Forty-five percent of UK SMEs using AI are using it for marketing and content — the second most common AI application after task automation. The appeal is obvious: AI generates a first draft in seconds, works continuously, and costs a fraction of an agency. The concern is equally obvious: AI content sounds like AI. Polished in a generic way, and devoid of the voice and perspective that makes content worth reading.
This concern is legitimate. But it is not a reason to avoid AI for content — it is a reason to use it correctly.
"AI does not write your content. It handles the structural work so you can focus on what only you can provide: genuine insight, specific examples, and perspective earned from experience."
The Workflow That Actually Works
Step 1: You generate the core insight
The starting point is always human. What do you know about this topic that your audience does not? What have you seen in client work that is genuinely useful? What is the counterintuitive take only someone with your experience would have? That insight is what AI cannot generate — because it has not lived your career.
Step 2: Use AI to build the structure
Once you have your core idea, ask AI to generate an outline. Provide your angle, your audience, and the key point you want to make. Ask for five to seven section headings with a sentence describing what each covers. Review and revise before writing a word of actual content.
Step 3: Draft sections, not whole pieces
Do not ask AI to write a whole article in one go. Ask it to draft one section at a time, using your outline and the specific points you want included. Then edit each section to add your examples, client references, local market knowledge, and voice. The ratio that works: AI produces 60% of the words, you contribute 40% of the substance.
Step 4: Add the human layer
After AI produces a working draft, add: a specific client example (anonymised if needed), a counterintuitive observation the standard advice misses, a local nuance specific to Ireland or the UK, and your direct opinion on what the reader should do. These are the elements that make content genuinely useful — and genuinely yours.
Training AI to Sound Like You: A 20-Minute Setup
- Find three to five pieces of content you are genuinely happy with — emails, LinkedIn posts, articles, proposals.
- Paste them into ChatGPT or Claude: "These are examples of my writing style. Analyse them and describe my tone, sentence structure, level of formality, and how I typically make my points."
- Ask it to summarise your style back to you. Review and correct inaccuracies.
- For every subsequent piece, include that style description at the top of your prompt before asking it to write anything.
This takes 20 minutes to set up and dramatically improves the on-brand quality of everything AI produces for you from that point forward.
Tools Worth Using
| Tool | Best For | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT or Claude | General drafting, article structure, email writing | Free to £20/month |
| Jasper | Teams producing high volumes of marketing content | From £31/month |
| Copy.ai | Short-form: ads, social posts, product descriptions | Free tier; from £36/month |
| Surfer SEO | SEO-optimised blog content with keyword guidance built in | From £89/month |
| Canva Magic Write | Social content with built-in visual design tools | Included in Canva Pro ~£10/month |
For most Irish and UK SMEs, ChatGPT or Claude as the primary drafting tool combined with your own editing is all you need. Specialist tools like Jasper are worth considering only once you are producing content at significant volume and the time saving justifies the additional cost.
What AI Content Should Never Replace
- Thought leadership. Articles where your specific perspective is the entire point. AI can help with structure but the substance must be yours.
- Bespoke proposals. Clients can detect AI-generated proposals and it damages trust.
- Case studies. The specific detail of a real client outcome cannot be manufactured. AI can help with formatting but the content must be factual.
- Sensitive communications. Complaints, difficult relationships, and significant negotiations should be written by a human who understands the full context.
The Content Types Where AI Saves the Most Time
- Email newsletters. Use AI to draft the body, write three subject line options, and generate preview text. Edit and send. Saves 60 to 90 minutes per newsletter.
- LinkedIn posts. Give AI your core observation and ask for five variations in different formats. Choose and edit the best. Saves 30 to 45 minutes per post.
- Blog article first drafts. Provide the outline, get section drafts, add your specific examples. Saves 2 to 3 hours per article.
- Website copy updates. Service descriptions, about text, FAQ answers. Give AI the brief and edit the output. Saves 1 to 2 hours per page.
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