I am fascinated and excited by generative AI tools like ChatGPT and others. But it leaves me speechless at times when I see how they are used.
Recently, I tried AI plugins for WordPress. (German article, automatically translated with Google Translate. If you want to know more about this topic: I am currently working on a more in-depth version for the Smart Content Report. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss it.)
I noticed that all the plugins focus on the wrong task: they want to take writing off your hands.
I understand why people find that appealing. It is so tempting: press a button and not even a second later you have the result.
But in doing so, the plugins and their users forget that the content workflow is much more extensive:
- Idea generation
- Topic finding
- Topic selection
- Outlining
- Content creation
- Approval
- Distribution
- Measurement
Eight steps! Only one of them is content creation.
AI can help you create better content – but not by blindly leaving the writing to ChatGPT. The tested plugins do not offer that. My suspicion: none of these plugins is designed by a content professional.
Instead, learn how to use ChatGPT for better content. (Auto-translated as well) For all the suggestions in the linked article, there’s one rule: you keep your hands on the wheel.
Another UPLOAD article explains why we still need people in content creation. (Auto-translated) It shows you why it is not a good idea to hand over your content creation to machines.
AI-generated content is aimless, lifeless, and interchangeable. This is especially true if you do not have a clearly defined content workflow or content strategy. Or if, as a layperson, you don’t even know why one piece of content works great and another doesn’t. Without this knowledge and a lot of experience, you cannot optimize the AI’s output with better prompts or edit it accordingly.
To slightly modify my headline: Don’t leave writing to AI – unless you know exactly what you are doing.
In that moment, AI can be a great helper. But only then.