Proper Using of AI to "Write" Content

The common and very complex frustration for online creators:

"I want to create content for my channel/blog/social media…
but I don't have time,
I am not a writer
and not sure where to start"

I am going to help sort this out and show you how I utilize AI tools (with prompts) to create content quickly, polish your writing without losing your genuine voice and how to get started.

I want to start by telling you why AI became essential part of my workflow.

How I got Here

I was already familiar with automation, because I'm a software engineer, and programmers write code to automate things.

Beyond coding, I also knew that I needed to build my personal brand. And to do so, I needed to write content.

But… I was always short on time; I never had enough time to work on MY things. I have a lot of client work and a big family I needed to support.

I knew I needed to write, but I never had time to do it.

So when AI became more mainstream, I immediately recognized the opportunity.

AI would allow me to do this quicker.

But I was afraid my writing was going to sound pretty sloppy and not genuine if I fully relied on machine to write it

So, as an Engineer, I went about doing it differently.

Instead of just relying on AI to write, I relied on AI to help me become better, more efficient and effective writer.

And that's what I'm doing right now and will share my strategy with you.

I'm actually recording this note, and it's going to be written by me with the help of AI.

Let's start with ...well an outline:

AI for Outlines

To be fully honest, outlining has never been a problem for me. Maybe I am wired weirdly but I think in "outlines". I guess I am the "big picture" guy.

It's always been easy for me to throw ideas on the table and just create an outline and put as much stuff in as possible, but I believe that's the wrong way to do this. This can easily get out of hand (at least for me). And a lot of information overwhelms my readers.

I use AI for Ideation and for each idea I jot down notes of my own. Then I pick one idea from the list and 3-4 topics from my notes. That's it. This is crucial.

Doing it like this keeps me from going wild with my content. If give AI three, maybe four sub-topics, I contain my ramblings.

Here I also ask for three questions for each section that I should answer for my reader. Adjust the prompt below for your needs (items in bold are replaceable):

And based on those answers, I can start writing the article.

This strategy keeps me organized. This keeps my crazy brain from flowing over and rambling about random things.

The real, interesting, unique ideas come from answering the topics at hand. You become creative by avoiding and ignoring everything else and focusing on the topic you were asked about (by AI).

For example, this outline allowed me to talk about outlines—I know, meta—and I'm talking about outlines right now. I'm not talking about anything else. That keeps the article concise, and it keeps it relevant to the discussion we have at hand.

Prolific Writer, Failed Editor

I really, really, really hate editing. I'm an idea-flow writer.

I can start writing and write and write and write, but I really dislike going over my own text and doing the dreaded editing. Things like looking for grammar mistakes, making sure my tenses are correct, no run on sentences and logical fallacies.

I just don't like doing that.

For my commercial writing, I always either hired an editor or just outsurced writing altogether.

For personal writing I have piles and piles and piles of documents never went back to edit. Until now 😏

Usually, I have things bubbling up in my head and I just spit them out in written form. Or sometimes I just record voice notes and say what comes to my head first.

Once I'm done, I transcribe it and ask AI to look over my content and see what's extra, what can be removed, what is unnecessary. My "assistant" just makes editorial changes without changing the tone of voice. And that's very important.

Here is my prompt:

Regarding content creation, relying solely on AI can be actual laziness. A lot of modern day "writers" are lazy; they don't want to write, they just want AI to write for them.

In my opinion, doing "writing" like this removes the personal experience, personal ideas, and personal takes from the content. In the end, they end up with dry and generic content.

Nobody wants to read that shit. People don't care for the reiteration of information already available with Google search or ChatGPT prompt.

So SPEAK to your AI and let it polish YOUR ideas.

We're not creating content for content's sake.

We're creating content because we want to share our ideas with the public, with our readers, makes sense?

The AI Critic

As I mentioned before, I really hate re-reading (and editing) my own content. But what I avoid and dislike even more is critiquing my own writing.

It's also difficult for me to "cut out" irrelevant parts. Everything feels necessary. It's a "masterpiece" as is.

But it is not.

This is why I need AI to act as a critic of my work and ask questions.

Hard questions.

It guides me in writing.

In a way, AI is that kind friend that reads your article and says,

'OK, this part is bullshit, …this rambling is irrelevant, you don't need to talk about this here.
Nobody cares about this part either….
But you made a mistake here,… and there's a fallacy in this argument.
…Oh and you're making big assumption in this part….
Fix it.'

Practically speaking, I write a full article (from outline provided by AI) and ask it to identify poor writing elements, any fallacies, any literary devices I misused, any assumptions I had, any logic holes.

AI critiques not just my writing; it also critiques my thinking, flow, and quality of content.

Here is the prompt I use (you can remove parts you don't feel are relevant to your niche):

To be great writer, you have to be unbiased in your writing. It's very difficult to do it yourself, almost impossible because you have emotional attachment to your text.

The only way you can be unbiased in your writing is by having someone else tell you your flaws, your errors, and your mistakes. ….And there isn't always a professional writer you can ask to "look over your ramblings".

Unless… well, you can ask AI.

AI will happily do it for you. BUT you cannot take it personally.

It's going to ask questions and tell you things that are not pleasant.

It's going to list your writing shortcomings.

It will expose your speculation, assumptions, fallacies and logic flaws.

And you have to address those. You have to rewrite those and fix them.

But the good thing is, it makes you a better writer in the future.

Conclusion

The conclusion of all of this is that AI is probably better at summarizing and concluding than you are. So, I'm going to let AI conclude this article.

Conclusion By AI

So, to conclude: using AI as an editor, outliner, and critic helps streamline content creation significantly. It tackles the parts you might dislike or struggle with—like meticulous editing or staying focused—without taking over your core message.

The key is using AI as a strategic assistant. It boosts your efficiency and helps refine your work, all while ensuring your authentic voice and personal ideas remain front and center, ultimately helping you share your unique perspective more effectively.

(my note: Banging summary.)

What about you?

Do you use AI for your workflow?

If so, comment below.