How to Collaborate with AI to Improve Your Content

Welcome again to Creators Unlocked, a collection the place we interview creators about their greatest practices. At the moment, we’ve bought Stew Fortier, a extra unconventional creator, as his day job is CEO of Sort.ai, an AI content material writing software.

The speedy development of AI has spurred debates amongst creators of all kinds. Some see AI as a risk, primed to exchange human creators and automate creativity. Others, like Stew, see it fairly in another way.

Stew began his content material creation journey impressed by the works of writers who eloquently expressed concepts he deeply resonated with and a want to share his data of cutting-edge applied sciences like AI. Now, Stew’s artistic and technical data have mixed and developed right into a writing product that may be a true content material accomplice.

On this article, Stew shares how he views and makes use of AI to reinforce his creativity, sensible recommendation for creators navigating the digital world, and his method to constructing an viewers.

Get your inspiration for content material creation exterior AI

Many creators battle to keep up a gentle stream of inspiration. It’s much more difficult to supply participating content material that resonates with an viewers constantly. As a seasoned content material creator, Stew’s method to sourcing inspiration combines eager remark with curiosity and a want to discover the much less traveled paths.

Stew acknowledges that whereas he writes primarily for himself, he publishes with the intent to attach with others. He shares, “I tweet with the intention of reaching readers and sparking fascinating conversations.” To attain this, he has discovered to understand the sort of writing that attracts him in, which frequently means writers who supply a contemporary perspective or articulate previous concepts in a brand new mild.

Stew’s distinctive technique for gathering inspiration is fishing the place others aren’t. He means that studying previous books or repurposing concepts from forgotten classics can lend the aura of novelty to your work. By exploring non-mainstream sources, he believes he can supply a richer tapestry of understanding in his writing. Stew explains, “If everyone seems to be absorbed within the Twitter-verse, studying previous books will be an incredible supply of inspiration.”

Along with exploring forgotten literature, Stew emphasizes participating with various views. Stepping exterior one’s common bubble and conversing with people who see the world in another way can supply a contemporary viewpoint. Stew elaborates, “It could possibly be so simple as chatting with a neighbor or a stranger whereas touring.”

In observe, apply Stew’s method to discovering inspiration by:

• Writing for private exploration however publishing to attach with others
• In search of out contemporary views or modern methods of sharing info
• Venturing past mainstream developments and deeper into devoted communities
• Participating in conversations exterior of your common circles to broaden your understanding and infuse contemporary concepts into your work

As a creator, the purpose ought to be to convey one thing new and distinctive to your viewers. And this requires stepping out of your consolation zone to hunt inspiration.

For a lot of creators, the emergence of AI has been a contentious problem. Some understand it as a software designed to exchange human writers, however Stew disagrees. Whereas he acknowledges its polarizing nature, Stew’s perspective on AI in content material creation is evident: AI is a software, not a alternative.

“A typical misunderstanding, particularly relating to AI, is the idea that it is a software designed to exchange people,” says Stew. In his expertise, AI is a “semi-conscious brainstorming accomplice,” a second mind that helps articulate ideas extra successfully. With Sort, Stew goals to vary the narrative round AI, shifting from the concern of alternative to the thrill of augmentation.

Stew emphasizes that the battle in writing usually comes from making an attempt to determine what you consider in. However generally, the battle might merely stem from being out of concepts or not being within the optimum psychological or bodily state. That is the place AI can considerably increase the method, providing a software to assist articulate creators’ ideas extra successfully.

He suggests contemplating AI as sitting in a room together with your most artistic acquaintance. This interplay might fill you with concepts, making your preliminary thought develop into a way more fleshed-out imaginative and prescient, a course of troublesome to attain for those who had been to spend the identical period of time at your desk alone. Stew believes AI has the potential to duplicate this expertise.

Utilizing AI would not invalidate the function of human creators. As a substitute, it will probably increase their skills, producing richer, extra compelling content material.

Maximize the advantages of AI by utilizing it with a transparent imaginative and prescient and intention

Stew acknowledges the hesitation in the direction of AI, explaining that, like all new know-how, AI integration continues to be in its nascent stage. He likens the place we’re to the transitional interval when vehicles had been first launched amongst horse-drawn carriages. There’s at all times a studying curve and a level of clumsiness as we study and adapt.

Nonetheless, he encourages a shift in perspective to harness AI’s capabilities. “In my expertise, a useful method with AI, similar to ChatGPT or related instruments, is to change the roles and have the AI ask me questions,” he says. He emphasizes that people convey context, artistic imaginative and prescient, and editorial enter that give AI the fabric to work with.

“The AI’s true energy is just unleashed when you have got a basic sense of what you need to write.”

Understanding this, he provides particular recommendation to customers of AI instruments like Sort. Whereas AI capabilities are sometimes highlighted for the aim of selling, Stew highlights the significance of approaching the clean web page with a transparent imaginative and prescient. He states, “The AI’s true energy is just unleashed when you have got a basic sense of what you need to write.”

The novelty of AI applied sciences, particularly as a artistic software, additionally implies that it’s nowhere near good. So even when your imaginative and prescient is a bit obscure, it is vital to know what you need to write about. This gives the mandatory route for AI to help you successfully. Use it to assist whenever you’re caught or not sure in regards to the sequence of your arguments. It is designed to assist your creativity, not hinder it.

Use AI to boost your artistic course of

Stew’s artistic course of hinges largely on his pleasure a couple of particular matter. He admits that he struggles to keep up a content material calendar or backlog, stating that no matter conjures up him now dictates when and what he writes about. Whereas not as structured, this method permits him to harness his ardour, leading to extra real and compelling content material.

Introducing AI into this equation modifications and elevates the dynamic. AI instruments can decrease the ‘activation vitality’ required to kick off the artistic course of. “The preliminary effort required is usually a bit much less demanding [with AI]. You need not arrive with a fully-formed thought or unwavering conviction a couple of matter. You possibly can start with a obscure route, and the software, resulting from its generative and additive capabilities, may help you get to one thing intriguing and viable extra shortly. That, to me, is the first benefit of AI within the artistic course of.”

AI serves as an assistant in Stew’s artistic course of, serving to to form obscure concepts into viable content material. This technique doesn’t substitute conventional artistic processes however fairly enhances them, providing a definite benefit in producing content material extra shortly and effectively.

After you publish with AI, develop your attain and construct an engaged viewers

Stew’s constructed an engaged following of almost 12,000 on Twitter and provides some recommendation for these trying to develop their attain and engagement by means of the “three pillars of viewers constructing.”

The primary pillar is a dedication to creating distinctive, helpful content material. The query each creator should ask themselves, in response to Stew, is: “Am I saying one thing helpful and fascinating?”

Gradual progress, he suggests, usually signifies a necessity to boost the freshness or novelty of the content material being shared. “Whereas it is difficult to at all times be novel and insightful, dedication to the craft and a want to supply one thing others discover helpful are the primary pillars of viewers constructing,” he shares.

Understanding the fundamentals of copywriting types the second pillar. This implies studying the right way to talk concepts in a means that

• incites motion
• conjures up others, and
• retains them engaged.

Programs or free assets on successfully utilizing social media platforms can present essential insights for creators trying to broaden their attain. In accordance with Stew, “Learn to talk concepts that excite you successfully, and you’ll encourage related reactions in others.”

With the ultimate pillar, Stew advocates for strategic collaborations with creators with a bigger viewers. Providing helpful content material, like interviews or podcast episodes, can present a win-win state of affairs for each events. This tactic can considerably enhance a creator’s progress, particularly when bigger accounts point out and share their work. As he attests, “These methods ended up being extremely useful, and I consider they are often accessible to everybody.”

Keep updated with different modifications to the digital panorama

AI isn’t the one change creators want to concentrate on – social media platforms are additionally evolving faster than ever. Creators should additionally constantly regulate their methods to keep up and develop their audiences.

Stew shares some recommendation on what to control on this dynamic panorama. In a nutshell, he means that new creators:

• Use e mail because the channel you personal: Regardless of the shifting sands of social media, constructing an e mail record permits for constant and direct communication with a devoted viewers
• Adapt to algorithm-driven platforms: With social media platforms focusing extra on consumer pursuits, creators have the chance to realize important publicity even with out a big, established viewers.
• Be ready for decreased viewers loyalty: Social media algorithms can usually result in decreased viewers loyalty because of the abundance of obtainable content material. Be able to seize alternatives each time your content material will get important traction.
• Be prepared for elevated competitors: With new alternatives come elevated competitors. It is essential to have a technique in place to capitalize on success when it arises.