Generative AI can be a phenomenal amplifier—of your ideas, your voice, your brand. But if you’re not careful, it can also sand off the edges that make you you. Here’s a simple, human-first playbook to get real value from AI without sounding like a robot or a knockoff of everyone else on the internet.
1) Start With a “Truth Pile,” Not a Blank Page
AI is best at remixing, not inventing your lived experience. Feed it raw material that only you have.
What to collect (10–15 minutes):
- 3 recent stories or wins (client aha moment, failed experiment, behind-the-scenes process)
- 5 lines you actually say (catchphrases, spicy opinions, metaphors)
- 3 data points you trust (your metrics, customer quotes, a stat from your work)
Prompt skeleton:
“Use my notes below as the only source. Draft a first pass in my casual voice. Keep the statistics and anecdotes verbatim. Notes: [paste truth pile].”
Why it works: You anchor the AI in your reality; it shapes, you originate.
2) Make the Model Imitate You, Not “Good Writing”
Most generic AI tone equals corporate oatmeal. Give it a tiny style guide.
Mini style guide (fill in the blanks):
- Voice: “Warm, plain English, 10th-grade reading level.”
- Moves I like: “Short sentences, occasional rhetorical questions, 1 emoji max per 300 words.”
- Taboos: “No ‘leverage,’ ‘synergy,’ or ‘in today’s fast-paced world.’ Avoid passive voice.”
Prompt skeleton:
“Rewrite for clarity using the style guide below. Keep my original point of view and any bold claims. Style guide: [paste]. Text: [paste].”
Tip: Save your style guide; reuse it so your voice stays consistent across posts, emails, and scripts.
3) Keep the “Handmade Moments”
Readers can smell fully machine-made content. Sprinkle in human fingerprints.
Where to add them:
- Opening hook: Start with a moment (“I almost missed the deadline because…”).
- Specific nouns: Replace “a tool” with “a sticky Google Sheet named
panic-mode.xlsx.” - Micro-confessions: “I thought this feature would take 20 minutes. It took 3 hours.”
Prompt nudge:
“Insert placeholders
[PERSONAL NOTE HERE]where a brief story or tactile detail would make this stronger. Don’t fabricate—just mark the spots.”
Then you fill those brackets in 5 minutes.
4) Use AI for Structure, You for Substance
Let AI do the scaffolding—outlines, transitions, summaries—while you write the parts that require judgment.
Workflow:
- Outline: “Give me 5–7 section headers and a logical flow based on these notes.”
- You: Draft the one section you care most about (the spicy take, the lesson).
- AI: “Blend my draft into the outline. Keep my paragraphs unchanged; only polish for flow.”
- You: Final pass: fact-check, add names, dates, screenshots, or examples.
Result: Speed and substance. The AI organizes; you decide what matters.
5) Audit for Authenticity Before You Publish
Treat this like a pre-flight check. If it fails any one of these, fix it.
The 6-point Authenticity Checklist
- Source reality present? Are there quotes, metrics, or moments only you could know?
- Claim-stance clear? Can a reader summarize your actual opinion in one sentence?
- Jargon scrubbed? Replace fuzzy words with concrete ones.
- Voice match? Read it aloud. Do you sound like yourself?
- Falsifiables included? Dates, names, links—so people can verify.
- A useful takeaway? One thing the reader can do in 5 minutes.
Final prompt:
“Run an authenticity audit using the checklist above. Identify weak spots and suggest specific fixes without changing my voice.”
Bonus: Three Tiny Templates You’ll Actually Use
A) Honest LinkedIn Post (150–220 words)
Hook: a 1-sentence moment or mistake.
What I tried → what happened (1–2 specifics).
The unexpected insight (no clichés).
One practical tip readers can copy today.
CTA: “Curious how others handle this—what’s worked for you?”
B) Case Study Paragraph (90–140 words)
Context (company, goal).
Constraint (deadline, budget, team size).
Action (exact steps, tools).
Result (numbers + quote).
Lesson (one line, non-generic).
C) Email Newsletter Mini-Essay
Cold open (story sentence).
3 bullets: observation → implication → action.
Close with a question that invites replies.
Common Pitfalls (and Fast Fixes)
- Pitfall: Polished but personality-free.
Fix: Insert one tactile detail per section (a specific location, file name, time stamp). - Pitfall: AI makes up sources.
Fix: Tell it: “If uncertain, output[FACT CHECK]instead of inventing. I’ll fill it in.” - Pitfall: Wall-of-text fatigue.
Fix: Ask for “line breaks every 3–4 sentences, subheads every ~120 words, and bullets where helpful.” - Pitfall: Samey headlines.
Fix: “Generate 10 headlines in my voice. Each must include a specific noun and a verbs-first promise. No colons.”
The Mindset Shift
Think of AI as a junior collaborator: tireless, fast, sometimes brilliant, occasionally wrong. Your job is taste, truth, and point of view. When you lead with lived experience and use AI to support—not substitute—your voice, your content gets faster and more original.
