How to Preserve Authenticity in Your Social Media Strategy — Even When Leveraging AI

One of the main reasons we’re cautious adopters of AI is that AI-generated content often exhibits predictable patterns. When we come across social media posts directly copied from GPT, they tend to feel mechanical and lack authenticity, causing us to lose trust in the person or brand behind them.

We firmly believe that authenticity is crucial in every aspect of marketing your business. However, it becomes even more critical when fostering genuine connections and nurturing relationships on social media. After all, these platforms thrive on human interaction, and anything that feels robotic or impersonal can erode trust and engagement.

By avoiding over-reliance on AI and focusing on adding a personal touch, you can maintain credibility and resonate more effectively with your audience.

How AI Can Elevate Your Social Media Game

AI is here to stay. ChatGPT alone facilitates millions of conversations every day. Additionally, the vast majority of marketers responding to our 2025 Marketing Trends Survey report that AI significantly impacts their work, with nearly 80% recognizing its influence. With this in mind, there’s a good chance you’re already using AI and feeling optimistic about job security. Just 18% of marketers expressed concerns that AI might take over most marketing responsibilities.

The rest feel confident that AI will either eliminate repetitive tasks or act as a partner, making marketing more efficient. The key phrase here? “More efficient.” Notice, we didn’t say “a total replacement.”

That’s because generative AI has specific, recognizable traits. Some of them?

• Parallel construction sentence structure — “not only…but also.”
• Excessive use of emojis —♥️ ✅
• Generic openings — “In today’s fast-paced world…”

There are more, and we’re not using this as an example of why you shouldn’t use generative AI. Humans sometimes rely on those same patterns, which is precisely why ChatGPT does, too. Instead, we want to emphasize that if all your social media content appears AI-generated or clearly lacks a human touch, it can seem inauthentic and may undermine your audience’s trust.

1. Craft Detailed AI Prompts

You’ve probably heard the saying “garbage in, garbage out.” This principle applies to AI as well. It isn’t a mind reader — at least not yet. That means it can only work with the information you provide about what you’re trying to create, making it crucial to invest time in designing your prompts.

“As you construct the prompt, ensure you put enough effort into the description. We like to specify who we are, who the client is, the tone to use, and an overview of what we’re aiming for. Where possible, it’s helpful to include an example. Once you’ve done that, you’ve given AI enough information to generate a draft for the first version, which you can then refine,” advises a ghostwriter specializing in thought leadership consulting.

Pro tip: Don’t hesitate to provide feedback and refine the output until it meets your expectations.

2. Request Multiple Variations

In our experience, AI rarely captures the sentiment perfectly on the first try. So we often ask for 3-4 variations of whatever we’re using it to create, particularly when it comes to emails and social media copy. The subtle differences help us get closer to the desired result. Plus, it gives us phrasing options to choose from.

3. Establish Guidelines or Custom GPTs for Different Types of Content

We’re quietly obsessed with creating different custom GPTs. We’ve set up a few types — true custom GPTs and what we call “GPT memories.” If you find yourself creating a lot of a specific type of content, which involves complex instructions, it’s worth training a custom AI tool.

4. Share Your Personal Experiences

Your stories and perspective make you stand out. There’s nothing more authentic than sharing what’s currently happening in your business. Use AI to shape your stories or repurpose your content — but keep it rooted in reality. Even pairing an AI-generated social media caption with a candid photo can make it feel more relatable.

5. Break It Down Prompt by Prompt

One of our favorite insights from a recent AI + SEO webinar with Neil Patel was to avoid doing everything in one step. Instead of asking AI to write a full social caption, carousel, and CTA in one prompt, break it into smaller parts.

Ask it to do A. Then ask it to take A and do B. Then add C. You’ll achieve better results — and maintain more control.

Anecdotally, we’ve found this approach effective as well, so it was validating to hear it confirmed. By feeding information piece by piece, AI can build a foundation for the task and perform far more effectively than cramming everything into one prompt.

6. Provide AI with a Transcript of Your Thoughts

Want to ensure your social media content feels genuine? Tell your AI chatbot exactly what you want to express or be recognized for.

Use tools like Loom, Otter.ai, or even the voice feature in Google Docs to articulate your thoughts on any given topic, and then feed that transcript into the generative AI tool with a prompt to map out some social posts.

We’ve found it helpful to ask for ideas first and then flesh those out into structured posts.

7. Leverage AI for Social Listening

AI isn’t just about generating new content; it’s also valuable for staying informed about what’s happening in your industry. A copywriter and messaging strategist for architects shares, “One of my favorite ways to use AI for social media is leveraging tools like Gumloop to ‘listen in’ on discussions and identify topics to share on social media. From there, it can either draft posts for me to edit or simply provide a list of ideas.”

8. Incorporate Human Oversight into Every Post

“AI can’t replicate human tone. That’s why it often gets tone wrong. Tone is fundamentally the communication of emotion. And emotion is (for now) a uniquely human concept,” say editors, brand voice specialists, and even founders.

While this relates in part to the telltale signs of AI mentioned earlier, it goes deeper. If you think of AI as the average of all things said on the internet, it makes sense that AI-generated content lacks personality and everything that makes content engaging.

Hill agrees. “As brands realize that AI is just a hollow shell of emojis attempting to replicate tone, they’re reaching out for human assistance. Companies that have never considered brand voice before (or, heaven forbid, dismissed it as unnecessary) now look at AI copy and recognize that the tone is off.”

The solution, then, is to use AI as much as you’d like — just don’t publish its output without review.

When to Avoid Using AI

Few industry professionals follow a rule that goes like this: “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” While this principle is often applied in an accounting context — as it’s their area of expertise — we’ve found it applies to many other areas, including AI.

Even if AI is capable of performing a task, it doesn’t always mean it’s the right choice. Here are a few scenarios where it’s best to leave AI on the sidelines.

The Comments Section or DMs

It’s tempting to click on LinkedIn’s AI-generated prompts when crafting a comment — we understand. However, in our experience, AI comments tend to do one of two things:

• Summarize the post.
• Highlight one aspect of the post.

What do these approaches have in common? Neither adds meaningful value, and both feel impersonal. The most impactful comments — the ones people actually notice — contribute to the discussion and share personal experiences, just as you’d expect in any real-life conversation.

The same applies to direct messages (DMs). Some individuals we know have started adding periods to their LinkedIn profile names to easily spot bot-generated messages.

Original Thought Leadership

Thought leadership, at its core, reflects your unique thoughts and perspectives shaped by your lived experiences. By definition, AI lacks this — it’s artificial. It can analyze patterns, mimic tone, and organize ideas, but doesn’t possess the depth of knowledge that you bring to the table.

Sure, use AI to expand an outline or refine talking points — but only after you’ve added your insights.

Copy-and-Paste Scenarios

Don’t plug a post into GPT, copy it word-for-word, and hit publish. This approach often results in content that feels generic and strips away the energy of your voice.
Fiona O’Carroll, director of digital marketing at Xenon Arc, shares, “I use ChatGPT to generate a draft before transferring it into another tool — Hemingway — to help make it sound less like AI.”

From there, she analyzes the text, identifies areas that need strengthening or simplification, and ensures it carries her personal touch.

We also recommend tools like Originality.AI to pinpoint specific passages that may require additional refinement to sound less robotic and more human. That said, it’s important to interpret these outputs with caution. Sometimes AI can mimic human-like language, especially with drier, more technical content.

When Sharing Personal Stories

Experts say, “AI is a machine that holds all the knowledge in the world but none of the wisdom that makes a human, well, human. AI doesn’t have the capacity to feel. It lacks the ability to create, hold, or evoke emotions, and it certainly can’t empathize.”

While AI can help polish or structure your stories, relying on it too heavily risks stripping away what makes the story uniquely yours. Your voice — complete with its quirks, edges, and energy — is what truly resonates with your audience.

When Precision in Messaging Is Crucial

There are certain areas where AI simply isn’t worth the risk. Avoid using it for:

• Crisis communications.
• Brand messaging that has been client-approved or is legally sensitive.
• Content requiring cultural nuance.
• Legal, financial, or health-related claims.

In these situations, human judgment is essential. Always prioritize it.

Being Transparent About Your Use of AI

If you’re incorporating AI into your content creation process, disclose it. Do you need to mention it for every single social media post? Not necessarily. However, if you’re creating content for others, transparency becomes non-negotiable.

Sure, it’s about ethics and doing the right thing. But it’s also about trust. If you’re a personal brand, the expectations aren’t as strict, but if questioned, always respond honestly.

On the other hand, if you’re an agency or producing content on behalf of clients, it’s wise to include in your contracts whether and when you use AI, the extent of human oversight and editing involved, and the specific tools being utilized.

Note: This isn’t legal advice, so consult an attorney to determine best practices.

Whatever approach you take, don’t fake it. At this point, most clients expect — or even encourage — the use of AI. The real issue lies in being truthful about it.

The Secret Ingredient is “You”

If you’ve ever attended one of our workshops, you’ve probably heard us say, “Your secret ingredient isn’t your methodology or mechanics. It’s YOU.”

The truth is, any step-by-step process can likely be learned on YouTube or by asking AI. While we can break down how to execute a task, we can’t teach others how to think or replicate the wiring of our neurons.

What we mean is that your secret ingredient is the culmination of all your lived experiences that shape your unique approach. And that’s the part AI tools simply can’t replicate.

As mentioned earlier, ChatGPT, Claude, Jasper, or any AI tool you prefer doesn’t know what makes you tick. It lacks knowledge of your voice, your story, or the way you perceive the world. That’s what makes your content valuable.

So, by all means, leverage AI to its fullest. Brainstorm with it. Build with it. Accelerate processes with it.

Just remember: You’re the element that gives it meaning.