Using AI to structure raw content ideas and sharpen core messages

I use AI for content all the time.

I use it to organize ideas, clean up notes, work through outlines, pull useful material out of transcripts, repurpose long-form content and get past the occasional blank page.

It’s useful. Sometimes extremely useful.

But AI isn’t a content strategy.

I think that gets lost in a lot of the conversation around AI right now. There’s so much focus on what the tools can create that we skip over the more important question: what are you trying to say in the first place?

https://lnkd.in/gYQcpUBW

Quick Rant - I don’t like when I see an AI image in my feed.

I don’t like that I have to zoom in and analyze an image or video to figure out if what I’m looking at is real.

And I don’t love when my clients want to use AI-generated images in their social media or ads.

They all know my opinion on it. 😂

Ultimately, it’s their business and they can do what they want.

But here’s where I sound like a hypocrite:

I LOVE AI.

I use it constantly.

I use it to build project plans and Gantt charts.

Research local events and audiences.

Organize ideas.

Tweak copy.

And my personal favourite?

Writing reports. Because if a robot wants to help me turn 17 tabs of data into something a human actually wants to read, have at it!

The difference for me is where AI sits in the process.

I want AI behind the scenes helping us work faster, research deeper, organize better and get through the tedious stuff.

I don’t want it replacing the human part people actually came to see.

Your face.
Your product.
Your customers.
Your ideas.
Your weird little creative decisions.
Your actual point of view.

Maybe that’s my line with AI:

Let it do the work. Don’t let it become the personality.

I’m actually going to start qualifying new clients this way so we’re aligned.

What’s your take? AI images or nah?

Use AI for creative operations instead of creation.
Here's part of the formula for keeping the "human" in human content while using AI as an operational advantage.

I watch marketing teams hand AI the one job it cannot do, which is deciding what they actually believe. Then they wonder why the output reads clean and says nothing.

AI is strong at framing, organization, and clarity. It turns raw notes into clear angles. It turns a messy brain dump into a flow a reader can follow. It tightens sentences so the point lands faster.

AI is not the source of your truth. It is the tool that turns your truth into a usable asset.

The order matters. I start with raw material from real work: a call note, an email thread, a customer story, a lesson we learned the hard way. I write a rough paragraph of context. I add a few lines that carry a viewpoint only my team could have.

Then AI gets to work on titles, outline, draft, and repurposing into video scripts and social.
Vague prompts produce vague content. Trend summaries with no viewpoint produce noise. Tips that would apply to any company in any industry produce nothing worth reading.

Start from one real sales moment. Answer one buyer question. State one clear viewpoint.

Give AI something human to multiply, and it will multiply it without losing the human touch.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing a lot about AI and how we’re using it in our businesses.

But this week, I wanted to shift the conversation back to something that matters even more.

Your voice.

Long before AI, before social media, before all the tools we have today… this was the challenge. And it still is. Knowing what you want to say, how you want to say it, and how you want people to experience your business through your marketing.

That hasn’t changed.

What has changed is how easy it is now to lose that voice.

AI is an incredible tool. I use it every day. It helps me move faster, organize ideas, and build out work that used to take much longer. But it only works well when it’s led with clarity.

If you don’t know your voice, AI will fill in the gaps for you—and that’s where things start to feel generic.

And in a world where everyone has access to the same tools, your voice is what sets you apart.

It’s your foundation. It’s your filter. It’s what keeps everything aligned when there are a hundred directions you could go.

I wrote more about this in this week’s blog.

If you’ve been thinking about how AI fits into your business, this is a good place to start.

👉 https://lnkd.in/gUdBzi8C

— Sandy

#sandyhibbardcreattive #usingAIinmarketing #dallasmarketingservices #strategicdesign #strategicplanning

Confessions of a Gen X Marketer: How I Use AI Without Killing the Human Storytelling Vibe

AI and I have a… complicated relationship.

I'm a storyteller at heart. My writing roots run deep, so the idea of letting AI write for me never felt authentic. But then you start using AI to keep up — and suddenly you discover all the surprisingly cool things it can do. Hence, the love–don't love dynamic.

Once I started using AI to optimize content for AEO/GEO, I realized something important: I can use AI to enhance my process without ditching the human voice that makes the story worth reading.

And here's a little marketing irony - LLMs actually prefer the conversational style of human-written content. In other words, the more human your writing is, the more visible you become to AI.

If you're an old‑school, pen‑first marketer like me who wants to move faster without sounding like a "robot," here's what actually works:

1. Tighten your point
My writing flaw? Trying to cram too much into one post.
AI helps me distill a messy draft into one clear idea with three supporting points.
Try:
Upload your outline and ask AI to identify the core message and three sections.

2. Build an LLM-friendly Structure
AI is great at reorganizing headers, smoothing transitions, and creating a narrative arc that humans and "robots" understand.
Try:
Ask AI to restructure your draft with clear H2s, H3s, and a more intuitive flow.

3. Let AI write the Conclusion
I used to spend way too much time writing the conclusion.
Try:
Let AI summarize your argument and pull out the takeaways — it's shockingly good at this.

I resisted AI for a long time. But once I realized it could help me think, clarify, and sharpen my voice without replacing it, everything changed.

Old school and AI can coexist.
And when they do, your content becomes faster, clearer, and just as real as ever.

3 ways I use AI to create LinkedIn content that actually gets clients.

Most people are using AI to write posts.

I use it to build strategy, clarity, and conversion.

That’s the difference.

Because AI content alone doesn’t get clients.

Positioned content does.

Here are 3 ways I actually use AI (and how you can too):

1️⃣ I don’t ask AI to write. I make it THINK first.

Most people open ChatGPT and say:

“Write a LinkedIn post about personal branding.”

That’s why everything sounds the same.

Instead, I do this:

👉 I give AI raw thinking first

Example prompt:

“Here is my idea:
Many founders post consistently but don’t get clients because their positioning is unclear.

Break this into:
• the real problem
• why it happens
• what most people do wrong
• a stronger perspective”

Now AI is not guessing.

It’s structuring your thinking.

Then I write the post using that clarity.

Result:
Content sounds like me.
But sharper.
More strategic.

2️⃣ I train AI on my voice (and my audience)

Generic AI = generic content.

So I give AI context before asking anything.

👉 I paste:

• 2–3 of my best-performing posts
• My audience (coaches, founders, SaaS)
• My tone (direct, warm, slightly contrarian)

Example:

“This is how I write. Clear, slightly bold, not robotic.
My audience struggles with leads, positioning, and content clarity.
Now refine this draft.”

Now AI is not writing randomly.

It’s writing within my identity.

Result:
Content feels human.
Relevant.
And attracts the right people.

3️⃣ I use AI to turn one idea into a system (not just one post)

Most people use AI for one post.

I use it to build content assets.

Example:

After writing one post, I prompt:

“Turn this into:
• 3 new hooks with different angles
• 2 carousel ideas
• 1 client-focused post
• 1 contrarian take”

Now one idea becomes:

→ 5–7 pieces of content
→ Multiple angles
→ More reach + more depth

Result:
Consistency without burnout.
And messaging that compounds.

Here’s the real truth:

AI is not your writer.

AI is your thinking partner.

If your thinking is weak → AI content will be weak.
If your positioning is clear → AI becomes powerful.

If your content is getting:

• likes but no leads
• impressions but no inquiries
• consistency but no growth

It’s not an AI problem.

It’s a strategy problem.

If you’re a coach or founder and want to:

→ build authority
→ create content that converts
→ use AI without sounding generic

DM me AI

Let’s build a system that actually brings clients.