I write a monthly newsletter for our writing team at Venture 4th Media. And, this month, I decided to discuss the updates to Google search, the general publisher landscape, and, yes — AI.

I hit a nerve.

Writers are spooked.

There’s a lot of noise out there about AI in content. Writers don’t know their place in the world.

Here’s the thing. We don’t hire ANY generalist writers.

We only have writers who are experts in their niches. They do all the writing for us. They create their own article outlines, share their personal perspectives, and anecdotes, and write in the first person — they become the collective editorial voice for our sites.

They literally give our sites the ‘human touch’ and bring so much to our content publication.

And, they are rattled by all the AI talk out there.

And who can blame them? A lot of publishers are laying off writers right now. And, daily, we all see the “if you are not implementing AI, you’re missing out” social posts.

Sheesh.

But, AI is just a tool.

A very powerful one that gets better each day, but still, just a tool. Like SEO.

Every publisher does ‘SEO’ differently, and I suspect every publisher is going to ‘AI’ differently as well.

And, these are the decisions we have to make as publishers today.

But one thing I know for sure — real subject matter experts are going to have to be part of the editorial workflow at some point, at least for our publications.

One of the keys to our success as publishers has been creating really solid, expert-filled editorial teams. Both on the creative, and writer side of things and in editing.

When we are evaluating a site to build, or even a site to build more content on, we definitely look at our editorial team and approach. Do we have strong experts? Do we have a strong content mission on this site? Do we have an expert editor in this niche? Video talent?

While we do a lot of SEO-ing as well, that is only part of the formula for growing a successful publication.

And, I suspect that not much of this will not change for us in the near future, even as we do find ways to use AI in our business. We still need real, human experts to create content here.

Just like SEO, we’ll figure out a way to use these AI tools that work for our publications, our workflows, and our processes. But what that looks like is still to be determined.

I mean, we don’t want to just create scale content because ‘we can’ — I’ve been saying this about SEO for a long time.

If we all have access to the same SEO tools, the same keyword research tools, and the same scrapped data — what are we doing to make our content different? What kind of moats are we building in our business that others cannot do?

Those are the questions that keep me up at night as a content operations professional. So while I spend some time digging deeper into our editorial processes and asking these tough questions as we move forward, I want to share some hopefully helpful advice on some things AI cannot replace in your content, that I shared with my writing teams.

Because we’re still giving our content the human touch.

How to Give Content the Human Touch

In the age of AI-driven content creation, what sets human writers apart? The answer is simple: humanity.

An AI might generate structurally sound text but lacks the personal experience, intuition, and creativity that define human writing.

So let's focus on harnessing these traits to make your articles shine with your unique personality and perspective, demonstrating your expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

Here's how you can bring that essential human touch to your articles:

Use Real-Life Examples and Anecdotes: These make your writing relatable and bring abstract concepts to life. Sharing your personal experiences and observations can reveal the practical applications of your expertise in a way AI simply can't replicate.

--> Pro tip: I like to take notes when I'm going about my day to record stories, anecdotes, and examples that I might use later in a newsletter. If you are living in your niche, take notes! Better yet, take pictures!

Express Your Opinions: Unlike AI, you can form unique, informed opinions based on your experiences and knowledge. Your thoughtful viewpoints add depth to your writing, distinguishing it from generic, AI-produced content. Remember to support your opinions with reliable sources, enhancing your credibility and authority.

--> Pro tip: Having first-person knowledge and experience is crucial, but so is knowing what other experts say. Frame your opinions with external citations to show that you are aware of what others think as well.

Use First-Person Narrative: Writing in the first person helps you connect with your readers on a personal level. It enables you to share your unique perspective, making your content more engaging and authentic.

--> Pro tip: Think informational content should not be written in the first person? Think again. The more 'boring' or 'dry' a topic is, the more we have an opportunity to shine! And, even the most technical, dry topics could be really super interesting to someone. Always write to please those nerds.

Leverage Niche Expertise in Structuring and Organizing Content: Use your in-depth knowledge of your niche to structure your articles in a way that best serves your readers. You understand the key points, the most relevant information, and the best way to present these to your audience – an insight AI doesn't possess.

--> Pro tip: Feel free to expand and go beyond the typical writers' guidelines or what others are doing in Google when structuring your articles. These are a baseline, but you know your audience best! Structure and organize your content to please the skimmers, but give your equally passionate nerds something to really sink their teeth into as well.

Filter Research Through Your Expert Lens: AI can compile research but can't interpret or analyze it. Use your expertise to sift through research, selecting the most relevant data, interpreting findings, and explaining their significance to your readers.

--> Pro tip: Always be researching! Niche experts need to live in their worlds. Join some Reddits, be an active member of a Discord group, and hang out with other nerds. Use these experiences to expand your niche knowledge as well.

Feature and Comment on Industry Experts: This not only provides your readers with diverse perspectives but also establishes your position within your field. Engage with the work of others, analyze their ideas, and share your own insights in response.

--> Pro tip: Share and connect with experts in your niche outside of your articles as well. Social media is a great place to start!

Remember, your unique human perspective is your ultimate tool in creating standout content. Capitalize on it, and let your E-E-A-T shine through!

Some Things to Read and Ponder

Here are some dig-in resources that I hope you’ll love!

My Favorite Tweets of the Week

Here is to a new month in the amazing world of content creation. Let’s see what happens next!

Cheers! Amy

Some Bonus Newsletters You’ll Love

If you really want to get into the weeds on these topics, here are a couple of newsletters to subscribe to.