10 ways to AI-proof your content for years to come

Don’t get it twisted. The machines are taking on.

It’s solely a matter of time till we’re all serving aluminum overlords’ each beck and name.

Luckily for all of us easy people, that day shouldn’t be at the moment.

Regardless of being a regurgitating raconteur, AI continues to be a glorified mansplainer – just like the Wizard of Oz, minus the flowery haberdashery.

It kinda sucks at basic math. 

It may possibly’t wrap its dumb little head round something subjective.

It’s eye-wateringly expensive to run. Orders of magnitude more than Google Search. As if that weren’t unhealthy sufficient, AI content material additionally makes a mockery of E-E-A-T. 

And its source material is probably (definitely) stolen, infringing on others’ copyrights and honest use mental property rights.

Promising? Positive. Prepared for prime time? Not fairly. 

So don’t fireplace your complete writing group simply but (unless they already sucked to begin with).

There are nonetheless just a few issues AI can’t do and received’t be capable to do for years to return.

1. Google has already been disrupting top-of-the funnel content material for years 

Microsoft made waves with an enormous $10 billion investment into OpenAI.

That’s a variety of cheddar. However there’s just one drawback…

No one makes use of Bing.

Critically, regardless of the way you slice or cube the info, they’ve less than 10% of the market to Google’s ~80-90%+. 

So will AI assist? Positive. I imply, it could’t damage! It was already a ghost city to start with. 

I’m not (simply) being flippant. I’m making a degree. 

Google has already been disrupting SERPs – for years! – with a proliferation of featured snippet and data graphs, and on the spot solutions that offer you precisely what you’re searching for… with out requiring a single click on.

Meaning U cAn GeT yUr DrInK oN with out ever clicking on poor liquor.com under (and giving them some “advert cents.” (Get it?)

2. Spend extra time on MOFU and BOFU content material (i.e., the much less disruptable stuff)

Regardless of Google SERPs + AI already cannibalizing your top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) content material, it’s much less harmful for center or bottom-of-the-funnel (MOFU/BOFU) stuff.

You already know, the sort that really compels folks to do one thing – click on, opt-in, add to cart, begin a trial, create an account, or simply hit the Purchase button. 

AI content material will likely be comparable for the foreseeable time, as a result of the underlying know-how depends solely on pretrained fashions.

It’s why machine can usually beat Grand Masters at chess. They will scan and retailer info (learn: patterns and strikes) after which make choices primarily based on that knowledge sooner.

Like “rubbish in, rubbish out,” it associates knowledge factors that always present up collectively, then spits it again out once more when referred to as upon – with out truly understanding what it’s saying. 

So whereas AI content material can do a satisfactory job at a easy, black-and-white question like “What’s Advil?” and comparable, it’s much less helpful for determining if you happen to want Advil or if you happen to ought to go to the ER.  

Which brings us to the subsequent subplot:

AI content material is notoriously mistaken. Not, like, a number of the time – however, like, the entire time.

3. Nice content material is commonly written by subject-matter specialists, with quotes and nuance so as to add shade to a subject or angle 

The world we dwell in shouldn’t be black and white. It’s all shades of kinky, messy, sweaty gray.

That’s additionally why the most effective content material is completed by or with subject-matter experts.

‘Trigger stated specialists depend on major analysis and verifiable information or stats vs. baseless claims to correctly put together persuasive factors.

That’s not what you get with AI content material.

Plus, it’s simple to identify, just like the nerdiest recreation of whack a mole. A brand new model of ChatGPT is launched, just a few weeks later, Turnitin can spot it with 97% accuracy.

Take even the title of this text. It was initially going to be a simple “how-to,” however I knew turning it right into a Prime 10 listicle would get extra consideration. 

Data of the viewers ought to even inform the content material construction.

However that isn’t all.

The very definition of “content material” continues to evolve as an increasing number of stuff exhibits up in at the moment’s SERPs.

4. Higher construction content material sorts across the Question + SERP format

Google “HubSpot tutorial” and right here’s what you received’t see first:

• PPC Adverts.
• HubSpot.com.
• Folks Additionally Ask questions.
• Conventional natural listings.
• Data Graph.

Quit?

Movies!

C’mon, OpenAI. The place’s your vlogging recreation at?

This can be a excellent segue (if I do say so myself) as a result of the one factor that video usually has over plain textual content is persona. 

The supply of the content material in video is arguably simply as (if no more) essential than the precise content material.

However. That shouldn’t essentially be the case.

It simply is. As a result of most writing on the net suuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkssss.

Take the obnoxious-as-hell introduction of this text. 

I’ve labored with a whole lot of manufacturers prior to now decade. And I can solely rely on one hand the quantity that might allow us to normally get away with one thing like that.

Most need to play it protected. Water it down. Make it extra generic. Ensure that the Oxford comma is simply so. 

You already know, as a result of clients actually care the way you format em dashes. (Wait. No, they don’t.)

Get 10+ writers to drone on and on and on like the identical anonymous, faceless, Firm, Inc. that’s been the content material technique over the previous few years.

But, over the subsequent few, it’ll die an excruciatingly-violent, Squid Video games-esque dying. 

‘Trigger AI content material is already the faceless grasp of the universe.

5. Assume extra recurring columns from people with personalities vs. a number of generic writing that every one sounds the identical 

Cue Bourdain. 

God, I like him. And miss him. As a result of he would drop bombs on the regular like so:

“If you’re simply offended by direct aspersions in your lineage, the circumstances of your beginning, your sexuality, your look, the point out of your mother and father presumably commingling with livestock, then the world {of professional} cooking shouldn’t be for you.”

From the thought-provoking:

“Journey adjustments you. As you progress by this life and this world you modify issues barely, you permit marks behind, nevertheless small. And in return, life—and journey—leaves marks on you.”

To easy quips:

“When coping with complicated transportation points, the most effective factor to do is pull up with a chilly beer and let someone else determine it out.”

What do you name that? Journalism? Satire?

No clue. I simply name it endlessly readable. Can’t-take-my-eyes-off-it watchable. Actually-LOL listenable. 

AI can’t do this. As a result of AI ain’t bought no soul.

It can’t make counterunitive arguments. It can’t weave a narrative that builds on itself. 

Not but, anyway. And never over the subsequent few years at this fee, both.

These issues are self-referential. They construct arguments with one brick after one other, which requires leaps in logic. 

Or they’re utterly counter to what “most” acceptable norms may counsel on a specific matter or class. 

Keep in mind: rubbish in and rubbish out. AI can’t course of nuance like this but.

When folks say “content material,” their minds drift to “textual content.”

However the traces between content material sorts have already advanced. And for a very good cause. 

Imagery is proven to increase memory recall. In the meantime, scanning and skimming is the new reading. 

That is why displaying folks what one thing appears like will all the time, unarguably, be higher than partitions of textual content.

You may as nicely be dropping 300 phrases of Lorem Ipsum when a picture comes into view, like so:

Blended media helps break up content material, truly encouraging extra scanning and scrolling, which your crack fiend-like viewers is already accustomed to on-line. 

This could embody every thing from:

• Featured photographs.
• Charts and graphs.
• Visualizing a course of or rationalization.
• CTAs.
• Even graphics that could possibly be repurposed for social channels, video thumbnails, and extra.

And it means anytime you clarify some visible course of, present it!

It is higher to indicate folks precisely how one can “add a strikethrough in Google Docs,” for example, than to ramble on and on and on and bury the good things in partitions of textual content round it.

7. Create lengthy, in-depth content material that may simply be repurposed into extra audio and visible mediums

You do not want one other statistic to clarify video’s significance to advertising and marketing. Nobody does.

So let’s skip the foreplay and deal with the essential level:

The exact same lengthy, in-depth, nuanced, attention-grabbing content material that AI cannot do additionally lends itself rather well to a different human-friendly factor: audio and video.

A fundamental factor is to take in-depth content material and create audio summaries. Or, merely embody thematically associated discussion-style podcasts into associated articles. The Economist does each.

However you possibly can and will do the identical with video, particularly as YouTube continues to eat away at conventional tv + streaming time whereas additionally consuming away at natural SERP placements, too. (See level #4 above.)

So take your high content material, or best “head” phrases, and create every thing from product-focused walkthroughs to in-depth evaluations and even movement graphics. 

Simply keep in mind that we’re capturing for what AI cannot do = which regularly means extra human inclusion with some talking-head parts, too. 

8. Illustrate tales with interactive content material and knowledge visualization

The theme over the previous few ideas right here is to focus much less on the precise content material itself and extra on the way you ship it.

Particularly, make it extra interactive so it’s simpler to know and extra attention-grabbing to deal with for a couple of minutes.

Knowledge visualization is the pure extension, then. Once more, take a cue from high publishers like The Economist, which has just lately been churning out interactive content material items like this overview of worldwide weather systems.

9. Lean into nuance and subjectivity by evaluating various options for various audiences 

AI would not waffle. It may possibly’t, by definition. It is programmed to spit out information like that supremely-annoying know-it-all in your workplace. (Err, Slack Watercooler.)

The excellent news is that this dovetails properly with the truth that on-line audiences are additionally turning into savvier. Which means: if you happen to simply spew BS, they will see proper by it.

Nowhere is that this clearer than affiliate-related SERPs. Positive, you possibly can nonetheless pull the wool of the eyes of rubes within the “become profitable on-line” house. 

However usually talking, individuals are sensible sufficient to know that there is no such thing as a #1 proper reply 100% of the time.

As a substitute, you usually examine totally different choices for various folks primarily based on a variety of things.

As an example, what’s the most effective dive watch you should purchase proper now? 

The reply is completely depending on finances! 

What’s “good” at $100 is not at $1,000, $10,000, and even $100,000. (A lot to my checking account + spouse’s chagrin.)

However the level is which you can and will lean extra into subject-style content material.

On the very least, take a extra balanced and nuanced strategy to the sort of searches which may realistically work for a number of events.

As soon as once more, you possibly can up the ante right here by utilizing higher design, presentation, and even growth to spotlight these subjective variations clearly.

Assume: comparability charts and graphics. Showcase professionals vs. cons or which various is best relying on their finances, objectives, and preferences.

10. Display how issues works, not simply what they’re able to

It’s best to all the time attempt to go the additional mile.

Sounds trite. However it’s true.

If the competing content material has zero photographs, you must have 5. If they’ve 10 inventory photographs, you must have 10 customized ones.

Your content material will want a aggressive “moat,” made up of all these parts we’re speaking about at the moment, to “future-proof” your content material as a lot as potential. 

My final favourite instance contains calculators, instruments, quizzes, and different embeddable parts. 

Let’s actually and figuratively go that further mile now. Say you may have two methods of figuring out your anticipated end time in a marathon.

You possibly can:

• Painstakingly search for your mile time on the leftmost column of an enormous chart, utilizing each fingers to attract traces between that and your distance time… 

• Or, you might punch in two numbers and get an on the spot reply:

(Hmmm. That latter instance even kinda feels like what AI is doing, anyway? ?)

Keep in mind that “content material” would not all the time imply “textual content.”

Sure. You’ll usually want textual content to begin. A script is the nucleus of a video. 

However the precise presentation, format, supply, or interplay will proceed to matter an increasing number of over the subsequent decade.

Double down on what AI cannot do

The cat is out of the bag.

AI will solely proceed getting higher and higher and higher.

Fairly quickly, we’ll haven’t any selection however to construct digital pyramids within the metaverse in its honor.

Fortunately, that day is not at the moment. Or tomorrow. Most likely not 5 years from now, both.

AI can do a number of issues higher than you and me. Nevertheless, it is embarrassingly bad at a slew of things.

Compete on these latter issues. On the issues that are not simply reproducible and are not prone to change anytime quickly. Particularly the human bits which might be already hardwired into our inside laborious drives.

Machines may be capable to beat you at chess. However they will not ever at intangibles like instincts or instinct.

Or every other “i” phrase to finish a budget alliteration joke that confirms there is a residing, respiratory human typing this in spite of everything.