In the 51st DesignRush Podcast, I chat with Tim Hanson, CCO at PenFriend.ai.
We dive into how AI is shaking up content creation and what it means for content writers and agencies.
Tune in to learn:
- How generative AI might be coming for your job
- Why today’s writers should focus on becoming adept at editing and curating AI-generated content
- How AI is disrupting the agency model and tips on how to adapt
Who Is Tim Hanson?
Tim Hanson is the Chief Content Officer at PenFriend.ai, where he's leading the charge in AI-driven content creation. He uses his deep knowledge of SEO and AI to help businesses create efficient, impactful content. Tim's insights on working with AI and transforming content strategies make him an influential voice in the industry.
Generative AI has many content creators worried about job security. As it stands, just over 80% of marketers believe content writers' jobs are at risk due to AI.
Tim shared his thoughts on this:
"We all got the marketer's newsletter last year… telling us that we weren't going to have a job in a couple of months because the robots were coming for us. Everyone was just like, ‘No, the robots are going to take over my job.’ And I've known this… So, learn how to direct the robot.”
Instead of fearing AI, Tim advocates for learning how to work alongside it. By mastering how to direct and use AI tools, writers can enhance their productivity and maintain their relevance in the industry.
When quizzed about whether his company, Penfriend.ai, is taking over the jobs of writers and marketers, Tim responded candidly:
“So, I'm still taking people's jobs. But it's just bad writers. If I'm not going to do it, someone else is going to do it. The robots will do it in one way or another. Like content farms and those kinds of things, and just bad writing.”
However, he does follow up with, “If you're a good writer, if you enjoy writing, Penfriend makes you a better writer. It's just legwork. It's just… ‘Yay, I get to spend three hours trying to find and prove one fact.’ That's not fun for anyone. So yeah, I want to help those writers that would spend the three hours doing that.”
Writers’ Futures Will Be Editing and Curating AI Content
AI is now a major player in content creation, with 76% of marketers using AI for basic content creation and generating copy. This is despite a DesignRush study finding that 62% of people are less likely to engage with or trust content on social media if they know it was created by AI.
The roles of writers as we know them are steadily changing, going from creating content from scratch to editing and curating AI-generated content.
This shift calls for writers to develop solid editing skills and a deep understanding of their subject matter to add value beyond what AI can generate.
“I think the main job of writers in the future isn't going to be writing, it's going to be editing. And it's more editing content in alignment with the human aspect of why somebody would be reading that content in the first place,” says Tim.
Tim goes on to advise, "The biggest problem that most companies have is most content is very surface level. But if you read something and you're like, I can go deeper with this. I know how to go deeper with this. Please go deeper. Don't skimp on those things.”
In other words? AI will always need actual humans to add soul to the text to make it more personalized.
Generative Ai Is Disrupting the Agency Model
Generative AI is not only changing how content is created but also how agencies operate. With 75% of marketers regularly using AI tools, the traditional agency model is left somewhat disheveled. So much so, that more and more agencies specializing in AI content creation are popping up.
As Tim explains:
"I have this entire thing where most blogs fail because people treat them like magazines instead of libraries. And what I mean by that is your ego gets in the way and you think every single article that you write needs to be different from the one before and people are waiting.
No one cares. No one cares about my next blog. I want to be there when they eventually need it."
Tim’s advice is that agencies should shift their focus from producing high volumes of content to creating a comprehensive, library-like resource that addresses all aspects of a certain topic.
“It's because you've just hit that point where Google is like no one but an expert [would cover a topic at this length]. Like, you know what you're talking about if you've got 16 articles on all of these different topics and all of them will rank,” Tim adds.
Tim’s advice for agencies to work alongside generative AI? Learn how to control it and use it to your advantage.
“I think the main thing that [agencies] need to be good at is how to prompt well. Like genuinely really learn how to prompt well,” he states.
“The way that you learn how to prompt well is to do the task that you want the prompts to do manually and understand that task. If you don't know how to do the task, you'll accept mediocre as a prompt output thinking you've streamlined the process when you've just made it worse. And you've just made it bad, but faster.”
Getting Comfortable With an AI Future
Tim’s views and insights are a wake-up call for content creators and marketers.
Embracing AI is not about replacing human touch but enhancing it. By focusing on our unique, human skills and using generative AI to handle repetitive tasks, professionals can stay relevant and thrive in the job market.
For all this and more, be sure to tune in to the full episode on Spotify.
