A hard-earned lesson to always check Chat GPT's content...
So, here’s a lesson I recently learnt: A couple of weeks ago, I handed the reins to ChatGPT and asked it to write a Pinterest blog for me.
Now to be fair, I had a solid idea for the topic, the outline, and I’ve worked with AI before. I’ve trained it in my brand voice, my content pillars, my tone. This wasn’t a cold prompt. But instead of writing the draft myself and asking AI to help polish it (like I normally would), I thought, “Why not let ChatGPT give it a nudge first?”
And on the surface, what it gave me looked fine. It sounded like me (mostly). It followed the structure I wanted. But something didn’t sound right. A couple of paragraphs felt a little... regurgitated.
So I did a quick Google search.
And sure enough, some of the content it had given me had been lifted, word for word, from other NZ-based digital marketers’ blogs. My direct competitors.
Awkward.
Obviously, that iteration of the blog never saw the light of day...
If you take just one thing away from this...
AI is a brilliant tool. I use it in my business and personal life every day. It’s a massive asset for content creation, systems, automation, and strategy, especially for small teams who want to do more with less.
But it’s not a magic shortcut.
And it should never replace your own original thinking, your experience, or your voice.
The truth is: AI is only as good as the info you give it.
If you feed it a vague prompt and hope for the best, you’ll get copy that might sound polished but says nothing new. In the worst case (like mine), it regurgitates content scraped from somewhere else, without citations, without context, and without a clue that it’s giving you someone else’s IP.
And for business owners who value integrity, originality, and standing out online? That’s a hard no.
So what should you do?
Here’s how I recommend using AI tools like ChatGPT, without losing your voice (or risking plagiarism):
1. Start with your own point of view
Write the messy draft. Write down the ranty voice note that you recorded. Create a rough outline. Get your own expertise down on the page, because that’s what makes your content valuable.
2. Then, use AI as your assistant, not your author
Ask it to expand, refine, simplify, or restructure what you’ve already created. Get it to punch up a headline, suggest metaphors, or improve flow, but keep the original message yours.
3. Always check your sources
If you’re using AI to write something educational or technical, fact-check the bejeesus out of it. And if anything feels generic, over-polished, or too familiar, Google it. Trust your gut. Double-check it, because no one wants to be accused of ripping off content.
4. Finesse, finesse, finesse
Edit for tone. Add your personality. Drop in the “you-isms” that make your brand sound human. Use that little cheeky comment you’d say to a client on a video call. This is the magic that no AI can fake.
In short?
AI can definitely support your content marketing, but it can’t replace you.
Your thoughts. Your lived experience. Your voice. Your "you-ness." That’s what makes people trust you and choose you. Don’t give that away to a robot and call it a day.
Lesson learned. (And no, ChatGPT didn’t write this one for me. But it did help format the bullet points, because delegation is the goal.)
Need help getting your online content working with AI instead of against you? That’s where we come in. Let’s make your content smart, searchable, and unmistakably yours.