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In case you haven’t read my “About” page yet, there’s a disclaimer: I do NOT use AI to write anything on this blog.
Yes, I’m that one content writer who’s still being obstinate about incorporating AI into her content business.
If you’ve been around, you know that I only publish maybe one blog post per week here on average.
Be a turtle — I tell myself — be a turtle and keep moving sloooowly but without stopping. That’s my motto, anyway.
AI Detectors Are Bad, But Maybe Not How You’re Thinking
Obviously, I’m not the only content writer who doesn’t use AI to write blog posts.
In fact, recently, I’ve come across some very disturbing stories about freelance writers being accused of using AI even when they’re not.
Ouch!
Then I came across some more stories where people were accusing the accusers… I mean, whatever.
I’m not going to go deep into why some AI detectors may think your writing sounds like a program wrote it, and not a human being. Just Google it if you’re curious. Or, click here to read this explanation.
But I do want to share my two cents on the matter.
AI detectors are not too smart. They’re not advanced enough to detect the many intricate ways a generative AI can deceive people and sound like a human being wrote it.
So, it’s possible that an AI detector will mistake AI content for human-generated content, but very rarely the other way around, unless your writing is boring AF. Maybe one day this will change, but that day is not today.
In other words, if an AI detector is saying a piece of content is written by AI, then it is either written by AI, or it is a super boring piece of writing by a human writer.
Hmm.
But there’s good news! You can make your content sound human-like and professional, without sacrificing quality.
I don’t know when it started or why, but people seem to think that content has to be boring. I mean, when a person writes like a machine, can you really blame an AI detector when it thinks you’re a machine?
And for all practical intents and purposes, AI detectors equate boring, monotonous writing with AI content and good, non-repetitive writing with human content.
So, let’s look at just one thing you can do to turn things around.
For those of you who use AI to generate content or ideas or outlines, use this trick to edit the writing to make AI sound more human-like 😉
Write to just one other person
Forget your ideal audience or the tens, hundreds, or thousands of people who may read your blog posts or articles.
When writing, you should think about just one person. Write to that one person; have a conversation with her.
Some people think that a conversational style isn’t ideal for content, but that’s horseshit. You cannot treat content like you’re writing academic papers. Content must be warm and personable — writing that’s brimming with empathy — which is exactly the opposite of academic writing.
Jon Morrow of Smart Blogger is a prime example of an empathic writer. In fact, I learned to write blog posts from him, even if he has no clue who I even am.
Imagine you’re sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, staring out over the glittering sea, the ocean breeze ruffling your hair, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of the waves.
It’s peaceful. Perfect for thinking.
And so you do, scribbling down your thoughts with one hand and drinking a martini with the other.
You’re a freelance writer. You get paid to write for websites, magazines, corporate clients — all different types of gigs.
And it’s work you can do from anywhere.
Beautiful, isn’t it? Almost like poetry. Now that’s the kind of stuff that people love to read.
Added bonus? No AI detector will ever mistake Jon’s words for AI content.
How to write like you’re having a conversation with another person
OK. Jon Morrow is a writer on a whole different level. Most of us content writers aren’t exactly so poetic.
Thankfully, we don’t have to be at his level to write like a person, or… you know, not sound like AI.
It’s simple, use “I”s and “you”s as much as possible. Remember conversations? Yeah, when two people are talking to each other, that’s what they do: they use “I” and “you.”
Let me demonstrate with an example. The following paragraph is from one of my blog editing clients (used here with permission):
Recognizing the need for change in relationships can be extremely difficult; it is not something to take lightly. It’s important to approach the process with gentle understanding and compassion for yourself and others involved in the boundary-setting process.
This is OK, but it can be better. CopyLeaks AI Content Detector (one of the toughest AI content detectors out there) gives it a whopping 19.5% human score.
AI detector recognizes my client’s writing as human-generated with a score of 19.5%. My job as her editor is to make it better!
One of my tasks as an editor is to take decent paragraphs and convert them into pretty good ones.
The simplest way to do so is by simplifying the paragraph without losing its meaning, voice, and tone, and also by making it more conversational, by incorporating more “I” and “you.”
Here’s my edited version:
Setting boundaries in relationships is extremely difficult. So, it is important that you approach the process with kindness, understanding, and compassion for yourself and everyone else involved.
According to CopyLeaks, this edited version gets a 99.9% human score.
Revision version 1: Gets a 99.9% human score
Another possible edited version is this:
I understand how extremely difficult it is to set boundaries. Which is why you need to approach the task with kindness, understanding, and compassion; for yourself and for everyone else involved.
Revision version 2: Gets a 75% human score
75% human score. Not bad!
Which version you use depends on the client; but either of them reads a lot better than the original, don’t you think?
In any case, my point is this. Content writing doesn’t have to be boring like academic writing. There’s a reason we all tended to get so sleepy reading our textbooks back in the day.
You do NOT want your readers falling asleep on your content. So, write like a human being, and have an intimate conversation with your reader.
Good luck!
Before we go, did you know that I offer editing services? You can get one-off editing or monthly recurring editing from yours truly. Click the link below to learn more:
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Maliha is a writer, blogger, and content marketer. She's the owner of The Side Blogger, a proud Canva Verified Expert, a top writer on Medium, and a confident procrastinator at large.
The Side Blogger
