By Jenna Dreikorn
If you’ve ever let AI write a caption for you, you know the struggle. As a social media manager, it’s tempting to lean on AI tools when your creativity runs dry. But sometimes, what it spits out is just not what you’re looking for — clunky phrasing, weirdly formal structure, and a lack of personality that makes it painfully obvious a bot wrote it.
AI can help with efficiency, sure, but it’s not a replacement for human creativity. Left unchecked, AI-composed copy can make your brand sound stiff, sterile, or just plain awkward.
I know this, because I’m an early adopter of AI tools at WideFoc.us, and I’ve been working with the team to develop processes that allow us to craft and shape content that may start with an AI prompt.
So, how do you make AI-assisted writing capture your voice without sounding robotic? Let’s break down what works and what doesn't when using prompts to write a first draft of content.
Why AI-Generated Content Falls Flat on Social Media
AI is fast, efficient, and sometimes even pretty decent at writing. But when it comes to authentic copy, it tends to feel artificial. On social media, where engagement is everything, generic posts just don’t cut it. Here’s why:
Same Old Phrases – AI loves to hit you with “in today’s fast-paced world” or “now more than ever.” But social media is about real conversations. If your captions sound too polished or predictable, people are going to scroll past.
I could make a bingo card of all the predictable responses… and I did because AI loves a good cliché.
In my experience, this one takes time. The more specific prompts you give AI on your copy, the less it will rely on that cookie-cutter format. My biggest tip? Ask AI to make the copy feel a certain way. Do I want it to sound colorful, humorous, or sharp and to the point? Giving AI a vibe to match makes a huge difference in avoiding the same tired phrases.
Zero Personality – AI-generated copy can be technically fine… but that’s the problem. It often lacks warmth, humor, or quirks that make content feel like someone actually wrote it. If your posts don’t have a distinct voice, your audience won’t resonate with it. Honestly, this has been a particular challenge for me as a community manager, because our job is to create content that has a strong brand voice – but as a longtime B2B specialist, keeping copy staid and professional was driven into me in previous roles.
Weird Sentence Structure – Sometimes AI tries too hard and spits out sentences that sound overly complicated or redundant. Other times, it keeps things so simple that it feels unnatural. Either way, your copy shouldn’t read like an essay — it should sound like something you’d actually say. One thing that helps? Training ChatGPT to your style. I tell it what I don’t like, what words to avoid, and even give it structural prompts when I want to start a sentence a certain way. Over time, it memorizes my preferences and adapts to my tone. I think of it like a content assistant that gets better the more feedback I give it.
Repetitive & Boring – AI tends to recycle the same sentence structures over and over. If every post starts with “From [insert benefit], to [insert action],” it’s time to mix things up. (And yes, I’ve fallen victim to this more than once.)
Honestly, this is probably my biggest pain point with using AI to write. To avoid this, I give it a clear tone, specify who it's written by, and even outline my goal for the post. The more context I provide, the less robotic the output feels. It’s not perfect, but it keeps the content from sounding like a copy-paste job.
Kinda ugly, right?
How to Use AI for Content Writing (Without Losing Your Voice)
Brainstorming, drafting, and breaking through creative blocks can feel draining — that’s where AI can help, but don’t get overly reliant on it. Think of AI as your assistant. It’s there to support your process without replacing it.
AI can handle the heavy lifting, but it’s your creativity, voice, and perspective that make the copy work. Content needs your input to feel real.
Here’s how to use AI effectively:
Build a Brand Corpus – Give your AI tool lots of examples of branded copy that’s been used and approved in the past, so it knows what stuff should sound like.
Prompt with Intention – Don’t just type “Write me a caption” and hope for the best. Try something like: “Create a fun, conversational Instagram caption with emojis and a lighthearted tone.” The clearer your direction, the better the draft.
Ask for Multiple Takes – AI tends to get stuck in patterns. Ask it for different versions of headlines, hooks, or captions. More options = more room to pick and remix into something fresh.
Make It Sound Like You – AI drafts are starting points. Add your humor, adjust the tone, and toss in some personality.
Read It Out Loud – This trick never fails — it’s something our own CEO Eric asks us to do before sending anything to our content editor, Rima, for review. If the copy feels clunky or awkward, rewrite it until it flows naturally. If you wouldn’t say it that way, don’t post it that way. (And yes, I read this entire blog post aloud before hitting publish — several times, because it’s been copyedited twice!).
Know When It’s Time to Take Over – AI is perfect for sparking ideas, generating outlines, and speeding up drafts. But storytelling, humor, and personality? That’s where you make your content shine.
And hey — if you’re staring at the screen thinking, I have no idea where to even start with our social media content, that’s what we’re here for. Contact us and we’ll handle the copy (AI or not. 😉).
Community Manager Jenna Dreikorn is passionate about all facets of marketing, from automation tools to effective social media strategies — and she leverages her expertise to create engaging and innovative campaigns for WF clients. Beyond the marketing realm, she finds balance by teaching yoga classes every weekend and enjoying paddle boarding excursions.
