October 11, 2023

AI Content Creation Tools: 7 Tools to Supercharge Production

How is modern AI used in content creation?

AI tools are currently used in a variety of ways by content marketing teams. This technology can be used to create:

  • Long-form blog posts
  • Landing pages
  • Product descriptions
  • Email sequences
  • Social media posts
  • And most other text-based assets

In other words, AI tools are helping teams build end-to-end marketing campaigns that drive traffic, conversions, and revenue.

But there is one area in which content creators need to pay special attention: long-form blog posts. As Google continuously updates its algorithms to provide users with high-quality content, many are left wondering whether AI-written text will still rank.

Let’s look at that question in more detail, as blogging has become a major factor to any content marketing strategy.

Does Google penalize AI-generated content?

Right now, it’s unclear how Google views AI-generated content.

This is mainly because article generation lies on a continuum: some authors use AI to write 100% of an article, while others use it as a starting point to beat writer’s block.

So how does Google tackle this issue? Again, it’s unclear.

Even Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, sends mixed messages on the topic. In April 2022, John held Google (English) SEO Office Hours. In this session, he argued:

People have been automatically generating content in lots of different ways... My suspicion is that maybe the quality of the content is a little bit better than the really old-school tools, but for us it’s still automatically generated content. And that means for us, it’s still against the Webmaster Guidelines. So we would consider that to be spam. [Timestamp: 22:14]

Just a few months before this interview, though, John Mueller provided a different take on using AI content creation tools when he said:

People have been generating content with algorithms since the early days of the web - I don’t see this as being a significant change. Use it as a tool to make better content, just like you’d use a spreadsheet to make better analyses than you would by hand.

But AI content writers have become more common since that session, and Google’s rules are constantly changing (do we even need to mention Google’s latest ‘helpful content update’?).

According to Search Engine Land, Google recently spoke out on ranking AI content, citing Bankrate as an example.

Bankrate, a well-known and highly reputable website in the finance world began openly creating blog posts with AI.

And it worked.

Sistrix found that Bankrate ranked on the first page for many primary and related long-tail keywords.

To address this, Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, wrote on Twitter:

“Content created primarily for search engine rankings, however it is done, is against our guidance.” But he added that “if content is helpful & created for people first, that’s not an issue.”

Sullivan then clarified that Google’s goal is to produce helpful content, and “if it’s not helpful content, the system catches that.”

It would appear that Google cares more about your final output than it does about how you created that output.

In other words, both John Mueller and Danny Sullivan suggest that AI writing software is an excellent supplement to your blogging strategy but not a silver bullet solution for higher rankings.

Instead, creators should work with AI to generate the best first draft of their content. Then they should polish this draft with their human creativity and expertise to produce a net better result.

Verdict: Should you use AI tools for content creation?

Yes, you should use AI tools for content creation, but with one caveat: you still need to edit the tool’s output to provide high-value content for your audience.

Outside the world of SEO, AI tools are a risk-free way to streamline content production. This software allows you to write emails, landing pages, product descriptions, social posts, and much more, all at the click of a button.

And since those marketing channels don’t apply the same criteria to text-based content as Google, you don’t need to worry about anything other than building an authentic relationship with your readers.

However, you can’t rely on AI tools to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to long-form content like blog posts. Instead, think of AI software as a way of helping you create better content in less time. But by focusing on the quality of your content (rather than just the speed of your output), you can still create SEO-friendly content that ranks.

Now that we’ve seen how AI tools are used for content creation, let’s turn our attention to the tools themselves.

Below, we’ll look at 7 of the top AI software for content creation.

7 AI tools for content creation

1. Copy.ai

Copy.ai is a well-rounded tool that allows content teams to 10x their output without sacrificing quality.

It does so by providing users with 90+ tools and templates that guide them through the process of making blog posts, landing pages, pay-per-click (PPC) ad copy, social media posts, and more:

templates to generate all types of content

Another thing that makes Copy.ai stand out is how the software tackles long-form blog posts. With the Blogging Wizard, you can generate outlines (with Headings and Sub-headings) in two clicks:

ai blog content with talking points

From there, you’ll be able to modify the results to ensure that your first draft is closely aligned with your vision for the post. Once you have your outline fleshed out, you can generate an entire article in seconds.

ai generated content output

All that’s left to do is edit the output to ensure the message carries your brand’s voice and resonates with your target audience.

But Copy.ai doesn’t just help the bloggers on your team. Instead, it can be used to generate content for every aspect of your business. Plus, it’ll even automate tedious portions of your workflow.

Here are a few other use cases.

Landing page creation

Many AI writers are able to create copy for landing pages. That’s nothing new. But Copy.ai lets you add specific structure to the output that gets generated :

give AI landing pages a prompt

From there, your content will come out organized in the way you envision it on your website:

website copy output

Then you can polish the copy to your liking based on your brand’s style and your personal expertise.

Sales cold emails

What if your marketing team isn’t the only department that needs compelling content?

What if sales want to leverage AI to make their lives easier, too?

Copy.ai is like having a cold email copywriting expert on deck at all times. Now, all your sales team will need to do is find the right prospects on LinkedIn.

Then add your lead’s public LinkedIn URL and a bit of information about your products/services into Copy.ai:

And you’ll have a personalized email written in seconds:

This is allowing sales teams to streamline cold outreach and provide a better user experience to new prospects.

Again, with Copy.ai, you’ve not only got a powerful AI content writer at your side but a full-fledged writing assistant, too. In either capacity, Copy.ai has the potential to 100x your team’s efficiency and output.

Recap

  • Types of Content Generated: Long and short-form content
  • Templates & Tools: 90+
  • Automated Workflows: Yes
  • Price for Word Count: $49/month for unlimited words
  • Forever Free Plan: Yes (2,000 words/mo)

2. Jasper.ai

There’s been a lot of buzz around Jasper (formerly known as “Jarvis”) this past year. They’ve made an impressive AI tool for content creation and have generated excitement in the SaaS community by acquiring an impressive amount of Series A funding.

Jasper allows you to create different types of content – both long and short-form. That means you’ll be able to generate blog posts, landing pages, PPC copy, social posts, and more.

This tool also provides users with 50+ templates, along with “Recipes” that string templates together for larger assets (like eBooks or video scripts, for example).

Finally, Jasper integrates with other tools, so it fits nicely with your marketing stack. The main drawback is that you’ll need to pay for these 3rd-party integrations separately. SurferSEO, for example, can optimize long-form content for rankings. But this requires a Boss Mode subscription with Jasper (starting at $99/month) and an additional subscription to SurferSEO (at $99/month).

As an AI content creation tool, Jasper is definitely a strong option – and it’d be disingenuous to suggest otherwise. However, cost can be a limiting factor for teams looking to scale. That’s because Jasper has two plans:

  • Starter: $49/month for 35,000 words
  • Boss Mode: $99/month for 100,000 words

But pricing changes depending on how much output you need. For example, you’ll spend $600/month for 700,000 words in Boss Mode. When compared to a tool like Copy.ai (which offers unlimited words at $49/month), it’s easy to see why Jasper’s pricing can be a barrier to most marketing teams.

Recap

  • Types of Content Generated: Long and short-form content
  • Templates & Tools: 50+
  • Automated Workflows: No
  • Price for Word Count: $49/month for 35,000 words
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Forever Free Plan: No

3. Writersonic

Writesonic is another AI content generator that’s gained popularity over the past few months. This tool allows you to create both long and short-form content (blog posts, landing pages, product descriptions, etc.). It comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from an AI writing tool, like integrations with SEO tools, multi-language support, priority access to new features, and more.

This software is also more cost-friendly than a tool like Jasper, starting at $19/month for 47,500 “good” words. However, the idea of “good” words is something you’ll want to consider.

Unlike its competitors, Writesonic adjusts its pricing not only by the number of words generated but also by the quality of those words. You can choose between four settings for your output:

  • Economy (the cheapest)
  • Average
  • Good
  • Premium (the most expensive)

For example, you can get 47,500 “good” words for $19/month. Or you can get 190,000 “economic” words for the same price.

To be frank, the team here at Copy.ai isn’t a big fan of this pricing model. We believe AI writing tools should contribute to making the best content possible, and we’re not sure why anyone would intentionally want “average” output.

Recap

  • Types of Content Generated: Long and short-form content (separate plans required)
  • Templates & Tools: 70+
  • Automated Workflows: No
  • Price for Word Count: $19/month for 47,500 “good” words
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Forever Free Plan: Yes

4. Rytr

Rytr is a good tool if you’re exclusively working with short-form content. It allows you to generate text for social media posts, emails, PPC campaigns, product descriptions, and other smaller assets.

While you can generate blog outlines and blog post sections, you can’t generate entire long-form posts at this time. That said, Rytr does come with some pretty strong features.

This software has a built-in plagiarism checker, so you can be confident your output is 100% unique. It supports over 30 languages and offers users up to 20 different “tones of voice” to choose from. This helps you find the right style for your brand’s voice in less time.

There are 40+ “use cases” (which can be thought of as templates). Plus, every plan comes with a handful of AI-generated images, which can be an asset for blog and social media posts.

Finally, many users will find Rytr to be an affordable option, but only on the Unlimited plan.

The Free and Saver plan are good options for people wanting to test the software, but they likely won’t be enough for content marketing teams. That’s because Rytr is priced by characters (rather than words), which means your output will burn through word limits much faster.

The Unlimited plan, however, allows users to generate as many characters as they’d like. Again, this is exclusively for short-form copy/content.

  • Types of Content Generated: Short-form content exclusively
  • Templates & Tools: 40+
  • Automated Workflows: No
  • Price for Word Count: $29/month for unlimited text generation
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Forever Free Plan: Yes

5. Copysmith

Copysmith is another AI tool for content creation and offers many of the same features as other software on this list. You can create short-form copy for:

  • Landing pages
  • Product descriptions
  • Emails
  • PPC ads
  • And much more

You can also create blog post templates/outlines, though you can’t generate entire blog posts at this time. This makes Copysmith a good alternative to Rytr for teams not looking to generate long-form content.

One potential drawback to Copysmith, however, is transparent pricing.

This tool uses a credit system to determine which plan users are on. The Starter plan gives you 75 credits, and the Professional plan gives you 400. One credit is equal to 400 words (on average), meaning you’d get 30,000 words from the Starter plan and 160,000 words from the Professional plan.

This is less output than other tools on this list, such as Copy.ai, Jasper, and Writesonic.

Recap

  • Types of Content Generated: Short-form content exclusively
  • Templates & Tools: Only on the custom plan
  • Automated Workflows: No
  • Price for Word Count: $59/month for 160,000 words
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Forever Free Plan: No

6. MarketMuse

MarketMuse isn’t an AI content generator. It won’t write content for you, so you might be wondering, “Why did this tool make the list?”

Not all AI content creation tools focus on the actual writing.

At times, you’ll want a tool to help you plan and optimize the content you’re building. With MarketMuse, you have a powerful AI-driven tool that builds SEO-driven content outlines for you. It provides you with keyword ideas, section headings, semantically related keywords, and other on-page SEO factors.

Plus, all the suggestions are backed by data gathered from posts that rank in the top 10 spots on Google. This helps you match your users’ search intent, so you can have a better shot of getting higher rankings for your content.

And once you’ve gotten those rankings, MarketMuse will help you keep them.

That’s because you can run your existing content through MarketMuse’s AI-powered optimization tool. This will compare your content with other successful content around the same keyword. Then, MarketMuse will give you other related keywords and suggestions to strengthen your post for routine updates.

With this software, you can generate outlines and update your content for higher-quality posts in a fraction of the time.

Recap

  • Types of Content Generated: Outline ideas and optimization tips.
  • Templates & Tools: 70+
  • Automated Workflows: No
  • Price: $7,200/year
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Forever Free Plan: Yes

7. Grammarly

If you’ve been in the world of content marketing for longer than a minute, then you’ve likely heard about Grammarly. This tool helps keep your content error-free.

Grammarly uses the latest in AI technology to polish all of your text-based content. It makes suggestions based on regional spelling, syntax/sentence construction, tone of voice, and much more. Plus, it has a plagiarism checker to ensure all of your content is 100% unique (and won’t get penalized for duplicate content by Google).

But one of the best parts about Grammarly is that it integrates with most of the tools you already use. You can apply Grammarly directly to Google Docs, emails, WordPress post drafts, and even on your smartphone.

In short, Grammarly isn’t just another “spell checker.” It’s an AI-powered editing assistant that ensures your content is as close to perfect as can be.

Recap

  • Types of Content Edited: Long and short-form content.
  • Automated Workflows: No
  • Price: $30/month (or $12/month if you buy an annual subscription)
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Forever Free Plan: Yes

Which is the right AI tool for my content strategy?

One thing to remember is that AI tools for content creation don't work in a vacuum. Instead, you’ll want a mixture of tools working together to supplement the real human creativity from your team.

When it comes to a writing assistant, Copy.ai is one of your best bets. That’s because our simple pricing plan gives users unlimited words of premium text generation for all types of content (long and short-form) at only $49/month.

This makes it a cost-effective option for teams who need lots of text-based content without breaking the bank.

With this tool, you can use other AI-powered software like MarketMuse or Grammarly to refine/polish your content and rank on search engines like Google. And by creating a marketing stack with various AI tools, you’ll be able to streamline content production without sacrificing quality.

Ready to give it a shot? Sign up for your free trial – no credit card required – to see first-hand how Copy.ai can help you make better content at 10x the speed.

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