How to Use AI to Write Blog Posts (Without Publishing Generic Fluff)

AI can absolutely help you write blog posts faster.

It can also quietly ruin your site with the kind of content that looks fine at first glance, but says nothing, ranks for nothing, and honestly… makes readers feel like they just wasted five minutes.

So this isn’t one of those “use AI to 10x your content” posts. This is the practical version. The one where you still sound like a human, still have opinions, still make specific points, and you do not publish the same recycled paragraph structure everyone else is pushing out.

Because that’s the whole game now.

The internet is flooded with “pretty” articles that don’t actually help. Generic fluff, broad advice, vague lists, fake authority. And AI makes it way easier to create that stuff at scale.

So let’s do the opposite.

The real problem is not AI. It’s the default output

If you open any AI tool and type:

“Write a blog post about how to be more productive”

You already know what happens.

You get:

• A cheery intro that says productivity is important
• The same 7 tips everyone has heard since 2014
• No real examples
• No tradeoffs
• No point of view
• A conclusion that restates the intro

It reads smooth. But it’s empty.

And the fix is not “use a better model” or “use a higher temperature” or whatever. The fix is you need to change what you’re asking the AI to do.

AI should not be the author.

AI should be your assistant. Your researcher. Your outline buddy. Your first draft machine that you aggressively edit.

That’s it.

If you treat it like a content vending machine, you’ll get vending machine content.

Step 1: Start with something worth saying (a sharp angle)

Before you prompt anything, decide the angle. Not the topic. The angle.

Topic: “email marketing” Angle: “why your welcome email should be uglier and more specific”

Topic: “SEO” Angle: “how to stop writing ‘ultimate guides’ that never rank”

Topic: “AI writing” Angle: “how to use AI without sounding like you used AI”

A simple test I use:

Can your headline be argued with?

If the answer is no, it’s probably too generic.

And yes, AI can help you find angles. But you need to force it away from blandness.

Try prompts like:

• “Give me 15 contrarian angles for a blog post on X. Avoid anything that sounds like a generic marketing blog.”
• “List common advice about X, then tell me what’s wrong with each one. Be specific.”
• “What would an experienced practitioner say about X that beginners won’t like hearing?”

You’re basically looking for friction. Tension. Specificity.

That’s where good posts come from.

Step 2: Feed the AI real inputs, not just a keyword

Most generic AI posts happen because the input is thin.

If you give it a keyword, it gives you a Wikipedia shaped article. No surprise.

Instead, collect raw material first. Just a quick dump. Doesn’t have to be pretty.

Here’s what to gather:

• Your personal experience (even small stuff)
• The audience you’re writing for (be narrow)
• 3 to 5 key points you want to land
• One example or mini story
• One strong opinion you actually believe
• Any sources or stats you want referenced

Then paste that into the prompt.

AI doesn’t magically know your readers, your product, your tone, your context. It needs ingredients.

If you’re using an AI platform like WritingTools.ai, this is where it helps because you can move from brainstorm to outline to draft inside a single workflow, and you’re not constantly copying and pasting between random tools. Their AI Writing Assistant is basically built for this kind of “give it context, get structured output” process.

But the bigger point is not the tool. It’s the inputs.

Good inputs in, good output out.

Step 3: Force an outline that doesn’t look like everyone else’s outline

Most AI outlines are painfully predictable:

• Introduction
• Benefits
• Tips
• Conclusion

That’s the template for fluff.

Instead, tell AI what structure to use. Or at least tell it what not to do.

A prompt I like:

“Create 3 different blog post outlines for this angle. Each outline must have a unique structure (not just ‘intro, tips, conclusion’). Include specific sections, examples, and a ‘what most people get wrong’ section. Avoid generic headings.”

Good outline structures you can steal:

The “mistake, fix, example” structure

Each section is:

• The mistake people make
• Why it happens
• What to do instead
• A quick example

The “process walkthrough”

• Start with the starting state
• Show the steps
• Show what it looks like at each step
• Common failure points

The “decision tree”

• If you’re in situation A, do this
• If you’re in situation B, do that
• Don’t do this unless…

Readers love this because it feels personal, like advice. Not content.

Step 4: Use AI for the parts it’s actually good at

This is the mindset shift.

AI is great at:

• Generating variations (headlines, hooks, subheads)
• Summarizing your notes into a cleaner outline
• Expanding bullet points into rough paragraphs
• Producing examples you can remix
• Editing for clarity and flow
• Spotting missing steps in a process

AI is not great at:

• Having a real opinion (it will fake one)
• Writing with lived experience (it will cosplay)
• Being specific without being told what “specific” means
• Knowing what’s actually true unless you verify it

So use it like a production assistant, not a ghostwriter.

A simple workflow that works:

1. You write the ugly outline in bullets.
2. AI expands each bullet into a rough draft section.
3. You rewrite the first and last sentence of every section.
4. You add real examples and remove filler.
5. You run one editing pass for clarity and one pass for “does this actually say anything?”

That’s it. That’s the whole system.

Step 5: Write a hook that sounds like a person, not a brochure

Generic hooks are everywhere:

• “In today’s digital world…”
• “Blogging is important for businesses…”
• “AI has revolutionized content…”

Kill those.

Your hook has one job: keep someone reading.

Here are hooks that work better:

• A blunt truth: “Most AI blog posts are longer than they need to be, and say less than they should.”
• A quick story: “I published an AI generated post once without editing it. It got traffic, sure. But the comments were brutal. People could tell.”
• A clear promise: “In the next 10 minutes, you’ll have a workflow that uses AI for speed without sounding like AI.”

If you want AI’s help here, don’t ask it to “write an intro”. Ask it to write 10 hooks in different styles, then you pick one and rewrite it.

Step 6: Do the “fluff audit” before you publish

This step alone will make your posts better than most AI content online.

After you have a draft, search for these and delete or rewrite them:

1) Sentences that could appear in any article

Example:

• “It’s important to understand your audience.”

Okay. But… what does that mean here?

Rewrite it into something that forces specificity:

• “If you can’t name the exact person you’re writing for, you’ll default to generic advice. So pick one: new freelancer, in house marketer, solo founder, whatever.”

2) Empty transitions

Example:

• “Now let’s dive in.”
• “That being said…”
• “In conclusion…”

Replace with actual logic. Or just remove.

3) Bloated lists

If you have a “10 tips” list, ask yourself if it should be 4 tips with real examples instead.

Most listicles should be shorter and sharper. AI loves long lists because it’s easy.

4) Fake specificity

AI will do this thing where it adds numbers or details that look real but aren’t grounded.

If it claims:

• “Businesses see 37% higher engagement…”

You need a source, or you delete it.

No exceptions. That’s how misinformation spreads.

Step 7: Add “proof” so it doesn’t feel like recycled advice

This is what makes a post feel real.

Proof can be:

• A personal result (even small)
• A screenshot (if relevant)
• A real example from your work
• A mini case study
• A specific before and after
• A counterexample (when the usual advice fails)

Even one proof point changes the whole vibe of a post.

And if you don’t have proof yet, that’s fine. Use a grounded hypothetical:

Instead of:

• “Write compelling CTAs.”

Do:

• “If your CTA is ‘Learn more’, try ‘Steal my exact checklist’. It’s not elegant, but it’s clear.”

Step 8: Make the language sound like you, then keep it consistent

This is where most AI content gets caught, often due to AI writing mistakes that can make the text overly balanced, polite, and complete.

Real people write like this sometimes:

• Short fragments.
• Slightly messy rhythm.
• A sentence that starts one way and ends another.
• Opinions that aren’t padded with ten disclaimers.

So build a tiny style guide for yourself. Seriously, a few bullets.

Example:

• Short paragraphs.
• Prefer simple words over formal ones.
• Use “you” and “I” naturally.
• Be willing to say “this is bad advice” when it is.
• One example per major point.

Then tell the AI to follow it.

And after it writes, do one pass where you replace generic verbs and softenings:

• “utilize” → “use”
• “various” → delete
• “robust” → delete
• “it’s worth noting” → delete
• “seamlessly” → almost always delete

If you want a quick shortcut for this kind of cleanup, tools that focus on rewriting and tone can help. WritingTools.ai has an AI Humanizer that’s useful when a section is technically fine but just feels… plasticky. You still need to edit, but it can get you out of that stiff cadence faster.

Step 9: Use AI to repurpose, not just produce

One of the smartest uses of AI is turning one solid blog post into multiple assets.

After you finish your post, you can ask AI for:

• A short email version to send to your list
• 5 social snippets
• A LinkedIn post with a strong hook
• A FAQ section for SEO
• A “TLDR” box for the top of the article

If you do email marketing, this is an easy win. You can adapt your post into an email in minutes, then tweak it to sound like you. If you want a dedicated tool for that, WritingTools.ai has an AI email generator that’s basically built for turning ideas into usable emails without starting from scratch.

Repurposing also makes your blog writing feel more worth it. You’re not just publishing and moving on. You’re squeezing value out of the work.

Step 10: A simple prompt set you can copy (and tweak)

Here’s a set of prompts that tends to produce non generic output. Use them in order.

Prompt 1: Angles

“Give me 12 blog post angles about [topic] for [audience]. Make them specific and slightly opinionated. Avoid generic business blog angles.”

Prompt 2: Outline

“Pick the best angle and create an outline with unique section headings. Include a ‘what people get wrong’ section and at least 2 concrete examples I can use.”

Prompt 3: Expand

“Expand section 1 into a draft. Keep paragraphs short. Avoid filler phrases. Use direct language. Include one example.”

Repeat for each section.

Prompt 4: Fluff audit

“Now act like an editor. Highlight any sentences that are vague, generic, or could be said in any article. Suggest rewrites that make them specific.”

Prompt 5: Voice pass

“Rewrite this section to sound more human and more like a practitioner. Slightly messy rhythm is fine. Keep meaning the same. Remove corporate phrasing.”

That sequence gets you closer to a real post.

Still needs your brain. But it stops AI from steamrolling you with blandness.

The “don’t get punished later” checklist (quick final pass)

Before you hit publish, run through this:

• Did I say anything that’s actually new or specific?
• Is there at least one example that only I could have written?
• Did I remove generic intros and transitions?
• Are there any claims that need a source?
• Did I rewrite the opening and the ending in my own words?
• If I skim this, do the headings themselves tell a story?

If you can answer yes to most of that, you’re already ahead of a huge chunk of AI content online.

Wrap up (what I’d do if I were starting today)

If I were starting a blog today and wanted to leverage AI without falling into the trap of publishing fluff, I'd adopt an ai-writing-workflow-for-bloggers approach:

• Pick one narrow audience.
• Write one sharp angle per post.
• Use AI to generate options and rough drafts, not final thoughts.
• Edit like a human editor, aggressively.
• Repurpose each post into email and social.

And if you're looking for resources to streamline your writing process, consider using some ai-writing-prompts-copy-paste-templates. These templates can provide valuable structure and inspiration for your posts.

AI can make you faster.

But you still have to make it good.