AI Content That Clicks: Why Most of Yours Sucks (And How to Fix It)

You tell yourself you’re going to write something brilliant. Instead, it’s midnight, you’ve got six tabs open, and you’re typing: “write me a LinkedIn post about visibility and authenticity” into ChatGPT like it’s your therapist.

Ten seconds later, you've got a perfectly polite, completely forgettable post that sounds like it was written by a very polite ghostwriter with a marketing degree and zero serotonin.

You post it anyway. It flops. You blame the algorithm. But deep down… you know the problem.

Here's the truth: most AI-generated content sucks. Not because AI is bad, but because the way we use it is lazy, flat, and completely divorced from what actually makes content click. It’s not just boring. It’s invisible.

If you’re wondering why your AI posts aren’t getting engagement, shares, or leads, this is your quiet intervention.

Editorial AI-generated image of a founder seated atop a surreal beast made from fragmented digital content. A visual metaphor for taming chaotic AI workflows into strategic content.

What most people get wrong

The problem isn’t the tool. It’s the thinking behind it.

Most people use AI the way they used Canva in 2017, as a shortcut, not a system. They expect one-click outputs to replace strategy, insight, and taste. And the result? A flood of content that sounds the same, says nothing new, and blends into the scroll.

According to a 2024 Semrush study, over 84% of marketers admitted they couldn’t tell their own AI content apart from competitors’. That’s not a flex, that’s a crisis.

Your audience can feel it too. AI content often lacks what we call empathy signals, phrasing, references, and rhythms that signal “a real human who gets me wrote this”. Without those signals, it doesn’t matter how technically perfect the sentence is. It feels off. Generic. Replaceable.

The Real Story (backed by data)

Here’s what the data, and the dopamine, say about content that actually performs:

Content with a strong point of view outperforms neutral content by 3.4x in engagement metrics. [Foundation Inc, 2023]

Posts written with emotionally resonant language (think: founder struggles, “I felt this”, or spicy takes) generate 58% higher save rates on Instagram. [Later.com, 2024]

LinkedIn's algorithm now prioritises 'meaningful comments over likes', pushing content that sparks opinions, debates, or actual thinking. [LinkedIn Engineering Blog]

Meanwhile, generic AI content tends to:

• Use passive voice

• Default to vague clichés

• Avoid making bold claims

• Flatten tone to “blog post in a suit” energy

In other words, it does the exact opposite of what high-performing content needs to do in 2025.

The Smart Play (how to make AI content that actually works)

At The Content Geeks, we don’t treat AI like a copywriter.We treat it like a content lab assistant, good at the grunt work, great at remixing, but not allowed to run the show.

Here’s the mindset shift: AI shouldn’t write your content. It should help you sharpen it.

Here’s how we do that:

1. Feed it something better

Garbage in, garbage out. Instead of giving AI vague prompts (“write me a post about visibility”), give it real assets: your voice notes, old DMs, spicier Slack takes. Let it help you shape, not start from scratch.

2. Use AI to draft and your brain to disrupt

We often run “Version 1” in ChatGPT… then rip it apart. We punch up the metaphors, sharpen the hook, and cut every sentence that sounds like it belongs in a pitch deck.

AI is great at structure. You’re great at substance.

3. Inject specificity

Always add:

• Personal context

• Contrarian takes

• Hyper-relevant examples

• Founder-first voice

The content that sticks is the content that could only come from you.

Quick Wins: how to make your AI content stop sucking

If you’re already using AI to draft your posts, captions, or carousels, great. You’re halfway there. But the leap from “decent filler” to “content people remember” comes down to how you prompt, shape, and sanity check the output.

Here’s how to upgrade your process fast:

Use this prompt instead (we tested 17 versions — this one wins):

“Take this rough draft and rewrite it like a founder who’s smart, a bit spicy, sick of vague advice, and deeply obsessed with making content that actually works. Keep it human. Make it punchy. Add some wit. I want it to sound like a clever business bestie, not a LinkedIn bro or AI bot. Avoid clichés, don’t over-explain, and give me a line someone would screenshot and send to a friend”.

Now pair it with these tweaks:

• Before you prompt, brain dump. Don't start from nothing, paste in your actual voice notes, Slack rants, DMs, or unpopular opinions. That’s the gold AI can sharpen.

• Read it like a feed scroller, not a copywriter. If you wouldn’t stop to engage with this post at 11pm in bed, neither will your audience.

• Screenshot test. Highlight the one line you’d want someone to share in a story or drop into a group chat. That’s the line everything should orbit around.

• Add an unexpected reference. Think “content strategy is like dating on hard mode” or “AI is your sous chef, not the head chef”. That’s what makes your post sticky.

• Ask: does this sound like me… but better? If it feels like a stranger wearing your brand voice as a costume, you’re not done.

Founder to founder side note

If you’ve ever hit publish on an AI-written post and thought, “This doesn’t really sound like me, but whatever”, you’re not alone. We’ve worked with dozens of founders who felt the exact same way.

You don’t need to abandon AI. You just need to stop letting it do all the talking. The real flex is using AI to speed up execution, not flatten your edge. That’s where we come in.

If you’re ready for AI-powered content that actually sounds like you, we’ve got you.We mix founder voice, conversion psychology, and smart AI workflows to turn your ideas into content people actually want to read, save, and act on.

Send us your spiciest voice note. We’ll turn it into a scroll-stopping post, minus the cringe.

FAQ

Why doesn’t my AI-generated content perform?

Most AI content is too generic, too safe, or too vague. Without real insight, specificity, or emotion, it blends in with everything else and fails to connect.

How do I make AI content sound more human?

Inject your real voice. Start with personal inputs (voice notes, hot takes, real conversations), and treat AI like a co-editor, not the main writer.

Can AI content actually drive engagement and sales?

Yes, if it’s built with strategy, voice, and clarity. AI is a tool. The outcome depends on the thinking behind it.

What’s the best way to use ChatGPT for marketing content?

Use it for drafting, summarising, ideation, or rewriting, not replacing your point of view. Combine it with audience psychology and smart frameworks to get results.

A fashion editorial-style image of a strategist model pruning pastel content-vines in a surreal jungle made from digital marketing elements. Visual metaphor for thoughtful AI content curation and creative clarity. Styled as a luxury campaign shoot with conceptual art direction.