ChatGPT and AI Content Editing

AI writing programs have been marketed as a sort of lifesaver for busy content creators and small business owners. Having software at your fingertips that can help you save time and hours of brainstorming sounds like a dream come true. And it is, for the most part, especially with the right AI Content Editing tools.

AI programs can assist creators with a myriad of tasks, including topic generation, SEO, outlining, planning strategies, and writing informative content. However, assuming that you can generate and publish a piece of writing without performing any AI content editing will likely end in disaster. 

Sure, a program can generate content for you, but it lacks a human touch and while it has access to A LOT of information, mistakes can be (and often are) made. 

To successfully use ChatGPT’s AI for content creation, editing is a must. 

If you’re thinking about using ChatGPT, another AI program, or a combination of programs to generate your content, keep reading to discover the best way to approach the AI content editing process. 

This guide will explain the basics of AI-produced writing, qualities that AI writing may lack, the strengths and weaknesses of various AI programs, how to edit AI writing one step at a time, special editing focuses (SEO and conversion), adding a human element to your writing, and tools you can use along the way.

Let’s get started. 

How Does ChatGPT’s AI Create Content?

Every AI program has its own unique functions and processes, but the basics of content creation through AI are pretty similar from one program to the next. 

When a user types a prompt into an AI’s textbox and selects a few settings (if applicable) to determine formats, styles, and writing complexity, they submit the request. From there, the AI program scours the internet, its own databases, and other resources it has access to in order to locate information that’s relevant to the prompt. It collects and interprets the information found to the best of its ability, then generates a piece of writing based on what it discovered.

If formatting and stylization are options, the program will attempt to arrange the content it wrote in a way that closely resembles the way it appears in other requests that match the parameters it’s asked to follow.

Stylization Examples

If a user asks for a summary of William Shakespeare’s play, The Twelfth Night, the AI will look for information about the play to highlight important events in the text, then organize them chronologically. 

If the user asks for the summary in APA format or wants the summary written at a certain grade level, the AI program will then arrange the summary it created by doing its best to imitate the guidelines of the formats it explored.

The result is usually a reasonably decent summary that at least resembles the parameters the user set.

How Does AI Writing Impact Quality?

Generally, AI is pretty effective at creating short pieces of content, like blog posts with a word count of 400 or less. In addition to the length of the content requested, there are several components of AI writing that affect the overall quality of the results generated. 

Writers tend to experience the same setbacks when editing AI-produced content.

Common AI Writing Setbacks

• Repetition: Depending on the topic and/or the length of the piece a writer requests, the results provided by ChatGPT might contain sections that repeat earlier-mentioned points. While reiterating an important piece of the text is helpful in some cases, ChatGPT’s repetitions tend to be more meandering in nature.
• Flat Tone/Mood: As a machine, ChatGPT isn’t really able to insert human emotions into the text it produces. If you’re looking to publish a charming, comedic piece of work, it’s going to require including your own commentary during the AI content editing process to accomplish that task. 
• Inconsistent Quality: In some situations, content written by an AI program is pretty straightforward and easy to understand. However, some ChatGPT users have received content pieces that are either nonsensical, include incorrect information, or have sections that don’t flow well. One well-written piece doesn’t guarantee that the next request will have the same quality.
• Difficulty with Niche Topics: When writing content for niche industries and covering more obscure topics, ChatGPT might not get all of the facts straight, and may struggle to organize information in a way that’s easy to read. Issues that come up might include poor use of industry-specific terms or incorrect explanations of how key processes work.
• Disconnection from the Human Experience: As close as ChatGPT is to human intelligence, some of the characteristics of the program can’t match human thought. For example, the AI program might not be able to interpret reports the same way a person might, nor does it always use metaphors and analogies the way we do to make a point.

Overcome Setbacks with Human Intervention

AI programs can be very effective when it comes to collecting information and producing content, but the process requires meticulous care. By covering AI limitations that impact writing quality, writers and editors should be more equipped to take note of errors, mistakes, and elements that need human intervention. 

On the bright side, though, ChatGPT works quite well in terms of writing in a grammatically correct style. Spelling is usually accurate and most of the time, sentence structure within each passage is decent. 

AI Content Editing: ChatGPT vs Other Tools

ChatGPT has been making headlines lately, but this program isn’t the only one designed to help writers create content. When it comes to AI copyediting, each program has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, so depending on the content you’re creating, one AI tool might be more appropriate for your needs than another.

Let’s take a look at strengths and weaknesses to be aware of when you’re editing work written with ChatGPT, then we’ll compare our findings against five additional AI writing tools. The programs in this comparison include Copy.AI, Rytr, CopySmith, Jasper AI, and WriteSonic.

Strengths & Weaknesses of Each

In this section, we’ll briefly introduce each of the AI programs in the selection, cover their key features, and then explore a couple of strengths and weaknesses associated with each program. Hopefully by doing so, you’ll be able to make use of an AI program that’s most appropriate for the tasks you’re trying to complete.

CHATGPT

ChatGPT has proven useful when it comes to creating numerous types of content, from blog posts to simple product descriptions. The program is trained to mimic human communication styles and much of the time, it produces decent content. It’s not a perfect program, as long-form content will likely need editing and fact-checking, but overall it’s an easy program to use.

Ideal Use: Blogs, Topic Generation

This program serves a multitude of purposes, but it works best for short pieces of content, such as introductions, product descriptions, meta descriptions, headlines, and the like. The tool comes with a rephrasing option, outlining assistance, and a way to simplify more complex sentences.

Ideal Use: Copywriting

RYTR

Rytr is ideal for bloggers and marketing individuals who want to create pieces of content that closely fit the mood and tone they’ve built. There are several tone options to choose from and a wide array of written pieces that Rytr can create from templates. It checks grammar and formats sentences so that users can receive decently-written blog posts and other pieces of writing.

COPYSMITH

Copysmith comes with an array of features that can make various aspects of writing a breeze. The tool can pitch topics and other content ideas, but it shines more in the way it generates marketing content. Copysmith produces decent email copy, social media captions, ad content, product descriptions, outlines, and much more.

Ideal Use: e-Commerce

JASPER AI

You may remember what’s currently called Jasper AI as Jarvis AI, as the name of the program has recently changed. 

Users have found that this program is best suited for short blog posts, title tags, meta descriptions, and YouTube video descriptions. Jasper is also useful when it comes to choosing unique writing tones and styles, replacing words in a line of text, and assisting with SEO.

Ideal Use: Business & Marketing (in general)

WRITESONIC

This program is ideal for marketers and brand owners who want to create ad copy, landing pages, email drafts, and product descriptions. It includes conversion formulas, a grammar-correcting tool, SEO implementation, and easy ways to paraphrase or expand lines of content.

Ideal Use: SEO Assistance

How Much Needs to Be Done for AI Content Editing?

The amount of AI content editing you’ll need to perform can vary widely from one piece of writing to the next. It’s incredibly difficult to provide a general estimate without any supporting details, as so much of the need for editing depends on the unique elements of a piece. 

A few characteristics of your writing that might influence the degree of editing needed include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Length: Longer posts and articles will likely require more substantial editing than shorter pieces of writing.
• Subject: Writing that covers complicated subject matter can be harder for an AI program to describe in ways that make sense. Additionally, niche topics or those that are highly technical might lack the industry focus you want in a piece of writing.
• Writing Style: If you write your content in a specific style, such as adding humor or explaining points with examples, you might need to revise the more emotionless, wooden tone the AI program uses.
• Reading Level: Depending upon the circumstances, AI programs may write content that is either too advanced or too simplistic for your audience. You may need to make adjustments so that your piece fits your standard level.
• Timeline: AI bots might have limited information about current events, so if you’re covering recent news, you’ll need to fact-check extensively.
• Accurate Information: Whether you’re stating facts or citing sources, double-checking is essential because AI programs make mistakes in this department. 

Step-by-Step AI-Written Content Editing

Now that you have a basic idea of what to look for during AI content editing, here is a step-by-step guide that will walk you through exactly how to proofread, edit, and revise your content so that what you end up publishing will meet your quality expectations.

As mentioned above, longer and more complex pieces of writing are going to take you significantly longer to edit than shorter and simpler blog posts. Set some time aside to dedicate your attention to the AI content editing process and avoid rushing through it.

Try This Content Editing Process

1. Read the content.
   Read through the original article or piece of content the AI produced and think about how it sounds in your head.
   
   (If you feel like you can multitask without getting distracted, feel free to combine Step 1 and Step 2. Otherwise, avoid focusing on any points during your first read-through.)
   
2. Highlight facts or possible errors.
   Go over the piece again and highlight the facts your post or article claims. This may include specific dates, locations, or numbers.
   
3. Mark strange sentences or phrases that don’t flow as well as you’d like.
   While you’re reading, mark any sentences, passages, or phrases that don’t sound right when you read them to yourself. You don’t have to be aware of exactly what’s wrong with the selected text, just make a note of it sounding unnatural in general.
   
4. Run your piece of writing through a grammar-checking tool (Grammarly works pretty well for this step).
   Copy/paste your article or blog post into a reputable grammar checker to determine whether the AI program made any grammatical mistakes. This check might also help you discover the source of the flow issues you marked in the previous step.
   
   Correct all of the grammatical issues before moving on.
   
5. Use the text-to-speech function to listen to the way the writing sounds out loud.
   Now that you have a piece of writing that appears to be more grammatically sound, copy/paste it into a text-to-speech tool and listen to the post or article out loud. Grammar checkers are helpful when it comes to correcting concrete mistakes, but hearing the piece read aloud makes it easier to notice repetitive content, jarring phrases, or points that need more context.
   
6. Check highlighted text.
   Fact-check all of the highlighted sections of text to make sure your final draft contains accurate information. Use reputable sources and correct any errors you discover.
   
7. Perform your own stylistic edits.
   Read through the article again and make changes that reflect your writing style. You might choose to use vocabulary that’s simpler or more complex than the original. You might decide to break up your paragraphs, add headings/subheadings, form numbered or bulleted lists, add humor and emotion, and insert words and phrases you commonly use.
   
8. Run the piece through a plagiarism checker.
   When you have a decent draft edited, use a plagiarism checker to make sure the AI didn’t pull the content word-for-word from another source. If the checker finds a piece of content that’s too similar, you’ll need to go back and edit again.
   
9. Reread.

Read the new draft of your blog post or article, and if you like the way it sounds, you may have edited the content enough to publish it on your website.

A Quick Note on Style

We’ll cover how you can add a more human element to pieces of writing in a later section. Rest assured that if your content seems a little too “wooden,” even after editing, there are AI copyediting techniques you can use to correct this issue.

Examples of Edited vs Unedited Text

As mentioned, some of the steps you’ll take during the ChatGPT content editing process depend on your individual writing style. You want your written content to match the tone, style, and reading level that your readers are accustomed to seeing when they visit your website. 

Let’s take a look at how an edited piece of writing might differ from an article that you’d post directly after ChatGPT produces it for you. 

In this example, ChatGPT produced an article that, based on the prompt, was supposed to be an explanation of the False Vacuum Theory written at roughly an 8th-grade reading level. 

Here’s the original, unedited text.

1.	2.
3.	4.

While this post looks okay as it is, you can make use of several editing strategies to transform the content from what it looks like now to something that reflects the quality you ascribe to.

For example, according to the Hemingway Editor, this post is written at a 10th-grade reading level. If that’s true, and you usually write at an 8th-grade level, part of the AI content editing process will involve simplifying the text. 

Breaking the post into more manageable sections is also a good idea if you want to improve readability. 

From there, you could add keywords, change passages to make them more comprehensive, and rearrange the points covered for a more practical flow. 

Here’s an example of what an edited form of this article might look like.

False Vacuum Theory: The Catastrophic End of the Universe When thinking about the wonders of the universe, the idea that it’ll one day disappear hardly ever comes up. Our cosmos is huge and compared to the human lifespan, it seems neverending. Like everything, our universe will one day cease to be. Considering the possibility, scientists have made several predictions about how it might happen. One of these predictions is called the False Vacuum Theory, which suggests that the universe could meet a sudden, violent end. What is False Vacuum Theory? According to this theory, our universe exists in a “false vacuum,” like a balloon that could pop at any second. The root of the False Vacuum Theory comes from the idea that energy fields make up the universe’s mass. Each field exists at different energy levels, with the lowest state being the most stable. Theorists claim that the false vacuum we live in exists on a higher energy level than where it should be. Because of this, our universe is always in a state of instability. We’re sitting on an “energy hill” of sorts, waiting for enough energy to push us over the edge. If that happened, the cosmos would expand at (nearly) the speed of light. As a result, it would tear apart the fabric of space, time, and matter. Why would that happen, though? Universal Expansion Made Simple Let’s assume the top of the hill has the same atmospheric pressure as ordinary land on Earth. Let’s also assume that the bottom of the hill has the same pressure as outer space. If the balloon was inflated on land, then pushed down the hill, the change in pressure would cause it to expand. When it couldn’t expand any further, it would explode, releasing a wave of the energy built up inside. But is this possible? The Probability of False Vacuum Theory Sure, anything’s possible, but if we’re talking probability, you can heave a sigh of relief. The universe meeting such an end is unlikely, as it would take a MASSIVE energetic push to trigger this event. Fortunately, the chances of that happening during your lifetime are very, very slim. Still, like so many scientific theories, the False Vacuum Theory is fascinating. The point of it is to encourage thought, not scare you out of your wits. The universe we live in is a mysterious place, but the more we explore, the more we can learn about the possibilities in our cosmic future.

Quality Comparison

Comparing a few content parameters between the two versions of the text will help to point out the differences in readability that might not be obvious at a glance.

	ORIGINAL VERSION	EDITED VERSION
READABILITY Flesch SMOG Automated Flesch-Kincaid	54.2 10.2 10.4 10.8	61.1 8.1 8.1 8.7
GRADE LEVEL	10th to 11th Grade	8th to 9th Grade
WORD CONTENT Words  WPS Adverbs Passive Voice	452 20.55 9 5	416 15.41 3 2
PLAGIARISM	0%	0%

Tips and Tricks for AI Content Editing

One of the best ways to structure how you’re going to manage successful AI content editing is to know your audience before you start tweaking what’s in front of you. Sure, there are plenty of general editing guides to follow, but it’s important to determine which of these steps you actually need and which will be a detriment to your content type.

For example, some editing guides will advise you to condense your writing so that it’s a quick and concise read. That’s a great idea for some content writers, but if you’ve found that your audience typically engages more with longer blog posts than they do with short-form content, you’re free to skip that step. 

In general, simplifying sentences and paragraphs is advisable, but if your audience is on the well-read side of the literary scale, you don’t want to reduce your content to the point that it comes across as juvenile. 

Keeping your audience in mind is essential when you’re editing a piece of content, but so too is focusing on the overall goal of your publication.

Of course, you want members of your target audience to visit your page, read through your article or post, then continue to follow you so that they’ll eventually become your customer.

BUT, let’s also think about the motive behind writing and publishing your content. The most common motives for business publications are to educate, advise, or compel viewers. To do that, content creators need to be able to make their work as visible to their target audience as possible. 

This is where the two remaining motives come into play: Search Engine Optimization and Conversion.

Let’s explore how to edit AI content with these disciplines in mind.

How to Edit for SEO

Optimizing a piece of content for SEO is usually a pretty uniform process, whether you’re editing something an AI program wrote or an article drafted by someone inexperienced with SEO.

Some of the editing processes you’ll complete while following this guide are going to naturally boost your SEO. Here’s a checklist to follow in order to make sure you have all your bases covered.

• Perform grammar/spelling checks
• Break your content into manageable sections (use headings, subheadings, bullets, etc.)
• Check for keyword usage and make sure your keywords flow naturally
• Have clear, relevant title tags and meta descriptions (use keywords if you can)
•  Keep your paragraphs short (around 4 sentences, or under six lines)
• If you add photos, videos, or other media to the content, optimize that as well
• Link to more of your articles and posts within the text (where relevant)
• Keep your vocabulary at an appropriate level for your audience
• Make sure your article or post satisfies its intended purpose
• Have mobile-friendly pages
• Fact-check your content before you publish

How to Edit for Conversion

If there’s something you want your audience to do once they finish viewing a piece of content you created, conversion is another essential component of your AI content editing process. To guide each visitor along your sales funnel, you need to provide them with “steps” that encourage them to reach the finish line.

For effective conversion “steps,” consider these tips.

• Have a catchy (yet relevant) headline
• Write a compelling introduction so that visitors will want to read more
• Implement visual effects to help drive your points home (infographics, tutorial screenshots, audio, etc.)
• As with SEO editing, properly sectioning your content is a must.
• Summarize your article at the end
• Enter a CTA that tells readers what to do next

How to Identify Mistakes

AI programs are pretty fascinating in their capabilities, but they aren’t foolproof. During AI content editing, you may come across errors similar to those you’d find in human-produced writing. 

Look for some of these errors while you’re combing through your AI-produced blog or article:

• Typos: AI programs usually spell reasonably well, but the occasional typo might come up. Use a spelling checker to fix these errors.
• Wrong Word Forms: Occasionally, AI programs will use the wrong form of a word (past tense instead of present, for example) or use a homophone in place of the right word (too instead of two).
• Grammatical Errors: AI programs might have run-on sentences, or type out sentences that are short, choppy, or otherwise jarring to read.
• Omitted Words: To keep content nice and condensed, AI might omit words that can’t sensibly be omitted from a sentence.
• Improper Punctuation: AI can be a bit ridiculous when it comes to punctuating sentences, and the bot might suggest using completely unnecessary colons, semicolons, commas, and other symbols in your writing.
• Poorly-Structured Content: When reading your draft, make sure each paragraph supplements the one before it. AI can sometimes organize paragraphs and specific points in ways that don’t make sense (such as mentioning important vocabulary in Step 1 that isn’t explained at all until Step 3).

What to Look Out for

Determining whether you’re on the right track when you’re editing AI copy, make sure your post or article meets these guidelines.

• Adheres to your brand’s voice
  (Don’t forget to maintain your voice in the CTA)
• Provides something of value
  (by being engaging and informative)
• Aligns with your customer personas
• Shows sincerity and exhibits personal touches at every stage
  (supplement helpful images or infographics for better retention, add explanatory examples, connect with the reader through shared experiences)
• Maintains consistent professional (or casual) language
  (avoid flattening out or letting your content get “mushy” in the middle)
• Refers readers to other helpful resources
  (through relevant internal links)
• Final Draft Uniqueness
  (one that’s 0% plagiarized content)
• Organization & Flow
  (sections are organized in ways that make sense and flow well within the article)

If you’re consistently noting each of the above-mentioned points in your writing, you can feel confident that you’re actively improving the writing that your AI prompt produced. 

If you’re missing one or more of these points, don’t beat yourself up. This is just an easy check-in to perform in order to decide whether you need to go back to the drawing board on any given aspect of your work.

Adding a Human Element Through AI Content Editing

When you’ve gone through each step of the ChatGPT content editing process and you’re relatively satisfied with the draft you’ve created, you might want to add a bit more of your own personality into the text. 

An easy way to do this is to read your article one paragraph at a time, either to yourself or with the help of a text-to-speech tool. Stop after every paragraph and collect your thoughts about what you’ve just read. 

Did you comment on the paragraph internally? 

Do you think there’s a way to make the paragraph easier to understand?

Is there a way to make the passage more impactful?

Can you add an element of humor to any of the points?

Did you encounter any words that struck you as foreign or uncommon in your own vocabulary?

Take notes each time you finish reading a paragraph and think about what you can add to or take away from the section to improve its overall quality. 

You don’t have to alter every paragraph, so if you like the way it sounds already, and it rings true to you as something your brand’s voice would express, keep it as-is.

Rephrase certain sentences or passages, add comments to support a weak point, insert a joke, or reference another piece of media. Each of these options can help you make your post sound like something you would actually say in writing. 

When you’ve completed your paragraph-by-paragraph review, read your article again to see how you feel about the changes you’ve made. If your post or article sounds more human, you’ve done a fine job of editing your content.

Tools to Simplify Your Editing

Obviously, AI content editing seems like a daunting process to undertake, and at first, it’s very challenging. When you start getting used to ChatGPT content editing, though, it becomes easier over time. 

Depending on the details in your article or post, you might not need to complete every step in the list of editing guidelines. Follow the steps you need to ensure that you’re publishing a high-quality piece of content your audience will value. If that requires five steps out of the lot, you’ve saved yourself some time. If the AI content editing process requires you to complete all the steps before you’re satisfied, the final result is going to be well worth the time and effort you invested.

Here are a few tools you can use to make the AI content editing process a little easier.

• ProWritingAid – for sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation, and reading complexity
• Grammarly – for checking spelling and grammar
• Hemingway Editor – to simplify a piece of writing and enhance readability
• SEMrush or Ahref’s Keyword Tool – for SEO
• Dictionary – for definitions
• Thesaurus – for word variations
• Duplichecker – for plagiarism detection

Hopefully, this guide has provided you with the tools and resources you need to perform adequate AI content editing on your machine-generated writing. If you follow the steps above and keep an eye out for potential pitfalls, you’ll have everything you need to take a flat piece of AI-produced content and turn it into a high-quality post that truly reflects your values, style, and brand.

Feel overwhelmed with your AI content editing? It can be quite time-intensive to create a usable blog post using ChatGPT so you’re not alone. If you want to save time and work with more high-quality drafts for your blog, try Juno instead. This AI can generate 10 industry-specific topic ideas in seconds, and after just a few minutes, you’ll have 10 outlines, meta descriptions, and blog post drafts to edit as you will. Try Juno now, it’s free.

SOURCES

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-use-openai-chatgpt-text-generation-chatbot/

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/chatgpt-for-content-and-seo/473823/

https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/how-ai-could-revolutionise-the-writing-process-dd962287b46f#:~:text=AI%20writing%20tools%20are%20designed,journalism%2C%20marketing%2C%20and%20academia

https://medium.com/@bedigisure/free-ai-content-generator-11ef7cbb2aa0

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/Pros-and-cons-of-AI-generated-content#:~:text=AI%2Dgenerated%20content%20is%20copy,as%20keywords%2C%20phrases%20and%20topics

https://www.content-technologist.com/editing-ai-text-content/

https://neilpatel.com/blog/humanize-ai-content/

https://prowritingaid.com/art/1654/the-10-worst-editing-mistakes.aspx

https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2018/04/20/the-8-essential-elements-of-a-successful-blog-post/

https://buffer.com/resources/how-to-create-a-content-style-guide-to-improve-your-blogs-quality/

AI PROGRAM REVIEWS:

https://bloggingtips.com/listing/rytr/

https://www.kasareviews.com/jasper-ai-review-pros-cons/

https://www.everythingfreelance.com/review/contentbot-review/

https://bloggingtips.com/listing/writesonic/