Editing AI Like a Pro (Or: Making It Sound Like You Wrote It)

Here’s how most AI-assisted content goes:
Step 1: Type a prompt.
Step 2: Get a decent draft.
Step 3: Copy. Paste. Publish.
Step 4: Wonder why it’s not landing. 

AI can give you a starting point. But if your editing process ends at spellcheck, you’re not using the tool, you’re letting it lead.

The difference between “this sounds like ChatGPT” and “this sounds like us” is not in the prompt. It’s in post-production. It’s in the decision-making. It’s in the care.

Because great writing doesn’t come from the first draft. Not when it’s written by a person. Definitely not when it’s written by a model. It comes from what happens next.

If you want to use AI to support your content without making it sound like everyone else’s, start here.

Read it out loud.
It’ll feel awkward, and that’s the point. AI writing has a rhythm. Smooth in a way that isn’t human. Like it read too many HR manuals and decided that was the standard. You’ll hear it. The repeated sentence structures. The transitions that don’t go anywhere. The parts you’d never say out loud. If you stumble, flag it. If you get bored, cut it.

Watch for the filler.
AI loves summary lines. “This is why X matters.” “Therefore, businesses should Y.” These feel conclusive, but they don’t add anything. They just pad the paragraph. Strip them out unless they land with weight. End with insight, not explanation.

Replace the default phrases.
You know them. “Ever-evolving landscape.” “Unlock potential.” “Streamline your operations.” These are marketing Mad Libs. Swap them for your own language. Shorter. Punchier. Realer. Better yet, use metaphors. Use something that makes the paragraph yours.

Sharpen the opening.
Cut the wind-up. Don’t start with an explanation of what the post is about. Start with the question. The tension. The opinion. Same with the ending. Don’t just echo the intro. Leave the reader with something clear to think about or a reason to keep reading.

Add something only you could write.
A real story. A personal example. A weird turn of phrase. A reference your audience knows. Even a half-line can turn a flat section into a keeper. If your content feels forgettable, it’s usually missing this.

And fix the shape.
AI content still mimics 2015 blog structure. Long blocks. Formal headings. Filler intros. Break it up. Cut the paragraphs. Add white space. Structure for scanning, not scrolling.

The Tools Are Here. The Taste Still Matters

If you’re using AI regularly, build a swipe file. Save your best lines. Save the posts that feel like you. Create a little reference folder for the tone, rhythm, and voice that’s truly yours. When you edit AI content, use that file. When you prompt, point the tool to examples that hit the mark.

Editing isn’t the clean-up step. It’s the craft step.

AI doesn’t make the content good. It just gives you something to work with. What makes it good is how it’s shaped. What you cut. What you add. How you show up.

Because when you edit with intention, nobody cares how the content started. They care how it landed. And for the love of all things, take out the em dashes.