The Most Effective AI Uses for Content Marketing in 2025 [New Research]

There are 1,000,000 methods to make use of AI for advertising. You possibly can analysis matters, write outlines, craft social posts, edit drafts, create pictures and so forth…

There are 1,000,000 methods to do content material advertising. Longform textual content, shortform movies, gated guides, interview podcasts, stay webinars and so forth…

So how are content material entrepreneurs utilizing AI? At the moment we share a sneak peek at new information from our annual survey. As we wrap up the information assortment part, right here is an early take a look at the information from the AI-related questions.

• How briskly are entrepreneurs adopting AI? (traits)
• How are content material entrepreneurs utilizing AI? (strategies)
• How is AI impacting the time wanted to provide content material? (effectivity)
• How is AI impacting advertising outcomes? (efficiency)

This can be a brief submit with loads of charts based mostly on the primary 586 responses to the survey. In a number of weeks we’ll publish the complete report with a lot deeper evaluation, knowledgeable enter and much extra information.

How briskly are content material entrepreneurs adopting AI?

AI resistance is futile.

Over the previous two years, AI adoption amongst content material entrepreneurs grew from 65% to 95%. Virtually all entrepreneurs are utilizing AI in some capability. At the moment, just one in 20 are nonetheless holding out.

Occasions change quick in advertising. For those who’ve been round for some time, you’ve seen some fast adoption charges. It took solely seven years for smartphones to turn out to be ubiquitous. It took round 9 years for social media to turn out to be ubiquitous. These modified advertising quick and perpetually. However the AI adoption price amongst entrepreneurs wins the gold medal.

In fact, the methods through which all of us use AI varies extensively. Let’s take a look at that information subsequent.

How do content material entrepreneurs use AI?

Some use it a bit; others so much. And we use AI in every kind of how.

To find how we’re all utilizing it in content material marketer, in 2023 we added this AI query to the survey. We gave respondents 9 choices, all associated to the content material manufacturing and promotion course of.

AI, the Editor
For 2 years “generate concepts” was the most well-liked use case. Bloggers use AI for analysis. However this 12 months we see AI used much more later within the workflow. “Recommend edits” is the primary AI use case amongst content material entrepreneurs. It’s turn out to be our editor.

This may very well be using AI enhancing instruments (Grammarly, Hemingway) or giving drafts and clever prompts to ChatGPT and asking for enter. Both approach, for 2 thirds of entrepreneurs, it’s within the writing course of now and can stay there perpetually.

AI, the Author
Writing full articles nonetheless isn’t a standard approach to make use of AI. Only one in ten bloggers does it. However an increasing number of entrepreneurs are giving it a strive. The share of entrepreneurs who use AI to write down full articles doubles yearly.

However on this dataset, that is the least widespread use for AI. And as you’ll see beneath, it additionally stands out as the least efficient. Personally, I don’t use AI to write down something besides YouTube descriptions (most individuals don’t learn them). Each phrase in each article on this e-newsletter was lovingly written by hand, by me,

Why isn’t writing full articles a extra widespread use of AI? It might be for causes many entrepreneurs found way back. The most effective content material is crammed with visuals, contributor quotes, private factors of view and related inside hyperlinks.

Every of those goes past “writing” and none of those are issues that AI can do effectively. AI can’t actually show you how to collaborate with pals or take a stand on a subject. It might probably undoubtedly write plenty of textual content, however writing is only one a part of content material improvement. Consider the phrases of Eugene Schwartz, “Copy is just not written. It’s assembled.”

AI, the Assistant
Our survey lists 9 use circumstances, however after all, there are others. We let respondents sort in their very own favourite makes use of of AI and 100+ respondents advised us different methods they use AI. Listed below are a few of the most typical themes that transcend these listed above.

• website positioning duties similar to key phrase analysis and meta description writing
• Reality-checking (I’m a bit shocked by this one)
• Translation and simplification of complicated language
• Summarizing or repurposing content material for different codecs
• All-purpose writing assistant: getting began, getting unstuck, and so forth.

It’s useful in little methods in lots of locations. That bullet record above is an instance. Slightly than learn and attempt to summarize the entire response information, I gave it to AI and requested it to search out the themes. Then I reorganized, rewrote and added my perspective. I saved 10 minutes and now I’m transferring on.

Why don’t entrepreneurs use AI for extra duties?

All of us have issues. Or quite, 95% of us do, based on the survey responses. Our issues cowl a variety, from accuracy to high quality to ethics.

The largest concern is accuracy, which is comprehensible when you use it for analysis and writing. However entrepreneurs who use AI to simply audit their content and recommend enhancements can sidestep all accuracy points. With these strategies, you’re merely asking AI to provide you a perspective.

Subsequent comes lack of originality. This primary limitation of AI as a result of it was skilled on the web, on content material that already exists. However there are wonderful methods to use AI to find topics that haven’t been covered. The marketer nonetheless wants to search out their very own angle, however highly-original “blue ocean” matters will be found quick.

Third is tone of voice and inconsistency, which can be an enormous potential drawback. AI can’t write in a selected model voice except it’s fastidiously and diligently skilled. I needed to give AI 50+ articles in a customGPT earlier than my experiments in on-brand copywriting confirmed any outcomes. It might want rather more coaching information than you count on.

Some entrepreneurs are additionally apprehensive concerning the moral concerns of AI, which transcend advertising and past the scope of our content material technique.

Lastly, search engine penalties are a priority for about one in 4 entrepreneurs. I don’t share this concern for 2 causes: first, there isn’t a such factor as a penalty for AI-generated content material or duplicate content material in engines like google. The outcomes could be zero (no rankings or visitors) however nothing else dangerous will occur. There isn’t a penalty.

Second, if we’re doing the job proper, we’re making each effort to provide the absolute best content material in your subject. So we’re not simply copy and pasting AI responses anyway. The SEOs who fear about Google penalties ought to fear first about their customer. They need to fear that their content material isn’t actually authentic, compelling, share-worthy and memorable.

Does AI make content material entrepreneurs sooner?

In little methods and large methods, it’s dashing up advertising duties. Can we see the proof of effectivity within the information? Sure, it jumps out within the very first query: How lengthy does it take to write down a typical article?.

Annually we calculate the typical time it takes to provide an article. After rising for nearly ten years, all of a sudden, entrepreneurs are spending much less time on every bit on common.

After we separate the respondents who use and don’t use AI, the affect is much more seen. For content material manufacturing, the information exhibits that AI instruments are making a roughly 10% effectivity acquire. Take into account, this isn’t an enormous dataset. We’ll share our methodology within the full report.

AI can drive efficiency …when used for some issues.

The velocity and effectivity information are fascinating. However the aim of selling isn’t to make plenty of stuff quick. It’s to make an affect on enterprise outcomes. For those who’re 10% sooner at non-performant content material, effectivity isn’t your drawback.

One of many survey questions is about advertising outcomes. Respondents can reply in 4 methods. Their content material delivers “robust outcomes,” “some outcomes,” “disappointing outcomes,” or “I don’t know.” In fact, the definition of outcomes could differ extensively throughout content material creators. We’ll handle this with information within the ultimate report.

20% of respondents report “robust outcomes.” That’s our benchmark. After we test the correlations between that benchmark and the varied makes use of of AI, we uncover which approaches correlate with advertising efficiency.

Three approaches to AI fall beneath the benchmark. The primary and most blatant is that entrepreneurs who don’t use AI are the least prone to report robust outcomes. They could rethink.

The second is using AI to write down full drafts. Entrepreneurs who use AI to write down all the pieces are much less prone to report “robust outcomes” than the standard advertising. Apparently, content material at scale isn’t what drives the perfect outcomes. Entrepreneurs who prioritize velocity are getting effectivity at the price of efficiency.

We’ll shut with an unforgettable quote from Sonia Simone, “Don’t take quick cuts. They take too lengthy.”

Preserve an eye fixed out for the ultimate report. Within the meantime, when you haven’t but, please take two minutes to complete the survey. We’ll replace all the information after the information assortment is full.