reach
• Increased engagement
• Building brand authority

These were solid starting points, but I wanted the section to feel more complete. Instead of sitting and thinking about additional ideas for ages, I prompted AI like this:

“I’ve come up with these three benefits for creating tangential content: [list points]. Can you suggest more reasons and expand on all of them?”

In seconds, AI-generated additional ideas and fleshed out the ones I provided. Here’s what it helped me create:

So, here’s a simple workflow:

1. Start with a few points or ideas.
2. Feed them into AI with a prompt like: “Here are some reasons for [topic]. Suggest additional points and expand on the ones I’ve listed.”
3. Review and tweak the results to ensure they align with your tone and voice.

Using AI to brainstorm and expand on ideas isn’t just efficient—it ensures your content feels complete and well-rounded, making it more engaging for your audience.

BONUS: Make Your Points More Memorable with Metaphors

If you’ve noticed, the points above all follow a consistent theme—they’re explained using a food metaphor. This isn’t just for fun (though, who doesn’t love a good food analogy?). It’s an intentional strategy to make the content more engaging and relatable. And here’s the great news: AI can help you craft these metaphors effortlessly. This leads me nicely to my next tip.

Tip 4: Use AI to Craft Metaphors and Analogies

Metaphors and analogies aren’t just decorative flourishes; they’re functional tools that transform complex, abstract ideas into something concrete, relatable, and memorable. A well-crafted analogy doesn’t just explain—it connects.

Instead of blandly stating, “Tangential content attracts a broader audience,” you can paint a vivid picture:

“Creating tangential content is like being a master chef. It lets you cater to diverse palates while still staying true to your signature flavors.”

See the difference? A metaphor gives your content life and personality, making your point more impactful and easier to remember.

Metaphors like this engage readers, simplify difficult concepts, and make your content stand out—and with AI as your creative partner, crafting them becomes faster and easier than ever.

Here’s a prompt similar to the one I used when writing this piece:

“Explain [your concept] using a metaphor or analogy. Make it engaging, relatable, and easy to understand. Use [insert theme, e.g., food, sports, travel] as the context for the analogy. Provide multiple options for variety.”

For example:

“Explain the concept of tangential content using a food metaphor. Make it engaging and conversational. Provide three distinct examples that highlight different aspects of the concept.”

Tip 5: Use AI to Write a Conclusion That Wraps Things Up Perfectly

Writing a great conclusion can feel like an afterthought, especially after pouring all your energy into the main content. But a strong ending is crucial—it ties everything together, reinforces your key points, and leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Thankfully, AI can help you craft a conclusion that checks all the boxes: concise, impactful, and tailored to your tone.

When writing my Tangential SEO article, I found myself drained by the time I got to the conclusion. Instead of struggling to summarize everything, I prompted AI to help. Here’s the workflow I used:

1. Provide Context
   I fed AI a brief summary of what I’d written, along with the tone I wanted: “Here’s the article summary: [insert points]. Write a conclusion that ties these ideas together in a conversational tone.”
2. Request a Call to Action (CTA)
   To make the ending actionable, I added: “Include a CTA encouraging readers to think about how they can apply these ideas to their own content strategy.”
3. Refine the Result
   AI provided a polished draft, which I then tweaked slightly to fit my voice.

With AI, you can stop stressing about conclusions and focus on what really matters—delivering value throughout your content. A solid ending ensures your audience leaves with clarity, inspiration, and a reason to come back for more.

AI: Your Writing Assistant, Not a Replacement

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve already seen AI in action throughout this guide. From enhancing transitions to generating examples, I’ve used AI in subtle but impactful ways to refine and strengthen the content. The key takeaway? AI should help, not replace, your writing.

To drive the point home, here’s a breakdown of the top ways you can use AI to elevate your writing, along with areas where it’s better to rely on your own creativity.

Task	Use AI	Example Prompt
Creating Entire Articles	❌	N/A
Injecting Personal Stories	❌	N/A
Tone Adjustments	✅	“Adjust this paragraph to be more friendly and engaging without changing the core meaning.”
Summarizing Complex Points	✅	“Simplify this technical explanation so it’s accessible to a general audience.”
Creating Lists or Checkpoints	✅	“Turn this paragraph into a clear step-by-step list.”
Formatting for Engagement	✅	“Highlight key points from this section that could be used as pull quotes or callouts.”
Suggesting Taglines or Hooks	✅	“Create three punchy headlines based on this paragraph.”
Expanding Examples into Scenarios	✅	“Take this example and turn it into a mini story or scenario: [insert example].”
Incorporating Cultural References	✅	“Suggest pop culture references that align with this point: [insert topic].”
Reordering Arguments for Impact	✅	“Reorganize these points to build up to a strong conclusion.”
Improving Transitions and Flow	✅	“Rewrite this section to flow more smoothly into the next. Maintain a conversational tone.”
Offering Alternative Perspectives	✅	“Suggest counterpoints or alternative perspectives to this argument: [insert point].”
Making You Sound Smarter	✅	“Rewrite this to read and flow better”

Key Takeaways

• AI shines when used as a helper to enhance clarity, organization, and creativity.
• Avoid relying on AI for entire sections or full articles—it won’t capture your unique insights or voice.
• Balance is key: pair your expertise with AI’s efficiency to create content that’s both impactful and authentic.

By using AI thoughtfully, you can streamline your process, add depth to your ideas, and deliver writing that resonates without losing the human touch that makes it truly memorable.

Keyword Insights: The AI Writing Tool That Puts Human Creativity First

Now that you’ve got the theory on how to use AI effectively, let me introduce you to the tool we developed to make the process easier.

Keyword Insights AI Writing Assistant is designed to amplify your creativity, not replace it. Unlike tools that churn out bulk content, our platform helps you brainstorm, refine, and optimize your writing—all while preserving your unique voice and expertise.

With everything integrated into one seamless workflow, Keyword Insights saves you time and ensures your content is smarter, sharper, and ready to rank. From research to optimization, it’s your all-in-one companion for creating high-quality, impactful content. Of course, my “Tangental Content” article above was written inside Keyword Insights.

A quick look at each feature

When you first log in to Keyword Insights’ Writing Assistant, you’re asked for the keyword and location you want to optimise for 👇

After filling in the necessary details and waiting a few minutes, you’ll gain access to the writing editor.

This editor includes all the essential tools you’d expect: text formatting, image insertion, bullet points, and even a feature for adding notes to collaborate seamlessly with other writers. 👇

To kick things off, you have these 3 tabs over here on the right:

Research

The Research Tab lives up to its name—it’s your go-to tab for building a solid outline before you even start writing. Here’s what it offers:

• Top 20 Search Results Analysis:
  Instantly view the top 20 Google search results for your keyword, complete with their headings. This helps you identify which headings are essential and which ones to include to ensure your content is competitive.
• Comprehensive Question Aggregation:
  Access questions from Reddit, Quora, and People Also Ask. Use these to enrich your content by addressing queries your competitors might have overlooked, giving your piece the edge it needs to stand out.

For those of you who need briefs quickly, our “Auto-Generate Outline” button analyzes the top search results for your keyword and creates a comprehensive first draft of your outline.

Here’s the difference between us and other tools: if you’re using tools like OpenAI or Jasper to generate a brief, they rely on billions of static, historical documents. These tools essentially predict what an outline might look like based on patterns from the past—not what’s currently ranking.

Our approach is different. We use live search results, ensuring your outline is based on what’s working right now in Google’s top results. Search trends evolve daily, and by relying on real-time data, our tool keeps your content aligned with the latest insights, giving you a significant competitive edge.

There’s much more you can do here, but this isn’t the guide to dive into all the details of the research tab. In fact, some research might be better suited to our dedicated briefing module—but that’s a topic for another guide!

Write

The Writing tab includes pre-built suggestions inspired by the ideas and concepts we discussed earlier. It provides quick, convenient options to break down paragraphs, add definitions, create bullet points, or outline pros and cons—all without taking over and writing the entire document for you.

You’ll also notice a tab to activate the AI Chat Assistant. This feature works like having your own ChatGPT integrated directly into your writing tool—no need to switch tabs or open a separate window. As you can see from what I’ve typed, I’m following my own advice from earlier in this guide, using the assistant to generate a funny metaphor for a point I’m making.

This tab is the AI-powered core of the tool, designed to help you rewrite text, refine metaphors, adjust tone, or add engaging stories—all without ever leaving the writing module. It’s AI working hand-in-hand with human creativity, enhancing your content rather than taking over the entire writing process.

Optimise

Finally, to go beyond content creation, we offer the Optimize tab, designed to help you fine-tune your article for search engines. By analyzing the top 20 search results for your keywords, we identify key topics, word counts, and readability benchmarks to ensure your content aligns with what’s performing well.

In the top right corner, you’ll see a grade score—aim for an A! The tool also flags any sections that seem overly AI-generated, prompting you to refine them for a more authentic touch. With insights on word count, topic coverage, headings, readability, and keyword usage, the Optimize tab ensures your content is uniquely yours and ready to rank.

As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the place to dive into all the features of the Content Writer or the briefly mentioned Content Brief generator (there are videos on those pages if you want to see the features in detail). The key takeaway is this: Keyword Insights was developed with the mindset that humans and AI should collaborate seamlessly—a philosophy that aligns perfectly with the purpose of this guide.

A Final Case Study – How a Pet Website Thrived with AI-Enhanced Content

Earlier in this guide, I shared how I used AI to enhance my Tangential SEO article for SEO Journal. That example showed how tools like Keyword Insights can elevate your writing by adding metaphors, switching up the tone, and optimizing content.

But this next example is even more impressive, and here’s why: it’s about someone with no SEO experience, no writing background, and no connections in the industry. Yet, this one-man pet blog managed to thrive in a niche dominated by massive players with strong backlinks, established authority, and significant resources.

How? By following the principles we’ve discussed throughout this guide—not just relying on AI to generate an entire article, but using it to speed up the process while keeping his unique personality front and center.

The blog’s owner used Keyword Insights as the platform to streamline his workflow. Instead of juggling multiple tools, he had everything in one place—the Writing Tab to refine ideas, the Research Tab to gather insights, and the Optimize Tab to polish the final product. Importantly, he didn’t let AI take over. He wrote the content himself, injecting his voice and personal touch, while using AI to enhance specific parts like improving flow, expanding ideas, and adding variety.

By striking the perfect balance between human creativity and AI support, he created high-quality content that stood out, even in a competitive niche.

Summary: How to Use AI to Create Content That Stands Out

The Right Way to Use AI

AI isn’t here to replace your creativity but to amplify it. When used thoughtfully, AI can help you:

• Speed up your writing process.
• Enhance clarity and flow.
• Add creative touches like metaphors, examples, and stories.
• Refine tone and structure to suit your audience.

However, relying solely on AI to generate entire articles leads to generic, mediocre content that lacks personality, authenticity, and staying power. The secret lies in using AI as a tool to assist your writing, not as a replacement.

Tips for Effective AI Collaboration

1. Use Transcription Tools: Quickly get your ideas out of your head and onto the page, then use AI to refine them.
2. Expand on Ideas: Feed AI your initial concepts and let it help brainstorm additional points or expand on existing ones.
3. Craft Metaphors and Analogies: Use AI to generate engaging analogies that simplify complex ideas and make your content more relatable.
4. Write Strong Conclusions: AI can help you summarize key points and suggest impactful CTAs to wrap up your content effectively.
5. Optimize Content: Use tools like Keyword Insights to polish your content, ensuring it’s structured, relevant, and ready to rank.

Case Studies in Action

• Tangential SEO Article: Showed how AI can elevate an already strong piece by adding metaphors, refining tone, and speeding up the writing process.
• Pet Blog Success Story: Demonstrated how someone with no SEO or writing experience used Keyword Insights and the principles in this guide to create engaging, high-performing content. By striking the right balance between human effort and AI assistance, the blog thrived in a competitive niche.

Why Keyword Insights Stands Out

Keyword Insights is designed to seamlessly integrate AI and human creativity. Unlike tools like OpenAI or Jasper, which rely on outdated document patterns, Keyword Insights uses live search results to provide accurate, up-to-date content briefs and optimization suggestions. It’s your all-in-one platform for:

• Researching keywords and headings.
• Structuring and writing content.
• Optimizing for SEO without switching between multiple tools.

Final Thoughts

AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a magic wand. The best content comes from combining your unique voice, ideas, and personality with AI’s efficiency and enhancement capabilities. By following the principles in this guide and using tools like Keyword Insights, you can create content that not only ranks but also resonates.

The bottom line: don’t let AI replace you—let it support you. That’s how you create content that’s smarter, sharper, and uniquely yours.

Oh, and this article took me 1.5 hours to write with the help of AI 😘

For further reading, we’d recommend our guide on how to structure a blog post.