While I’m all for using tools that create efficiencies, relying on AI to write articles for the media is a bad idea.
Churning out AI-generated content will not only undermine your law firm’s brand but it could also affect your credibility with your target publications – several editors I work closely with have said that they will reject pieces that display the tell-tale signs of AI.
With this in mind, I thought it might be helpful to share a guide I recently wrote for my law firm clients on how to use AI effectively when drafting blogs and media articles.
❌ When not to use AI
Some media titles explicitly prohibit the use of AI, but even where they don’t, editors expect articles to be original and written in the contributor’s own words so please do not use AI to draft articles or blogs from scratch. Content that has been generated by AI risks being rejected and will undermine your credibility as an expert.
Tell-tale signs that an article has been generated by AI include:
- Bland and generic content that contains no anecdotes, examples or opinions
- Odd capitalisation – normally due to a clash in styling from various outlets/websites that the AI has sourced information from
- Repetition of generalised statements – often used by AI to pad out word count
- Overuse of em dashes (the long dash)
- Excessive bullet points
❗️ Some media outlets now run submitted articles through AI-detection software to verify that the content is original and not machine-generated – you have been warned!
✅ When AI can be helpful
AI can be used to support your writing, especially when refining content you’ve written yourself. For example:
- Laying out the structure of an article you are planning
- Suggesting punchy titles
- Tightening overly wordy copy
- Rewording individual paragraphs which are a bit “clunky”
- Drafting a short synopsis of article for you to promote on LinkedIn
If you have any questions, please do get in touch at antonia@welchpr.co.uk. I’m here to help!
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