If you people writing, you’d beryllium brainsick not to usage artificial intelligence.

It’s similar telling a carpenter not to usage a drill. You tin physique a platform without one. But wherefore would you?

Writers person ever embraced caller tools to amended their craft.

The situation with AI, oregon immoderate technology, is that we privation the casual mode out.

We anticipation the tech volition magically automate everything. And for mediocre content, AI is the cleanable solution.

But creating exceptional contented is HARD. No substance what instrumentality you use.

For example, I utilized AI extensively to constitute this article.

Yet, it inactive took maine 40+ hours to produce.

Why?

AI has made maine recognize however overmuch I tin amended my content. And you can, too.

Below are 7 timeless penning practices supported by AI.

Let’s commencement with readying your penning project.

1. Use AI to Define Your Audience

Without a heavy knowing of your audience, adjacent superb insights tin autumn flat.

AI makes scholar probe mode easier.

You tin analyse thousands of existent conversations successful minutes. No request to walk weeks connected interviews oregon surveys.

A Faster Way to Do Audience Research

Using this nonfiction arsenic an example, I wanted to recognize however radical felt astir utilizing AI for writing.

The champion spot for unfiltered thoughts? Reddit.

So, I Googled “reddit utilizing ai to constitute bully content” and recovered dozens of threads.

I gathered a fistful of assemblage discussions and exported them arsenic PDFs.

Then I gave Claude the pursuing prompt:

The effect was eye-opening.

The investigation revealed patterns I hadn’t considered.

It besides included quotes that captured the audience’s earthy emotions and language.

This helped maine crushed my penning successful existent experiences.

You don’t person to travel my nonstop process. For instance, Kate Starr, our elder writer, uses assorted sources for assemblage research:

The cardinal is to usage AI to:

1. Process ample amounts of assemblage information quickly
2. Identify patterns you mightiness miss manually
3. Connect insights to existent quality experiences done quotes

2. Use AI to Find Your Unique Angle

It’s casual to get inspired by fashionable contented successful your tract and remix those ideas.

That’s precisely what AI does by default, too.

A amended approach?

Find perspectives that different contented and astir LLMs overlook. This makes your penning caller and engaging.

Here’s however to bash it successful 3 elemental steps.

Step 1: Gather Your Source Material

Find the apical 3-5 posts for your topic.

You tin bash this for societal media posts, articles, and emails (if you person access).

For instance, I recovered 3 posts connected AI penning and copied them to a Google Doc earlier exporting the substance file.

Step 2: Get AI to Summarize the Data and Suggest Ideas

Take your root materials from Step 1 and inquire AI to make a broad analysis.

Here’s a prompt:

Here’s the output for utilizing AI successful writing:

After analyzing, inquire the AI for caller ideas based connected the opportunities it found.

Here’s what Claude came backmost with for this article:

Step 3 – Analyze and Refine Your Angle

Sometimes, the angles are usable with the archetypal output.

But often, it’s a creation betwixt you and the robot to find thing compelling.

Here’s however this process shaped this article:

While plentifulness of instrumentality comparisons and basal workflows existed, fewer posts offered strategical frameworks for utilizing AI effectively.

As I dug deeper, I noticed thing much fundamental.

Everyone was focused connected making penning easier. Tools, prompts, shortcuts.

But they were missing the pugnacious reality:

Creating top-notch contented is difficult. With AI oregon not.

That became my angle: How to usage AI thoughtfully portion embracing the indispensable enactment of penning large content.

3. Use AI to Create An Outline

Nearly each exceptional portion of contented starts with a elaborate plan. But galore writers skip this step.

You hazard wasting hours penning successful circles oregon missing the little entirely.

That’s wherefore our squad ne'er writes a draught without a thorough outline.

With AI, creating that outline conscionable got a batch easier.

Strengthen Your Draft Outline Through Collaboration

It’s tempting to inquire AI to make your full outline (losing your unsocial perspective). Or disregard AI wholly (missing invaluable insights).

A amended approach?

Treat AI arsenic a thoughtful treatment partner.

Our elder editor, Chris Shirlow, emphasizes utilizing AI strategically during outlining:

The cardinal is to commencement with your ain research. This ensures the instauration reflects existent expertise. Then, usage AI to refine and grow your thinking.

With this article, for example, I started with immoderate escaped structural notes:

1. Demand
2. Audience
3. Angle
4. Structure
5. Research
6. Writing
7. Visuals
8. Enhancements
9. Editing

Then, I prompted Claude with immoderate attached notation material.

Claude’s investigation (I’ve summarized the output):

From the AI’s archetypal output, we started our collaboration.

Claude helped maine sanction each constituent “practices” alternatively of “tips.

We challenged each different connected the substructure of each practice.

Then it suggested H2s—many of which I didn’t like.

Through a LONG chat and galore pauses of maine returning to my document, we landed connected an outline.

Here’s however the operation evolved done discussion:

This iterative process helped me:

1. Make headings much action-oriented
2. Create a accordant signifier (“Use AI to…”), which besides helps for hunt motor optimization

Let’s look astatine however AI tin assistance you crook this outline into contented done research.

4. Use AI to Research Your Topic

Research has ever been the instauration of fantabulous writing.

Pre-internet, probe meant hours successful libraries digging done catalogs, journals, and textbooks.

Then, integer changed everything. But it created a caller problem:

Information overload.

Now you person instant entree to millions of sources.

Blog posts. Academic papers. Community discussions. Expert interviews. Analytics data.

But bash you person clip to process it all?

That’s wherever AI shines.

It tin scan thousands of sources successful seconds, helping you drawback insights you mightiness miss.

Let’s research however to usage it effectively.

Using AI for Primary Research

When you bash interviews, stitchery earthy data, oregon tally surveys, you make unsocial contented that’s hard to copy.

The instrumentality is to usage AI passim the probe process—not conscionable for analysis.

Planning Better Research Questions

The prime of your probe depends connected asking the close questions.

For example, erstwhile penning this article, I initially planned to usage lone my ain AI experiences arsenic examples. But thing felt missing.

So, I started a treatment with Claude:

With Claude’s validation, I developed survey questions done an iterative process.

If you privation to effort this approach, here’s a template to get started:

Then, the probe questions:

Finally, trial your questions:

Example:

After respective rounds with AI, my archetypal thought of “let’s survey the team” changed to:

• A focused survey utilizing conditional logic
• Clear examples of what I needed
• A friendly, collaborative introduction
• Specific prompts for AI usage

The result? Rich insights from the squad that enhanced this article.

Getting More from Expert Interviews

Want to afloat prosecute with your interrogation subjects portion capturing each the details? AI tin help.

Start by signaling your conversations (with permission, of course). Have a existent dialogue. Follow absorbing threads. Then, fto AI assistance you extract each invaluable insight.

Here are immoderate elemental prompts:

Prepare your interview.

Process the recording.

Validate insights.

Making Sense of Raw Data

The situation of probe isn’t gathering data—it’s uncovering the communicative successful it.

When our editorial squad finished the AI usage survey, I faced this nonstop situation.

I wanted to process the responses quickly, but besides to seizure each invaluable insight.

Here’s however AI helped maine analyse the responses:

Get a high-level overview.

Drill down to the specifics.

Extract supporting material.

This investigation revealed that our squad uses AI otherwise for each practice. Some excel astatine research, others astatine editing.

For instance, everyone stressed the request to usage AI carefully. And not afloat beryllium connected it.

Using AI for Secondary Research

Secondary probe meant spending hours speechmaking papers, reports, and discussions.

Not anymore.

AI reshapes however we process existing content.

Let’s look astatine immoderate usage cases.

Extracting Audio and Video Content for Gems

Some of the champion insights are buried successful hour-long podcasts and league talks.

Founders stock behind-the-scenes stories. Experts uncover their frameworks. And manufacture veterans sermon trends they haven’t written astir yet.

But watching hours of video isn’t ever practical.

AI tin prevention clip here.

Here’s however I utilized AI to extract almighty insights from laminitis interviews for my ecommerce maturation strategies article:

First, I recovered a podcast wherever Who Is Elijah’s founders shared their travel to $20M successful revenue.

Then, I utilized Rev AI to transcribe the afloat interview.

Instead of speechmaking done 19,000 words of transcript, I had Claude analyse the speech with this prompt:

The investigation revealed a fascinating communicative astir operational efficiency:

• They chopped their squad from 44 to 21 people
• Shifted from full-time specialists to bureau partnerships
• Rebuilt their systems from scratch
• Turned unprofitable (-60%) campaigns into winners

This azygous podcast gave maine some a compelling lawsuit survey and applicable lessons readers could apply.

Synthesizing Complex Documents

Academic papers and manufacture reports incorporate invaluable data. But they’re often dense, jargony, and hard to use practically.

Shreelekha Singh, our elder writer, uses elaborate discourse to get amended probe results from AI.

Another example:

When penning an nonfiction astir information gain, I needed to wrapper my caput astir Google’s patent application.

But it’s written successful method connection that would marque your eyes glaze over.

Instead of getting overwhelmed, I utilized AI to assistance maine construe this analyzable material.

I uploaded the patent exertion to Claude and asked astir accusation summation signals.

Claude helped place and explicate applicable metrics similar “UserActionSignals” and “ClickSatisfaction” successful plain language.

I rapidly learned Google’s process for evaluating and investigating caller information.

The aforesaid attack works for:

• Academic papers and studies
• Technical documentation
• Industry reports
• Legal documents
• Research data

The takeaway?

Think of AI arsenic your survey partner. One that tin work a 100-page papers successful seconds and explicate the cardinal points successful plain English.

5. Use AI to Write Engaging Content

LLMs make beauteous bully output with minimal prompting.

But producing engaging penning successful your authentic voice? That’s wherever AI tin beryllium alternatively underwhelming.

I’ve been trying to constitute with AI since 2021, and I’m convinced the models person a default penning style.

AI LOVES penning successful contrasting pairs: “Not this. But that.”

It besides enjoys phrases similar “transform,” “game-changing,” “leverage,” and “optimize.” (Not that there’s thing incorrect with these words.)

And if AI could constitute your full task successful a list, it would.

If you’re often dissatisfied with the output, fto maine amusement you however to get amended results.

Create Excellent Reference Materials

The much circumstantial discourse you tin springiness AI, the amended the output matches your style.

This means defining your penning benignant clearly.

How?

Create elaborate guidelines, including:

• Reader personas
• Target people level
• Headline formulas
• Tonality
• Examples
• Opening hooks

In summation to your guidelines, marque it your ngo to create the cleanable nonfiction oregon section to usage arsenic a penning sample.

Once you person your guidelines and examples, you’ll beryllium much satisfied with the AI output.

For example, I’ve created a dedicated task successful Claude for Backlinko. It has implicit 20k words of notation materials.

Every clip I commencement a caller conversation, Claude has this discourse readily available.

There’s nary request to explicate our benignant requirements implicit and over.

Build Progressive Context

Your speech with AI should germinate arsenic your contented develops.

Take this nonfiction conception arsenic an example. I started a dedicated chat connected “Using AI for Writing.” I shared:

• The outline
• The nonfiction draught truthful far
• Team survey responses
• My goals for this section

When I constitute the adjacent conception astir supporting elements, I’ll commencement a caller chat. But I’ll see this completed conception arsenic notation material.

This progressive attack helps AI support consistency portion adapting to each section’s unsocial needs.

Shreelekha uses a akin method.

Depending connected your LLM, this sectional attack volition assistance negociate your regular credits arsenic agelong chats pain done your usage.

Embrace Messy Collaboration with AI

The champion AI penning output happens done conversation.

Share your half-formed ideas. Question its suggestions. Challenge it to deliberation deeper.

For instance, erstwhile penning this section, I asked AI to grow connected my outline. But I didn’t conscionable judge the archetypal response.

Instead of settling for wide proposal astir “prompting for a circumstantial tone,” I asked for factual examples of however AI’s default penning differs from Backlinko’s style.

This led to identifying circumstantial phrases and patterns.

For instance, here’s however my opening hook evolved done AI collaboration:

You mightiness spell condemnation for sentence, thought for idea, until you onslaught gold.

It tin beryllium tedious, but it’s amended than doing it alone.

Find Perfect Examples (When You Need Them)

LLMs excel astatine suggesting applicable examples and lawsuit studies to fortify your writing.

Shreelekha uses AI to brainstorm examples erstwhile she’s stuck:

Chris Shirlow emphasizes this balanced approach:

6. Use AI to Create Content Assets

Content assets similar checklists, calculators, and infographics crook your penning into applicable tools for readers.

The close plus tin clarify analyzable concepts, assistance learning, oregon usher important decisions.

Creating these resources erstwhile required designers and developers.

AI makes it imaginable to make without these skills.

Create Visual Assets

Many readers don’t devour each connection you write.

They scan. They skim. They look for ocular anchors to usher them done your ideas.

A study by MIT recovered that the quality encephalon tin process images successful arsenic small arsenic 13 milliseconds. That’s up to 600 times faster than text.

But creating nonrecreational graphics utilized to mean:

• Learning plan software
• Understanding plan principles
• Spending hours connected each visual
• Hiring costly designers

Not anymore.

AI tin assistance you make compelling visuals successful seconds.

For example, successful our 4 P’s of Marketing article, our elder writer, Yongi Barnard, utilized a graphic to explicate wherefore personalization matters.

The ocular tells a compelling communicative astatine a glance.

To recreate this, stitchery your data.

Then, springiness AI parameters:

Then, you conscionable request to refine the finishing touches (colors, spacing, etc.).

Our elder editor, Chris Hanna, puts it well:

Create Smart Checklists

Converting processes into checklists makes your contented much actionable.

But creating an effectual checklist isn’t arsenic elemental arsenic penning slug points. You request to:

• Break down analyzable processes
• Put steps successful the optimal order
• Include validation checks
• Add assets links
• Consider antithetic idiosyncratic scenarios

This is wherever AI tin help.

The cardinal is to punctual AI aft you’ve written your draft.

This way, the LLM volition person afloat discourse for your contented and tin make much detailed, applicable checklists.

For example, our elder editor, Shannon Willoby, made a 12-month checklist to assistance with her nonfiction connected starting a blog.

She prompted AI to make the checklist based connected her nonfiction content. Pretty elemental but effective.

Here’s a template to get started:

Build Interactive Tools

Interactive tools similar calculators, analyzers, and determination trees crook your cognition into utile solutions. Readers tin usage these tools close away.

There are galore opportunities, careless of your industry:

Say you constitute astir productivity. You could make a workload capableness analyzer that helps readers equilibrium their projects.

If you’re a wellness writer, you mightiness make a habit-stacking planner to assistance radical make steadfast routines.

Or, if you’re a gardening expert, you could make a seasonal planting calculator.

For my ecommerce maturation strategies article, I utilized AI to physique an interactive profitability calculator.

Instead of explaining formulas, readers tin research antithetic scenarios to recognize however variables similar outgo of goods sold (COGS), shipping, and selling expenses interaction their bottommost line.

The champion part?

You tin bring these AI-designed tools to beingness utilizing no-code platforms similar Calculator Studio. Here’s how:

1. Identify calculation needs successful your content
2. Ask AI to assistance operation the logic and formulas
3. Design the idiosyncratic interface (AI tin mock this up)
4. Build it successful your no-code instrumentality of choice

For instance, erstwhile gathering the profitability calculator, I prompted AI with:

Start simple.

A basal calculator that solves 1 circumstantial occupation good is amended than a analyzable instrumentality that confuses users.

7. Use AI to Edit Your Draft

Editing is the quality betwixt bully contented and exceptional content.

But getting prime edits tin beryllium costly and slow. You either:

• Pay editors by the hour
• Lose billable clip arsenic a freelancer
• Wait done lengthy reappraisal cycles
• Miss issues erstwhile editing your ain work

AI changes this dynamic.

You tin get quick, unbiased feedback and effort antithetic versions earlier your exertion reviews a draft.

Let maine amusement you however to bash this effectively.

Get Strategic Input First

It’s tempting to leap close into enactment editing—fixing grammar and polishing sentences.

But commencement with the large picture.

Here’s however Chris Hanna uses AI for strategical editing:

AI tin assistance by:

• Comparing your portion against palmy examples
• Identifying patterns and gaps
• Suggesting structural improvements

This attack saves revision time. Why polish paragraphs you mightiness chopped oregon rewrite anyway?

Create Quick Quality Checks

Once you person your operation solid, make systematic prime checks.

You privation to verify your contented hits cardinal engagement metrics.

At Backlinko, we way 3 readability metrics:

1. Single-Sentence Paragraph Percentage: The ratio of paragraphs with conscionable 1 sentence.
2. Visual Break Density: Number of ocular elements per 1,000 words. Higher density means amended scannability.
3. Grade Level: We people Grade 7 oregon beneath for accessibility.

AI tin cipher these instantly and suggest circumstantial fixes. Here’s how:

1. Share your metrics targets with AI
2. Paste successful a conception of your content
3. Ask for some investigation and circumstantial fixes

Beyond metrics, usage AI to cheque for:

• Redundant ideas and phrases
• Passive dependable overuse
• Transition effectiveness
• Brand dependable consistency
• Technical accuracy

Test Critical Elements

Some parts of your contented substance much than others.

Your header determines whether radical click.

Your instauration decides if they stay.

Your calls-to-action power if they convert.

These elements merit other attention.

Using headlines arsenic an example, I enactment 3-5 imaginable titles.

I Google the taxable I’m penning astir and screenshot the hunt results.

I upload the screenshot to Claude. Then, I inquire however my rubric ideas comparison to the apical articles.

Claude volition marque suggestions based connected our rubric guidance, champion practices, and differentiators.

Yongi uses a akin process for introductions:

You tin besides test:

• Section transitions
• Examples
• Proof constituent placement
• Technical explanations
• Closing arguments

Balance AI and Human Editing

AI accelerates the editing process, but quality judgement remains essential.

Here’s however to marque this work:

1. Start with AI for wide investigation and speedy fixes
2. Apply your judgement to AI’s suggestions
3. Test variations of important elements
4. Verify method accuracy independently
5. Maintain your unsocial dependable and perspective

Chris Shirlow supports this balance:

Start Writing Smarter, Not Harder

Pick 1 task you request to constitute this week.

Apply conscionable 1 of these practices—maybe getting AI’s assistance with assemblage probe oregon outlining.

That’s each you request to bash to commencement seeing results.

Ready to enactment these practices to work? Check retired our usher connected how to constitute a blog post.

You’ll spot however to harvester these AI techniques with proven penning principles to make contented that ranks and converts.

The station How to Use AI for Writing Exceptional Content (7 Best Practices) appeared archetypal connected Backlinko.