Why you need a content writer over AI [Plus 5 things to look out for]

I’m not going to bury the lede here—I’m hoping this blog post will convince you to hire me as your content writer. It’ll include a shameless plug for my services at the end, and I’m already looking forward to connecting with you and working together. 😁

BUT it will also help you answer that key question in your mind: Do I really need to hire a content writer? Can’t I just use AI? And once I establish that you should, indeed, hire someone at times: What do I even look for in a content writer? How do I know who to hire? 

And if this can help you in your business and/or personal endeavours, I’ll be happy. 

So, let me lay it out for you and discuss: 

1. When do you need to hire a content writer? (And, related: Isn’t AI good enough?)
2. Five things to look for in a content writer

Let’s go. 

How AI is impacting our writing

You know, like I know, that online content—blog posts, articles, social media copy, eBooks, lead magnets, newsletters, etc., etc., etc.—is everywhere online. You need it, I need it, every business or solopreneur or professional in the world needs it. Content is there to communicate information, to educate, to inspire, and for many other purposes. 

So, you need content. Someone’s got to write it, yeah? And if it’s not you, it’s got to be someone you hire, yeah? 

That was the case until a few years ago when AI came on the scene. We’ve all adopted it fairly quickly in our work—McKinsey’s 2024 study found that 71% of respondents say their organizations regularly use generative AI in at least one business function, up from 65% earlier in the year. Another study out of the Melbourne Business School found that 66% of people report using AI on a regular basis for personal, work or study purposes. (Interestingly, though, they found there’s still a lot of skepticism about AI, as just 46% of people trust AI systems.)

Truth is, we’re using AI to create written content. It’s no secret—people are loud and proud about it online. Clients are hiring me to edit their AI-produced content. Contract gig descriptions want proficiency in AI programs. People are suggesting AI workflows all over LinkedIn. 

(I would say that there’s an equally strong push back to AI online as well. A lot of people are concerned about its widespread adoption, citing ethical or other reasons. But that’s a conversation for another time; right now, we’re just talking about its widespread adoption for writing.)

Despite its impressive ability to create content quickly, AI is not perfect. In my opinion, there are three big signs that writing is AI-generated:

1. It’s repetitive: AI loves some words and phrases, repeating them often. “A stark reminder,” or “Whether X or Y…” are two I see a lot. There are patterns to the way it writes—not bad, just repetitive. 
2. It’s impersonal: AI doesn’t know you, your style, or your voice (though, with the right ChatGPT prompts, it can get pretty close). Without infusing your humanity into the text, whether writing it yourself or heavily editing what AI comes up with, it’s going to sound impersonal. 
3. It’s obvious: AI learned everything it knows from what’s on the Internet, or the most obvious, most prolific content online. If there are new interesting takes or human insights, it might just be AI. 

The last downfall of AI is that it’s not always right. It makes mistakes. I am of the strong opinion that human editors and proofreaders are still important because AI isn’t always good enough—it makes errors. 

The case for good content: When to hire a writer

If you put your full trust in AI—using it from start to finish with little human input—you’re going to get repetitive, impersonal, obvious, and/or incorrect writing. 

Now, does hiring a content writer automatically fix this? Not really—humans can still write bland content full of mistakes (God knows I have, too). But humans bring what AI can’t: fresh ideas, new thoughts, a wealth of lived experience, brand tone and style, ~vibes~, creativity, knowing when to break grammar rules, effort and time… the list goes on. 

If you want to elevate your writing, you need to bring your humanity to it. That could look like: 

• Spending time feeding your writing into an AI program so it learns your style and tone to produce content that sounds like you. 
• Learning how to prompt an AI program to get what you want out of it. 
• Heavily (and I mean HEAVILY) editing the end product so it sounds less AI-y and robotic. 

Or, you can hire a human to write. They might write from scratch, or they may use AI in one of the above ways. 

A good content writer or editor will:

• Know how to translate your tone and voice into writing. 
• Research well, able to discern good sources from bad.
• Manually check all grammar, making sure any errors are intentional for the sake of style/message. 
• Take your fresh ideas and perspectives and communicate them in a new way. 
• Create brand-new content without regurgitating what already exists. 
• Integrate relevant and impactful CTAs. 
• Connect the piece to your other work, ensuring seamless integration with everything else you produce. 
• Identify other sources to hyperlink; optimize for SEO. 

Hiring a content writer is most useful when you are creating content that needs to convey a specific message, impact your readers, and demonstrate thought leadership and expertise through novel ideas, accuracy, and engaging content. 

If you are writing quick emails, memos, draft copy, super short-term content, and other things that don’t hit the above criteria, AI might be good enough. OR, if you enjoy writing and want to do it yourself… go for it! 

But whether you want to use AI or write your own content, it can take time. Besides high-quality content, another key reason to hire a professional content writer is to save time. Consider outsourcing this work to someone who does it for a living so you can pay attention to other parts of your business and work. 

5 things to look for in a content writer 

Quality writing + saving time = two reasons to hire a content writer. Now, what to look for? Here are five things to consider: 

1. Communication

Content writers are professional communicators, and that should be obvious in all facets of their work. Do they explain the process clearly? Do they respond in a timely manner? Do they ask clarifying questions about what you want without assuming things? Consider how they communicate before you engage them in a project; it should be a positive, easy relationship. 

2. Clarity

You should know exactly what you’re paying for when engaging a content writer. This can be outlined in a contract or agreement ahead of time and includes things like length of writing, scope of work, timelines, research expectations, etc. You may also want to clarify their AI policy and whether that aligns with your expectations. 

3. Previous work

Regardless of how long they’ve been writing, your potential content writer should be able to provide past work samples to showcase their ability and work style. Ask to see a portfolio or explore their published online content. 

4. Adaptability

If you’re hiring a content writer, especially a ghostwriter (someone who writes under your name), you want to make sure they can adapt to your style and tone. You want the writing to sound like you, not like AI or someone else. Again, you can look at past portfolio items or talk to the content writer about how they adapt to different styles and tones in their writing.

5. Open to feedback

Most content writers will indicate how many rounds of revisions they will do for you (typically 1-3). Within those rounds, they should be open to feedback and willing to make edits you request. You don’t want to work with someone defensive or unwilling to change. At the same time, you don’t want to work with someone who just goes along with whatever you say. A good content writer will use their professional expertise and opinions to elevate the work while also staying open to your feedback and changes. It’s a collaborative process.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it hits some of the most important points. Ultimately, you want to be able to connect with your content writer and trust that they’ll do a good job. 

The easiest way to figure that out? Talk with them. Talk with me. 🙂 I help individuals, businesses, and organizations reach their goals by providing quality written content for their websites or other online presence. You can check out the services I offer here, and then let’s chat.