AI in Content Creation: Best Practices & Top Tools for 2024

AI content creation is the newest content marketing trend. 

Businesses use AI to streamline the content creation process and generate quality content faster.

But it doesn’t end there.

AI can also help you build a solid content strategy, boost your SEO performance, generate useful audience insights, and more.

Let’s dive into how you can implement AI for content marketing and propel your business forward.

Top 6 Benefits of Using AI for Content Marketing

According to our 2024 report on AI content marketing, 82% of businesses that report content marketing success already use AI.

Let’s unpack how they achieve it.

First of all, creating high-quality content gets much easier with AI tools—when you use them right.

AI can also strengthen virtually every aspect of your content strategy—and help you get better results faster.

Here are five reasons you might want to consider using AI for your content marketing:

1. Boosting Content Marketing ROI

Small businesses often juggle limited resources and time constraints, making efficient content strategies crucial. 

This is where AI steps in as a game-changer.

According to our 2024 AI content report, 68% of companies report higher SEO and content marketing ROI when using AI.

Wondering how it works?

First of all, it empowers businesses to create content faster and focus their efforts elsewhere. 

It also lets them save resources and invest more money in other areas supporting business growth.

Finally, AI content tends to produce more engagement and drive more traffic.

Can AI content rank on Google?

YES, and we have proof! We analyzed 20K blog articles, surveyed 700+ Semrush users, and interviewed industry experts to get to the bottom of it.

Check out the NEW research

2. Saving Time and Resources

As you can see, AI tools are known for being fast. 

Type a query into any AI tool, and you’ll receive a response in seconds.

This can make your content creation process 10x more efficient.

Let’s look at an example. 

Only 16% of businesses we surveyed said they could create one long-form article in less than one hour before using AI. 

This number grew to 36% after they integrated AI into their content marketing processes.

However, it’s not all about speed. After all, fast yet low-quality content will never yield positive results. 

The best news?

AI can also boost the quality of your content.

3. Improving Content Quality 

In our report, we saw that 79% of businesses see an increase in content quality when using AI tools.

This is quite eye-opening for everyone concerned about the quality of AI-generated content.

This increase in quality happens for a number of reasons.

First, AI tools allow you to conduct deeper content research and analyze vast amounts of data.

Secondly, when combined with human oversight, AI can generate engaging, well-structured copy for various marketing channels.

You can use AI to structure your content the right way and adjust it to your customers’ expectations.

For instance, you can share information about your target persona and ask AI to provide ideas on how to customize your content piece.

4. Ranking Higher in Search

To get your content in front of the right audience, you need a strong SEO strategy.

In our survey, we saw that 65% of businesses report an improvement in their SEO results.

So, how can you use AI to increase your rankings? 

The options are endless.

For example, tools like ContentShake AI combine AI with real-time SEO data.

It generates SEO-rich articles in one click—automatically integrating relevant target keywords and competitive insights for your topic.

This way, you can save hours of SEO research and achieve tangible results without becoming an SEO guru.

You can also use AI to perform various SEO-related tasks.

For instance, ask AI to optimize your existing copy for the selected target keywords using this prompt:

“Rewrite the following paragraph by naturally incorporating the provided target keywords without altering the original meaning.

• Paragraph: {paragraph}

• Target keywords: {keywords}”

Other ideas include using AI to find gaps in your content plan, cluster your keywords, improve meta tags, and more.

5. Making Your Content More Engaging and Consistent 

​​A solid, cohesive brand tone of voice is essential to gain your audience’s trust, but it can be challenging to keep it consistent across different content pieces.

That’s where AI tools come in.

You can train AI to create content in the target tone of voice by sharing details about your audience and brand, and feeding it your writing samples.

And, it can optimize your existing copy based on this input. For example, try this prompt:

“Rewrite the following text to sound more friendly and conversational, as if you are talking to a good friend.

• Original text: {text}”

Another option is to feed AI your writing samples and ask it to keep to the same tone of voice. 

AI can also make your copy more engaging and easy to read.

For example, use this prompt to boost your content's readability:

“Rewrite the provided text to enhance its readability, making it suitable for a general audience without specific knowledge of the subject.

• Original text: {text}”.

Finally, specialized tools like ContentShake AI further automate this process. 

Once your draft is complete, it scores its readability and tone of voice consistency.

It then helps you make instant fixes using AI.

How to Use AI for Content Marketing: Top 7 Uses

There are multiple ways you can use AI for content marketing and SEO.

In our research, we found the top 5 use cases for AI content tools:

• Researching content ideas
• Rewriting text
• Creating content from scratch
• Building a content strategy 
• Adding more content and ideas

However, you can also leverage AI to analyze your audience, optimize copy for keywords and more.

Let’s explore some of those AI content marketing uses in detail.

1. Research Content Ideas

AI can be an essential tool for adding new content ideas to your plan.

You can ask it to suggest topics based on:

• Your buyer persona description
• The strategies of your competitors
• Your current content plan

And more!

For instance, you can use this simple prompt:

“Based on the provided focus area, generate a list of 5 potential blog topics that would be interesting and relevant to the target audience.

• Focus area: {focus_area}

• Target audience: {target_audience}"

This is how it might look:

Or, you can dig a bit deeper. For example, by using this prompt:

“Given a list of competitor content titles, analyze and suggest 3 unique content topics that would differentiate our brand.

• Competitor content titles: {competitor_content_titles}
• Target audience: {target_audience}”

You can also use AI writing tools that suggest content ideas based on real-time data.

For instance, ContentShake AI analyzes your business niche and suggests weekly content ideas based on real-life trends.

Remember that most AI tools are great for generating high-level content ideas. 

However, the situation changes when it comes to finding specific keywords.

Read on to learn more about that topic.

2. AI Content Creation

As you might expect, one of the top ways content marketers use AI is to generate various types of content.

Based on our report, the top 5 content formats marketers create with AI are:

• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• Short articles
• Short videos
• Emails and newsletters 

Creating content with AI tools is easy and efficient. 

The trick is to be as specific as possible in your prompt.

At the same time, it’s important to make it simple and clear, just like when you work with human writers.

For example, imagine you want to generate an email to promote a product to your audience. 

In this case, make sure to mention the key details about your audience, the goal of the email, its format, tone of voice, and so on.

You could use this prompt:

“Write an email newsletter based on the product’s description. Include a subject line, body, and a CTA.

• Product’s description: {production_description}
• Target audience: {target_audience}
• Target tone of voice: {tone_of_voice_description}
• CTA: {cta}”

Here’s how it might look:

You can also feed AI writing samples of other emails you’ve created for your business so it understands your brand voice and the desired structure.

Next, AI works great for generating content outlines and briefs.

Here are some sample prompts:

Sample Prompt #1

“Create an outline for an article announcing a new product launch. Include an attention-grabbing introduction, product features, benefits, launch details, and a conclusion with a call-to-action.

• Product launch title: {title}
• Summary: {summary}
• Product description: {product}”

Sample Prompt #2

“Create a structured outline for a content brief that includes sections for the introduction, target audience, main points, suggested keywords, tone of voice, and call-to-action.

• Project description: {project_description}
• Content format: {content_format}
• Target audience: {target_audience}
• Brand guidelines: {brand_guidelines}”

3. Rewriting and Optimizing Your Copy

In addition to creating content, AI can also help you rewrite, paraphrase, and optimize your copy.

One of the simplest things you can ask it to do is to paraphrase a piece of text in a certain way. For example:

“Break down the following long sentences into shorter, clearer sentences without losing the original meaning.

• Long sentences: {text}”

AI will also optimize your copy for different audiences, formats, and more. For instance:

“Rewrite the given text to suit a different target audience while maintaining the original message.

• Original audience: {original_audience}
• New audience: {new_audience}
• Text: {text}”

If you’re using specialized content writing tools, you can paraphrase and rewrite your copy directly in the content draft.

Next, AI works great for improving your copy’s readability and tone of voice.

Here’s a sample prompt:

“Revise the text to appeal to a younger audience, making it sound more vibrant and energetic.

• Text for a youthful tone: {text}”

4. Building a Content Marketing Strategy

That's right, AI tools can also aid you in building a powerful content strategy.

Your strategy needs:

• A defined target audience
• Your brand’s story 
• Your content marketing mission
• A business case, goals, and KPIs
• A solid action plan

Stuck on how to put all those pieces together?

Use AI content generation tools to help create and fine-tune your strategy.

For instance, you can input details about your target audience, your product, and your content marketing goals and ask AI to suggest an action plan.

Alternatively, use it to create pieces of your strategy and then stitch them together. For instance, use one of these prompts:

“Based on the company's overall objectives, define a specific, measurable content marketing goal.

• Company's overall objectives: {objectives}”

Sample Prompt #2

“Suggest the most effective types of content (blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.) for the given target audience and marketing goals.

• Target audience: {target_audience}
• Marketing goals: {marketing_goals}”

Sample Prompt #3

“Outline a plan for content distribution channels that would be most effective for reaching the target audience.

• Target audience: {target_audience}
• Content types: {content_types}”

You can even use AI to help nail down your audience persona. For example:

“Create detailed audience personas, including age, interests, job roles, and challenges, based on the provided market research data.

• Market research data: {market_research_data}”

Let’s move on to the next AI content creation use.

5. Adding Ideas and Expanding Your Content

Stuck with writer’s block?

AI is here to help.

In addition to finding new content ideas and writing copy, it can also expand and enhance your existing draft.

There are numerous prompts you can use for it, such as:

Sample Prompt #1

“Expand on the key points provided, adding more depth and detail to each one.

• Key points: {key_points}”

Sample Prompt #2

“Introduce relevant supporting facts or data to strengthen the main argument of the text.

• Main argument: {main_argument}
• Supporting information provided: {supporting_information}”

Sample Prompt #3

“Provide examples or short case studies that illustrate the main points of the text.

• Main Points: {main_points}”

Imagine you have generated an article using ContentShake AI. 

Perhaps you’d to like add more content based on your perception of your audience or to make the piece more comprehensive?

Head to the AI chat and ask it to enrich your article in just a few clicks.

6. Optimizing Your Content for SEO

There’s one thing we know for sure: SEO is essential for a strong content marketing strategy. 

You need users to see your content in the search results and click on it.

However, AI content creation gets a bit trickier when you write content intended to rank in search engines.

Many AI tools like ChatGPT do not provide real-time data on keywords, search intent, and other important SEO elements.

So, when preparing your outline for SEO-rich content like blog posts, you’ll need to use tools like Semrush’s Keyword Magic tool and conduct manual search intent analysis.

You can then feed this information to AI. For example:

“Write a step-by-step how-to guide on the given subject. Begin with an introduction that explains the importance of the task and then list the steps clearly and concisely. Use the search intent insights to structure the article.

• Subject: {subject}
• Keywords: {keywords}
• Target Audience: {target_audience}
• Search intent insights: {search_intent_insights}”

Alternatively, use specialized writing tools like ContentShake AI, which combines AI with SEO data.

Here’s how it works.

First, choose a content idea suggested by the tool (or enter your own). 

You will get a ready-to-publish article generated in a few seconds. 

You can also open the editor and add any changes using the integrated AI chat.

If you’re looking to further optimize your content, head to the “Competitor data” tab to see the structures, titles, introductions, and other elements used by your organic competitors.

There are other AI tricks you can try to boost your SEO. 

For instance, ask AI to optimize your existing product description for a set of target keywords.

“Enhance the following product description by including the target keywords in a way that improves search engine optimization while maintaining readability.

• Product Description: {description}
• Target Keywords: {keywords}”

Or, use it to group your keywords to create topic clusters for your content plan.

“Based on the list of keywords provided, create clusters that could be used to generate blog post topics.

• Keywords: {keywords}”

Sounds exciting? There’s even more to it.

AI can help you analyze SEO and content marketing data and find gaps in your strategy.

For example, use Andy Crestodina’s advice and enter a specific AI prompt to reveal web pages that have a lower CTR in search. 

First, export your search results data as a CSV file from your Google Search Console account.

Then, head over to ChatGPT, upload the file, and enter this prompt:

“Looking at SEO to analyze search performance and engagement in the SERPS, which of the following pages has lower than expected CTRs based on their average search position?”

This analysis will help you find anomalies where pages with a very high position have a lower than expected CTR.

Given the results, you now know which web pages need extra work and can come up with ideas to optimize their title tags and meta descriptions.

7. Generating and Optimizing Multimedia Content

AI offers incredible capabilities for working with text. 

But it doesn’t stop there.

In 2024, there are multiple tools you can try to generate multimedia content:

• AI image generators (e.g., Midjourney)
• AI video editors (e.g., Synthesia)
• AI voice generators (e.g., Descript's Overdub)
• AI music composition tools (e.g., AIVA)
• AI graphic design tools (e.g., Canva's Magic Resize)
• AI photo enhancement software (e.g., Remini)
• AI animation tools (e.g., Adobe Character Animator)
• AI Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) content creation tools (e.g., Tilt Brush)
• AI color palette generators (e.g., Colormind)
• Podcast repurposing tools (e.g., Podsqueeze)

These tools are key to enhancing your content strategy and making your text more interactive. 

Multimedia content is also essential to cover different stages of the content funnel.

For example, in our report, Ross Simmonds talks about advanced AI video formats you can use for training, onboarding, promotion, and so on.

"In 2024, we are going to see the rise of AI-supported video content. A lot of people might read that and immediately think I’m talking about AI animation and AI-supported effects on the back of Midjourney. But in reality, I’m talking about top-to-bottom AI-created video experiences that include everything from talking head videos that are actually synthetic avatars using synthetic voice, to AI-powered webinars."

- Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation 

Here’s what it looks like:

Source: Synthesia

As you can see, there are numerous use cases for AI in SEO and content marketing. 

While we’ve only discussed a few of them, you can keep exploring and integrate AI into virtually every aspect of your workflow.

But does this mean AI can replace human writers and content specialists? 

Not really.

Read on to discover some top tips for using AI content tools the right way.

Tips for Using AI Content Marketing to Get the Best Results

With the emergence of AI, it’s out with the old and in with the new.

The main idea?

The fundamental content marketing best practices are here to stay—now paired with smart integration of AI tools.

Let’s look at some key tips to follow in 2024.

1. Maintain Human Oversight When Using AI

Sometimes, raw AI-generated content lacks personality. And personality is what keeps readers interested in your brand.

Here’s how to address this.

Human-created content helps foster personal connections between the reader and your brand.

That’s why using AI as a writing assistant is better than replacing your writers with AI.

Michael Brenner, Founder of Marketing Insider Group, has this to say about AI tools:

"After AI helps us lay the groundwork, our in-house writers step in to add stories, depth, and visual support to each piece of content. We’ve also added extra editorial reviews, where our writers team up to cross-analyze articles and measure up to a higher standard."

- Michael Brenner, Founder of Marketing Insider Group

He adds:

"While some folks in the marketing world are looking at AI exclusively as a way to cut costs and save time, we think that only adds to a “race to the bottom” of quality. Instead, we’re using technology the way it was meant to be used: to make us and our clients better, more successful, and more human."

- Michael Brenner, Founder of Marketing Insider Group

AI-generated content should only be considered as the foundation of any content piece or first draft.

With your draft ready, you can add elements to make the content more human.

2. Integrate Your Personality into AI Content

In 2024, we’ll see an unprecedented level of content production. 

But worry not—there’s a way you can stand out.

Make sure to infuse your content with a personalized approach and make it more relatable.

For example, you can share:

• Personal stories
• Real-life examples
• Humor 
• Quotes, or interviews with experts

For instance, we interviewed nine industry experts to create our blog post on 2024 content marketing trends. 

In doing this, we aimed to provide more value and share real-life practical tips.

Remember, your customers want content that connects with them and matters.

Melanie Deziel, Co-Founder of Creator Kitchen, says: 

"In 2024, we’ll start to see content creators and marketers become more personal and more vulnerable with their work, as an antidote to all the sterile and mass-produced content currently flooding the market."

- Melanie Deziel, Co-Founder of Creator Kitchen

Sharing personal–and sometimes vulnerable–content is an excellent strategy to foster a connection with your audience in 2024.

3. Highlight Your First-Hand Experience and Expertise

Based on Google’s preference for EEAT content, it’s a good idea to create original content and highlight your first-hand experience in the matter.

EEAT is an acronym for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. 

EEAT-focused content is more likely to rank higher in search engine results and better connect with your audience. 

How can you make sure your content is EEAT and Google-approved?

By creating a collaborative approach—combining AI tools with the expertise of subject matter experts and writers.

You can use AI to create content enriched with original ideas.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Publish original research (e.g., a survey with your audience)

• Leverage your own real-life experience (e.g., write about case studies with your clients)

• Work with your SMEs (e.g., interview your product manager)

For example, REI is known as a go-to source for tips on outdoor activities.

As of January 2024, they generate over 8M in monthly organic traffic—based on Semrush data.

On their website, you can find lots of listicles and product comparisons for outdoor enthusiasts.

But instead of simply featuring products they offer for sale, the company’s employees test each item in real-life settings and create articles based on their findings.

Isn’t it a creative way to embed original research into your content?

4. Structure Your Content to Keep Traffic Volumes High

SEO can be challenging.

And with the introduction of Google’s Generative Search, it’s only about to become more so.

Here’s how it’s going to look:

Source: Search Engine Land

These AI summaries will allow users to type a question and receive an AI-generated response in seconds. 

This means users will have less incentive to click on pages for the answers they are searching for.

But that doesn’t mean you should give up on your SEO.

As per Kyle Byers, Semrush’s Growth Marketing Director:

"Now that content isn’t always created by humans, it’s more important than ever to demonstrate that there was some human involvement. Google, with a continuing focus on E-E-A-T, underscores how important this is. Soon, we’ll all have a new competitor in the SERPs: Google’s Search Generative Experience, which displays AI answers for many search queries. To compete against that, content marketers should provide experiences that can’t be easily replaced by simple AI summaries."

- Kyle Byers, Director of Growth Marketing at Semrush

Ensure your content fully answers the search query and create high-quality copy that pulls the reader from the top of the page to the bottom. 

You can enhance your content by integrating:

• YouTube or video embeds
• Interactive elements
• Personality pieces
• Audio clips
• Reliable sources
• Relevant quotes from subject matter experts
• Useful statistics 

Value-packed content will keep the reader engaged and coming back to your website.

The Top 6 AI Content Creator Tools

ChatGPT is popular, but it isn’t the only AI content-creation tool on the market.

Other, more specialized AI tools will help you stay on top of your content creation game.

Let’s look at some tools that might be helpful for you and your brand.

AI Content Writing Tools

Here are some of our favorite AI tools to try for content writing.

ContentShake AI

One of the significant drawbacks of ChatGPT is that it does not provide real-time SEO data. 

Also, its interface is also not tailored for ongoing content creation.

Try ContentShake AI to fill those gaps.

ContentShake AI combines the power of ChatGPT with Semrush’s SEO data to help you write high-ranking content in one click. 

Its AI writer is particularly useful for small businesses and one-person teams.

Plus, the tool can:

• Suggest relevant content ideas for your business
• Generate ready-to-publish articles and social media posts in one click
• Optimize your drafts with an integrated AI chat and competitive analysis tips
• Publish your content directly to WordPress

Jasper AI

Jasper AI is an AI-powered writing assistant that takes enterprise content marketing to a new level. 

This tool works well for large marketing teams with existing SEO and content marketing resources and expertise.

Jasper AI can help you generate multiple content formats in just a few clicks—from product descriptions to social media posts.

AI Audio Tools

Now, let’s look at some of the top AI tools for creating and editing audiot content.

Podcastle

Podcasting has never been easier with AI audio tools. 

Podcastle is an intuitive AI audio tool, an “all-on-one podcast software.”

Podcastle allows users to record, edit, and host their podcasts.

Don’t feel like talking to record your podcast episodes?

Podcastle’s AI technology allows users to clone their voices to record future episodes with a typed script.

Murf AI

Murf AI is a podcaster’s dream–especially if they need voice actors for their scripts.

Have more than one character but not enough actors?

No problem.

Murf AI is an AI audio tool that allows users to generate various voices in seconds. 

And in over 120 different languages.

AI Video Tools

Finally, here are some of our favorite tools for AI video generation.

SubMagic

If short-form video is part of your 2024 content marketing strategy, look at SubMagic.

SubMagic is an AI tool that allows users to quickly and easily add:

• Captions
• B-rolls
• Zoom
• Sound effects
• Background music
• Images and gifs

Plus, this tool quickly creates video descriptions, allowing users to optimize their content for social media.

Synthesia

If long-form video is your goal, check out Synthesia. 

This tool is excellent for creating video content on a larger scale.

For example, you can use it to generate corporate training videos, onboarding videos, marketing videos, and more.

Synthesia is especially helpful for creators who want to develop AI-generated characters and voices. 

With over 60 AI avatars, 120 languages and accents, and the ability to create a custom avatar, users can create unique, personalized characters for their videos. 

Step Up Your AI Content Creation Game

Creating personalized, authentic content is as crucial as ever—-especially with the changes to Google’s search engine mechanisms. 

Use AI as your assistant, not as a replacement for human specialists.

When done right, AI will help you save time and help connect with your audience on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Interested to learn how other content creators use AI in their workflows and processes? 

Download our report: Think Big with AI: Small Business Content Marketing in 2024.

Can AI content rank on Google?

YES, and we have proof! We analyzed 20K blog articles, surveyed 700+ Semrush users, and interviewed industry experts to get to the bottom of it.

Check out the NEW research