Let’s face it: Creating content that makes an impact has gotten a lot harder.
With AI becoming more sophisticated by the day, it’s no wonder there’s a looming fear of machines replacing humans.
And as if that weren’t enough, Google’s Helpful Content Update has reshaped the game entirely, favoring people-first content over mass-produced AI-generated material.
Add to that the ever-present demand to produce fresh, engaging copy to satisfy the ever-shifting consumer behavior.
If your work doesn’t grab attention or offer something authentic, it’s already buried in the algorithm’s dustbin faster than you can hit “publish.”
Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone.
That’s why we tapped into the brains of these seven content marketing pros to learn their best strategies and actionable tips.
- Chelsea Alves, Senior Manager, Content Marketing at PG Forsta.
- Andy Betts, C-Level Consultant & CMO Advisor.
- Jessica Foster, Account Director, SEO at NetReputation.com.
- Jason Hennessey, CEO of Hennessey Digital.
- Ross Hudgens, Founder & CEO of Siege Media.
- Heather Lloyd-Martin, SEO Expert Consultant, SuccessWorks SEO Copywriting.
- Adam Riemer, Award-Winning Consultant & Marketing Strategist.
The wisdom they shared is a valuable resource for writers seeking to deliver real value, rise above the AI chatter, and create content that moves the needle.
Read more: Why Content Is Important For SEO
Beyond Words: How To Demonstrate Value
Businesses don’t want writers who just churn out words – they need strategic thinkers who can align content with their vision and audience.
So, how can you deliver value and provide content that resonates? We turned to our experts, and here’s what they had to say:
1. Understand Audience Personas
For Betts, the key to demonstrating value is simple. “Persona plus topic is the formula I use for providing reader value,” he explains.
The success of any content lies in its relevance to the audience.
Betts believes, “Understanding personas ensures readers get personal value and relevant information. This means really (going deep) and considering consumer psychology, demographics, and knowledge levels to sculpt appropriate tone, detail, and advice in your outputs.”
He also stresses the importance of asking these two questions before writing anything: “Why should I write this, and why would readers care?”
“If you can’t answer these questions confidently, don’t proceed,” advises Betts.
“Without generating emotional or some type of audience connection and establishing trust, you’re just adding noise to an overcrowded content ecosystem,” he explains.
2. Add Depth With Quality Research
Instead of rushing to cover the latest AI developments like most content marketers, Betts deliberately avoids chasing trends.
While many rush to publish first, he believes this approach typically produces low-value content.
Alves agrees, stating that “it’s more important than ever to ensure every piece of content is high-quality – written for the benefit of the intended audience – and reads how humans naturally speak.”
Providing an insight into his process, Betts explains that his focus is on quality and depth rather than speed.
“I step back, gather data, and analyze existing coverage before creating authoritative content with actionable takeaways.
My research process involves reading at least 20 articles spanning from the past year to the present day. This covers topic evolution, relevant statistics, influencer opinions, and user-generated content. The goal is to add genuine value rather than repeating existing information.”
Building on the importance of thorough research, Ross Hudgens encourages writers to dig deeper.
“Get curious about the topic,” he advises. “Once you’ve done your initial research, review your work and ask questions (who, what, where, when, why) about any claim that’s made. Find ways to include this additional insight into your writing.”
Alves also points out the importance of having expertise when it comes to effectively demonstrating value to your audience. “Content marketers must truly understand the topic they’re writing about rather than leaving the research and drafting up to the machines.”
3. Make Content Relatable
According to Hennesey, “Providing value in content goes far beyond simply analyzing the SERPs and hitting the right SEO notes.”
For him, true value comes from forming a deeper connection with clients. “We actually discuss with our clients the issues they are struggling with, what topics they care about, and what they’d like to see from us,” he shares.
“We weave real-world examples into their content with relevant storytelling, case studies, and lessons learned.”
Hudgens urges writers to make their content stand out from what’s on the SERP. He believes that this difference should be clear right from the introduction.
“The intro sets the tone, and you can immediately tell if it’s going to be a basic SEO article written by AI or if it has a human element that will add value,” explains Hudgens.
Foster also underscores the gap between AI and human creativity, noting, “At this time, AI technology is still not able to effectively capture the nuance and originality of human storytelling.”
Foster expands on the human-centered approach, highlighting how content writers can demonstrate their impact by “effectively capturing brand voice, crafting unique stories, and injecting real-life examples into the content.”
“The best way to provide value to readers is to make the content relatable to their genuine concerns, needs, and lived experiences,” she notes.
Hennesey echoes the importance of incorporating unique stories, further suggesting that marketers can help brands showcase value by “not being afraid to write outside the bounds of traditionally over-structured SEO content.”
By embracing authenticity, content writers can deliver content that addresses real pain points and builds trust.
“A writer who can put themselves in a reader’s shoes and seamlessly weave this perspective into the content is miles ahead of AI,” Foster adds, reinforcing that the human touch is irreplaceable in producing meaningful content.
4. Listen To Your Customer’s Pain Points
Lloyd-Martin shares Hennesey’s emphasis on connecting with your clients but takes it a step further.
She believes that “understanding your customer’s pain points, questions, and unique needs helps you answer the question, ‘How can I fully connect with my reader and provide truly unique, useful information – and not the same stuff that’s regurgitated on 1,000 websites?’”
When writing sales pages, one of Lloyd-Martin’s favorite ways to learn about her audience and their needs is by watching recorded sales calls.
“Those Zoom calls are gold,” she says.
“As you listen to the conversation, pay attention to what’s being said, how the prospect says it, and how the prospect reacts. By doing so – and tracking trends across calls – you can gain an excellent sense of your readers’ pain points, needs, and objections.”
She recalls when the prospect went from undecided to “I’m ready to sign.”
“I wrote down what the salesperson said and wove it into the content,” she shares.
For those without access to sales calls (or sales emails), Lloyd-Martin suggests checking out Reddit and other forums (especially highly specific forums, for instance, Facebook groups for Honda Fit owners).
According to her, these spaces offer insights into what people are talking about, their questions, and what they like and dislike about current solutions.
“If you’re ever wondering, ‘What questions can we answer in our blog to showcase our value and expertise,’ forums provide a wealth of cool content ideas,” she notes.
Hudgens agrees, also recommending to “look at forums (like Reddit), comments on YouTube videos, social media content and comments (LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, etc.) to get a feel for gaps in current ranking blog content.”
Tapping into real-world conversations helps build trust and authority.
“These people are having a more honest conversation about real-life applications that you can incorporate into your writing to add credibility and make it more helpful,” he explains.
5. Bring Your Experience And Expertise To The Table
Riemer argues that, while it’s a powerful tool, AI falls short when it comes to giving expert advice, sourcing it, and sharing how it applies to real-life situations.
“AI makes assumptions that a source is real and is also related to a specific question, topic, or answer,” he says.
For Riemer, creating content should involve human expertise and intervention.
By drawing on their experience and knowledge, content writers can find credible sources and validate their accuracy – something that is not possible for AI to do on its own.
Once the groundwork is laid, Riemer points out the benefits of integrating AI into the process:
“AI can make the writing more digestible and set the proper tone, and make sure it is easy to absorb. It can also help with formatting sections. Then, a human edit to make sure it is still factual is a perfect balance of quality content that provides a great user experience and knowledge sharing.”
Lloyd-Martin also highlights the importance of adding the human element to content, stating that its unique value stems from the experience and expertise content writers (or clients, if freelancing) bring to the table.
“In a world of AI-generated content and boring B2B writing, opinionated content with a brand voice and point of view stands out,” she explains. “Don’t be afraid to showcase what you know – that’s what your prospects want to read more about.”
Read more: What Is A Target Audience And How Do You Find It
Turning AI Noise Into Clarity
Can AI replace writers? The short answer is no.
Sure, AI-powered writing tools can research topics in seconds, whip up basic content drafts, and even suggest SEO-friendly keywords.
But they fall short where it truly matters: Accuracy, creativity, and depth that elevates writing from good to great.
Our experts revealed how they use AI in their writing workflows and shared their top tips to help you rise above the AI noise.
6. Treat AI As Your Writing Assistant
“I’m an AI writing tools convert. When ChatGPT hit the streets, I couldn’t see the appeal. I mocked it incessantly,” Lloyd-Martin admits. However, her perspective on using AI tools as a writing assistant has since shifted dramatically.
She shares, “Now, I use it daily. I’m starting an AI/SEO writing community for business owners and B2B companies, and I teach other companies and writers how to do the same thing. Never say never.”
According to Lloyd-Martin, the key to AI tools is to “treat them like a smart (but inexperienced) writing intern.” She explains, “You know they aren’t going to get it right every time. You have to give it very specific and step-by-step instructions to get the best possible work.”
With proper guidance, AI tools can help writers save time and see their writing in an entirely new light.
For instance, Lloyd-Martin loves to set ChatGPT loose when coming up with headline variations.
“It can create a decent customer persona that you can test ideas against,” she notes.
“When I’m tired on Saturday night and need to write the run report for my weekly 5K parkrun group, I have a ‘make it perky’ parkrun prompt that turns my yawner base text into something perkier. I edit the heck out of it, but it’s like going back and forth with an assistant.”
But she draws the line at relying on AI to create original content without substantial editing.
“Would I use AI for original content without heavy editing? Nope. I haven’t seen that perfect paragraph (or headline) yet.
I can say that the writers who embraced AI – even grudgingly – found that they could offload at least one annoying task to our robot overlords.”
7. Balance AI And Human Input
Riemer finds AI tools useful for improving efficiency and helping “alleviate the stress when writer’s block kicks in.”
AI helps him whenever he needs the inspiration to stay within a topic entity, use alternative words or phrasing, or condense a large sentence or paragraph.
He shares, “Other times, I have to write the steps to accomplish something, and it can shrink it to become absorbable while keeping the instructions helpful.”
Hudgens uses AI as a starting point.
“AI can be helpful for creating a baseline of information,” he notes. “It can aid in primary research on an unfamiliar topic, help you build out an outline, and, in some cases, write a junior-level draft 1 of a post.”
But Hudgens emphasizes the need for a human touch to refine content, “A strategic eye is needed to apply SEO best practices, include topic expertise, provide a unique point of view, and add value throughout.”
Hudgens also advises, “If you find yourself coaxing an answer out of AI (rewriting your question multiple times to get a better or more accurate response), it’s probably time to find a different avenue to research the topic.”
Echoing this sentiment, Hennessey advocates for a balance between human and AI-generated input.
“We mainly rely on human writers to write our content,” he says. “AI has its place – such as in creating content outlines, generating headline ideas, etc. – but is often devoid of the unique storytelling and real-world scenarios provided by human writers.”
Hennesey adds, “The best content is content that connects a concept to a real pain point that a reader is experiencing. AI content can often read as generic, and then you’re at risk of blending in with other brands.”
8. Focus On Differentiation
“It’s more evident than ever if and when writers are using AI for content creation,” Alves observes.
“Think of words and phrases you’ve seen recently that have gained traction over the past few years. Some of these might include ‘delve into,’ ‘furthermore,’ ‘revolutionize,’ and more.”
For content to stand out, Alves advises focusing on originality – a quality that remains beyond AI reach.
“To rise above the AI noise requires creativity, differentiation, and using humans to draft text. AI hasn’t yet surpassed human writing capabilities, and it’s now easier than ever to spot.”
9. Set The Limits Of AI In Content Creation
Foster approaches AI tools with caution, strictly using them for specific tasks like content outlines, SOPs, and templates.
“My clients have high standards when it comes to capturing their voice and stories, which are not easily replicated by AI,” she explains. “Also, the risk of the content getting ‘flagged’ as AI and subsequently hurting their rankings is not worth the risk.”
That said, Foster doesn’t dismiss AI entirely. “Though I certainly understand that AI content has its place, and I don’t vilify anyone who uses it,” she acknowledges.
10. Maintain Your Own Creativity And Direction
According to Betts, “This is the biggest content marketing conundrum there has ever been.”
While he’s a massive advocate of AI for broader insights and automation, his approach to AI in writing is selective.
“I use it for research, generating ideas, and expanding angles – but not for automated content creation,” he clarifies. “Why? I spend more time correcting and editing, disrupting my creative flow, and burying key messages in unnecessary fluff.
When you have an important message, you should convey it in two clear sentences, not two paragraphs of AI-generated content.”
Betts notes that the challenge becomes more complex in larger organizations:
“While AI can help small businesses scale content production when used properly for insights and assistance, larger organizations face significant process challenges. It exacerbates the ‘too many cooks’ problem – suddenly, every reviewer becomes a content marketing expert, sending edits from Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools.”
He adds, “As the final owner, you waste time editing a mishmash of inputs that miss the original message and goal.”
Looking ahead, Betts sees that this productivity versus counter-productivity battle will be a major issue for large organizations to solve in 2025.
His advice is clear: “Success lies in using AI as a supportive tool while maintaining your own creativity and direction. Own it all, basically!”
Read more: The 10 Best AI Writers & Content Generators Compared
How To Succeed As A New Content Writer
To thrive alongside AI, trends, and algorithms, content writers must lean into their unique strengths – skills that machines can’t replicate fully – and that’s where they win.
How can beginner content writers break into this competitive space? Here’s our experts’ advice.
11. Rely On Your Knowledge
“Don’t let AI write your content or do your research,” Riemer advises. “It will respond in a very confident way, but it is not accurate.”
AI, though advanced and sophisticated, is not without its flaws.
Riemer explains, “AI makes assumptions and has biases. It also modifies like a social media algorithm to make you happy and meet your personal needs. That does not mean it is good, high quality, or factual.”
Rather than leaning too heavily on AI, Riemer encourages content writers to rely on their expertise. “Use your brains, talents, and knowledge, and then have AI tidy up when you get stuck.”
12. Stay Curious
For Alves, curiosity and continuous learning are essential.
“Always stay curious,” she advises. “Content marketing and SEO best practices are constantly evolving, and so too must writers.”
To stay up to date on the latest best practices, Alves suggests reading credible industry-related publications, attending events, registering for webinars, and reading books from renowned authors.
“It’s a fast-paced industry where expertise and continued education are a must,” she explains.
13. Identify Your Strong Suits
Foster advises writers “to identify their strong suits and learn how to communicate that to prospective clients.”
Leveraging what you already know is key.
“If you are a retired medical professional and are skilled at writing medical content, go in on that. If you have a quirky, conversational approach, you might be better matched to web copywriting for more creative brands,” she suggests.
Finding your distinctive writing style also matters.
“Generalism is a killer in such a competitive space; don’t try to do/be everything and anything,” Foster warns. “Find the one to three things you are best at, then find the prospective clients that are looking for that type of content or writing style.”
14. Become A Subject Matter Expert
Hudgens believes that content writers need to position themselves as subject matter experts to succeed in the industry. He explains, “The more you write on a topic, the more you can start connecting the dots and leveling up your examples.”
He also recommends following industry experts on LinkedIn, reading competitor content, subscribing to newsletters, and generally immersing yourself in the industry.
To make sure your writing sounds natural, Hudgens encourages reading your content out loud.
He further notes that AI models tend to keyword stuff, include a lot of repetition, and lack personality in their writing.
“Be sure that your writing avoids these faults and is easy for a reader to follow and understand,” he suggests.
15. Use Your Experiences To Your Advantage
Betts offers timeless advice: “Always start with what you know.”
Reflecting on his career that began in search sales 25 years ago before moving to marketing, Betts shares that he wasn’t a writer initially, but his accumulated knowledge led to writing opportunities that snowballed.
“Don’t pretend to be an expert on unfamiliar topics just because AI can provide information. This is especially crucial in niche industries with specific terminology and nuances,” he advises. “One misused concept will expose you as a novice.”
To refine your craft, Betts recommends reading extensively before writing and studying different writers across industries to develop a unique style.
“Build your own formulas and incorporate others’ opinions, but ensure they’re objective and supported by data,” he says. “Avoid becoming a ‘screenshot content marketer’ who prioritizes attention over substance.”
Betts also encourages content writers to start with short articles and gradually build to longer-form content.
“Messaging is fundamental,” he notes, suggesting the creation of simple message houses before writing. He recommends this exercise: “Take a 1,500-word piece and condense it to 50 words. This teaches you to identify and build key messages effectively.”
Over time, you’ll gain valuable personal insights and experiences as you write more. Betts urges writers to use these to their advantage and not to hesitate to decline briefs that don’t align with their expertise or vision.
“Quantity is important, and quality is essential – they don’t trump each other; you can have both, but that really does become an art form, and AI needs to improve – which it will – to help scale that more in the future.”
16. Stand Out With Personal Branding
In an age where AI-generated content is all too common, Hennessey encourages beginner content writers to break through the noise by demonstrating their unique style and tone of voice, highlighting the value of storytelling over the use of generic AI content.
He points out that many brands are looking for creative, outside-the-box content. “There are also many brands that are resistant to the use of AI content and specifically want to work with human writers.”
To gain visibility, “writers can make themselves known through personal branding, a great portfolio, and an active online presence (LinkedIn seems to be the goldmine),” he says.
17. Find A Niche And Don’t Believe The AI Hype
Lloyd-Martin believes in the big thing that beginner content writers need to do to succeed: “Learn how to differentiate themselves online and be clear in their web content and LinkedIn profile on how they help clients.”
One way to achieve this is by finding a niche.
“Some writers find working within a certain niche makes that easier – if you were a vet tech in a previous work life, you could showcase your expertise by writing for the pet care industry,” she explains.
Lloyd-Martin also stresses the importance of writing case studies and asking for testimonials early in a career. “Keep asking,” she urges. “I know it feels weird to ask, but most people are happy to help. The more social proof you have that says you’re awesome, the easier it is to “sell” yourself to new clients.”
It’s also always a good idea to join a community of like-minded folks (or hire a business coach). She says, “Other people can help us untangle our brains and figure out what to do next.”
“As writers, it’s easy to get in our heads and think we can figure everything out ourselves. We can’t. Sometimes, it takes someone else to nudge us towards the answer,” Lloyd-Martin shares.
She also recommends learning everything content writers can about SEO writing, Google, and UX. “The more you know, the more valuable you are to your target client.”
Lloyd-Martin wraps up by addressing a common misconception.
“As a side note, don’t believe the hype that AI has taken over and writers aren’t making money. Writers are making money – but they also have tight and wired business models.
They charge appropriate money for their work, market themselves and their unique expertise where their target market lives, and ask for referrals.
It is harder in today’s world, and those ‘Make Six Figures Your First Year’ emails are … aspirational. But you can create a digital content business that you love and supports you.
Read more: The Top 10 Content Marketing Skills You Need (Plus Tips On How To Master Them)
Why Content Writers Matter More Than Ever
The future of content won’t settle for generic posts or surface-level ideas.
As the insights of our industry experts affirm, there will always be a need for authentic and on-brand writing that connects on a human level.
Adapt, or risk fading into the background. Think like a strategist. Tap into emotions and empathy.
And watch yourself become the kind of content writer who’s irreplaceable.
Editor’s note: All interviews have been lightly edited for clarity, brevity, and adherence to our Editorial Guidelines. The views expressed by the interviewees in this column are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent the view of Search Engine Journal.
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