How Marketing Teams Can Use AI Without Headaches… or Selling Out
AI isn’t really coming for your job, but it might make your job messier if you don’t use it right.
A lot of marketing teams are already experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, Claude, and Copy.ai. But too many are still treating it like a magic content machine instead of what it really is: a speed boost for people who already know what they’re doing.
This guide is for teams who want to use AI without turning their brand into oatmeal. Less “automate everything,” more “use this to get unblocked and move faster, without breaking stuff.”
Let’s get into it.
AI Can Help but it Won’t Fix Broken Marketing
AI doesn’t come with strategy baked in. It reflects whatever you feed it.
If you give it vague inputs, it’ll give you vague outputs. If you ask it to write “a blog about our product” without defining the audience, voice, or structure, it’ll give you a bland slab of filler, and you’ll waste time editing it back into something usable.
On the other hand, if you start with a clear goal and solid messaging, AI can speed up the execution. It helps with the “how,” not the “what.” It won’t know what your customer cares about unless you tell it. It won’t understand your product nuance unless you train it. And it won’t fix a broken message hierarchy, no matter how many times you prompt it.
With all that in mind, here are 5 tips to get the most out of the machine without dialing it in:
#1. Use AI to Get Unstuck—Not to Write Everything for You
If you’ve ever stared at a blank page for 45 minutes wondering how to start a blog intro, AI can help. First drafts? Outlines? Alternate phrasings? It’s great for that.
But using it to generate entire pieces end-to-end tends to backfire.
Here’s why:
- The tone often sounds fine (like serviceable) but feels tonally flat.
- The structure is too generic unless heavily edited.
- The final product usually needs a full rewrite anyway.
Instead, treat AI like a brainstorm partner. Use it to get a rough framework or a quick variation. For example:
- “Rewrite this intro to sound more skeptical.”
- “Give me five email subject lines for this CTA.”
- “What’s a sharper way to phrase this H1?”
#2. Make Your Prompts Smarter
Most people using AI are still talking to it like it’s a search engine. The more specific your prompt, the better your output. And the more consistent your structure, the easier it is to reuse.
Let’s say you want help writing LinkedIn posts from existing blog content. Don’t just type “write a LinkedIn post about this blog.” Instead, build a prompt like this:
If that version works, save it. Now you have a prompt template for all future blog repurposing.
What to include in every strong prompt:
- Audience
- Tone or style reference
- Format and word count
- Purpose (educate, persuade, entertain, etc.)
It’s less guesswork when you’re not starting from scratch every time.
#3. Build Templates, Not One-Offs
If your team writes the same types of content on repeat (like webinar follow-up emails, product update blurbs, or monthly newsletters) stop treating each one like a new project. AI is great at handling recurring formats, but only if you give it structure to work with.
Start by identifying 3–5 content types your team creates often. Then, for each one, document what a “good” version looks like: What tone do you use? What sections does it include? What’s the goal of the piece? Add a couple of real examples to illustrate the pattern.
From there, build a prompt template. Instead of asking, “Write a sales email,” guide the system with specifics like:
Save these templates somewhere accessible: Notion, Google Docs, whatever your team actually uses. Include do’s and don’ts, rough inputs, and even common errors to avoid. Think of it like creating a mini AI playbook. Now, when someone needs to write a product update in a hurry, they don’t have to start from scratch or guess how to prompt the tool.
This kind of structure keeps your voice consistent across teams and channels, so your brand doesn’t sound like five different bots wrote five different versions of the same idea.
#4. Fact-Check Everything
This part’s not optional.
If you’re using AI to draft external-facing content (especially for regulated industries), you need a manual fact-check step before publishing. We’ve seen AI confidently invent press release dates, misattribute quotes, and cite data that literally doesn’t exist.
A Good Idea: Create a fact-check checklist and assign it to someone who didn’t write the prompt. Don’t just assume because it “reads well” that it’s accurate. Your audience doesn’t care if it was AI’s fault. They’ll remember who published it.
#5. Train It on Your Voice
If you want AI to sound like your brand, you have to show it how.
Feed it examples of your best work. Give it context on your style, preferred tone, and formatting rules. This can be as simple as:
Or:
Over time, you can build a mini voice guide directly into your prompt templates. Think of it like onboarding a new team member, only faster and less coffee-dependent.
Bonus: Where AI Actually Saves Time
Some use cases are practically built for AI:
Channel rewrites
Turn one blog post into a newsletter summary, social caption, or YouTube script draft. AI excels at trimming, reshaping, and formatting when the core message is already there.
Meta descriptions
Short on time? Let AI write 3 meta description options with your target keyword, character count, and tone included.
First-pass captions
For videos, webinars, or podcasts, AI can turn a transcript into a highlight reel, a pull quote, or a tweet thread prompt.
Summarizing long stuff
Send it a strategy doc and ask, “Summarize this in 5 bullets for sales.” Now everyone actually reads it.
AI can absolutely help your marketing team move faster, write sharper, and free up time for actual creative thinking. Use it to spark ideas. Use it to scale process. Use it to clean up drafts and find angles you might have missed.
Just don’t expect it to lead. That job’s still yours.
Want help using AI like a pro?
FMK helps teams integrate AI into their content process without losing their voice or their edge. Whether you need custom prompt libraries, better content systems, or an outside gut-check… we’re here to help.
Let’s make it work for not against your brand.