How to Use AI to Write Content

(Without Losing Credibility)

If you’re running a startup or a small business and wearing all the hats, you’re probably tired of people telling you to "just create content."

But when you’re juggling everything from customer support to invoicing to product tweaks, content marketing starts to feel like a luxury. And when your budget's tight, as it often is in the early stages, it feels even more out of reach.

So yes, you turned to ChatGPT.

And no, you’re not doing it wrong. We talk to many people who admit this fact with shame, but you don’t need to be. With roughly 67% of small businesses using AI for content marketing/SEO, I’m here to say to you that when you are time crunched, resource poor and wearing a lot of hats, it’s sometimes the only way. 

The truth is: AI is a fantastic tool if you use it the right way. Most AI-written content flops because it feels vague, generic, and lacks any kind of real expertise or opinion. Not because AI can’t write, but because it doesn’t know your audience like you do or give that unique expertise.

Here’s how to use AI to write content that’s structured, search-friendly, and still packed with value and credibility.

Step 1: Build a Tiny Strategy

You don’t need a 50-page content calendar to start. Just commit to writing 8 blog posts.

That’s two months of weekly content. And a solid foundation.

How do you come up with those 8? Think of 8 questions or pain points your audience has. What do people constantly ask about your product or service? What do you wish they understood better?

Use tools like:

• Google Autocomplete

• Reddit (look up frustrations in your niche)

• YouTube comments

• Support chats or FAQs

  
  

Write them down as article titles: “How to ___”, “Why ___ matters for ___”, “[Product] vs. [Product]: What to choose.”

Step 2: Know Who You’re Talking To

For each topic, ask yourself:

• Who’s actually searching for this?

• Are they a first-timer or experienced buyer?

• Do they want a quick answer or a detailed guide?

Even basic notes like "Time-poor small biz owner who just wants to know which email tool is easier" will shape how you write.

Step 3: Gather Real Insights First

Most people open ChatGPT and ask it to "do research" for them. Using AI for research is where a lot of content starts to feel the same. You're pulling from the same surface-level insights everyone else is using, and you can’t always verify where that information came from.Instead, you want to lead with your own experience. This is what makes your content credible and unique.I always instruct my team to spend the most time on research and writing down insights. Because the one thing that can’t be replicated are the little tips and tricks that are used by people doing it every day. 

Before you open ChatGPT, do a bit of research:

• Jot down what YOU already know (your experience is your edge)

• Ask team members in sales or support what questions they get

• Check what competitors are saying, and where they fall short

  
  

Time poor, even for research? Have you ever written a strategy, done a presentation or written process docs? You won’t believe the amount of content already at your fingertips. You can upload the doc to AI (feel free to get rid of any proprietary info if concerned about it), and ask it to extract learnings and insights relevant to your question. 

From there you can beef out or support your insights with some external research you can use YouTube, Reddit, external data, product reviews etc and make notes or dot points that you can add to your research doc. 

You want to build a rough outline of:

• Key questions to answer

• Pros/cons you’ve seen

• What you actually think and recommend

AI is great at structure. But you provide the substance.

Step 4: Use AI Like an Assistant, Not a Ghostwriter

Now that you have your outline, insights, and talking points, it’s time to involve AI. But not by handing over the reins.

Here's a detailed process that we’ve perfected to help with creating content. 

Step 4.1: Generate a content brief using GPT

Start by generating a detailed content brief. This step is about getting your thoughts aligned with what you want AI to produce. You're essentially briefing a very fast, very obedient assistant, so the better your instructions, the better the result.

Prompt:

"I need to write an article titled [INSERT TITLE]. The audience is [DESCRIBE AUDIENCE]. The goal is to [WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO OR LEARN]. I've researched Reddit, YouTube, competitor blogs, and customer feedback. I have key points and an opinion. Can you create a detailed content brief that includes: search intent, tone of voice, structure, key sections, must-have content, and a clear intro and conclusion?"

Make sure you include all of your research along with the prompt by uploading a document or just copying and pasting it below the prompt before you submit it. 

This helps you:

• Get a clear outline with logical flow

• Set the tone (conversational, helpful, expert)

• Make the article easier to draft and edit

• Ensure AI and you are working from the same foundation and vision for the piece

  
  

Step 4.2 Ask GPT to generate a first draft

Once the brief is generated, review it carefully. 

Make sure:

• The tone matches what you want

• The structure flows logically

• It reflects your intended audience and key points

  
  

Adjust as needed, this is your chance to realign GPT to your expectations before it drafts a single word.

Only once the brief feels right should you move forward with generating the draft.

Prompt:

"Using the brief we created, please draft a blog post. Make it conversational, helpful, and clear. Use short paragraphs, subheadings, and bullet points. Make sure the writing is skimmable and structured for intent."

Then:

• Check the tone (Does it sound like you? If not, tweak the intro and transitions.)

• Highlight areas where you can add real examples, analogies, or quotes

• Flag anything too generic for replacement

Step 5: Edit With Purpose (Here’s How)

This is the step that turns "meh" AI content into genuinely useful work.

Go through your draft section by section. You can make edits yourself or give GPT feedback, but go through section by section so as to not confuse the AI, and so you can pay attention to the details.

1. Strengthen Your POV

Every section should reflect what you actually believe. Add insights, counterpoints, and your recommendations. Remove neutral phrases like "both tools are great" unless you're explaining why.

2. Add Real World Detail

Give specific use cases, client scenarios, or first-hand experiences. If you can include little bits of information or context that helps with decision making then you can add something that is helpful and unique eg: “this is our most popular X” or “we see over and over again in our customer reviews that people like X feature the best because of it’s X” 

Add screenshots, tables, or examples where it makes sense.

3. Tighten Language

Shorten clunky intros. Remove filler words. Make it snappy and natural to read. If a sentence sounds like fluff, cut or clarify it.

4. Format for Skimmability

• Subheadings that reflect actual reader questions

• Bullet points for key takeaways

• Short paragraphs

  
  

5. Final Pass Checklist:

• Did you clearly answer the original question?

• Is the tone confident, helpful, and human?

• Does it offer real value (not just summarise others)?

• Would you share this with your own audience?

  
  

So How Long Is This Going to Take?

Let’s break it down:

• Research: 60–90 minutes depending on how familiar you are with the topic

• Brief creation with GPT: 15 minutes

• Draft generation and reading through: 30 minutes

• Editing, adding perspective, polishing: 45–60 minutes

  
  

So yes, expect to spend about 2.5–3 hours per post if you're doing it right.

Like anything, starting something new is slow when you start, but:

• It gets faster with practice.

• GPT learns your structure, your tone, your voice.

• And you’ll be creating 8 posts, that’s two months of content you can knock out over a weekend.

  
  

Compare that to the time you’ll spend procrastinating or trying to write from scratch as a non writer. It’s not just faster, it’s smarter.

This system is designed for written blog content right now. You can absolutely explore video, social, or other formats later, but this gets the foundations right.

Next Steps Track your 8 articles through search console 

When You’re Ready to Go Further

If you've made it this far, you've probably realised content doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and that you can do a lot with a little structure, a bit of process, and a smart approach to AI.

This guide was written for the early days. The bootstrapped days. The "I know I need content but I also need sleep" days.

And when you're ready to take what you've built and make it even better, more strategic, more visible, more sustainable, Red Queen is here.

We’ll meet you where you are. And help you go further.