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.”