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As content creation and marketing continue to evolve, AI writing tools are becoming increasingly popular. These tools can help writers save time and improve the quality of their work.
But most people don’t know what makes a good AI writing tool. Forget all the marketing, a lot of them are way below average.
Some will give you good content but may be very bad when it comes to SEO. You need a writing tool that has 90% of the capabilities you would look for in a human writer.
A tool that won’t leave you with too much work to do after the first draft is produced.
An AI writing tool should be fairly easy to use with a user-friendly interface. It should also be able to carry out thorough research with real-time access to the web. The ability to create both short-form and long-form content is also important. And lastly, it should be affordable.
To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of six key features to look out for in an AI writing tool.
And if you don’t want to get into all the details and stuff, we have a carefully curated list of the best AI writing tools for you to choose from. You can simply pick one from there.
Table of Contents:
Flexibility
When it comes to choosing an AI writing tool, flexibility is an essential feature to look out for.
A flexible AI writer will allow you to customize the software to meet your specific needs and preferences.
I can’t say this enough, you should be careful with one-click AI writing solutions and bulk content generators. You’ll mostly produce crappy content.
I know this because I have used a few AI tools of my own.
Here are some of the aspects of flexibility you should consider:
Custom AI Model
A good AI writing tool should have the ability to create custom AI models. This feature allows you to train the tool to recognize your writing style and preferences, making it easier to generate content that matches your tone and style.
With a custom AI model, you can also improve the accuracy and relevance of the content you create with the tool.
One AI writer you can properly fine-tune is Content at Scale. It gives you the freedom to instruct the AI and save them for future use.
Versatility
A versatile AI writing tool should be one that can be used for a wide range of writing tasks.
Whether you’re creating blog posts, social media content, or product descriptions, a versatile tool should be able to handle all of your needs.
Look for a tool that can generate different types of content, including long-form articles, short-form content, and headlines.
For example, KoalaWriter comes with a content writer and a chat tool powered by GPT-4, with real-time access to the web.
So when I need to chat with an AI for content, I can do it inside the system without having to move over to OpenAI’s ChatGPT for that interaction.
User-Friendly Interface
A user-friendly interface is essential for any software tool, including AI writing tools.
Look for a tool that has an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate and understand.
A good interface should allow you to customize the settings, access the features you need quickly, and provide clear instructions on how to use the tool.
Even better, you should be able to save your settings and be able to access them in the future.
Content Types
When it comes to AI writing tools, it is important to consider the different types of content that you will be creating.
This decision will be heavily influenced by your job description and what you’ll be doing with the tool.
If you’re into ads, you’ll want to pick a tool that can write ad copies for a business.
And if you’re a blogger, you want a tool that can produce long-form, short-form content for social media and email newsletters, and probably images too.
However, if you know the basics of your job, you can always prompt any AI tool to give you the kind of content you want even when it sometimes wasn’t built specifically for that.
For example, ChatGPT is not very well known for any specific content type. But skilled writers are using it to produce the kind of content they want by prompting the tool the right way.
Let’s talk about major content features a good AI writing tool should be able to offer.
Content Types
Does the AI writer come with enough content types? I’m talking about regular blog posts, Amazon reviews, YouTube-to-video content, etc.
One of the most common types of content that businesses create is blog posts.
An AI writing tool with a blog post generator should be able to help you create high-quality, SEO-friendly blog posts quickly and easily.
Look for a tool that can generate long-form content as well as short-form content so you can create blog posts of varying lengths.
Long-Form Content
Long-form content is becoming increasingly popular as businesses try to provide more value to their audience.
An AI writing tool that can generate good long-form content such as whitepapers, ebooks, and reports can be a valuable asset.
Look for a tool that can create high-quality content that is well-researched and informative.
And do well to review the content to make sure it’s good. Most tools out there will dump all kinds of crappy content, especially if it’s long-form.
The worst kind of tools for long-form content are those using older GPT models like GPT 3.5. Go for tools with newer GPT models like GPT 4 Turbo, with real-time access to the web.
Short-Form Content
Short-form content such as social media posts, emails, ad copies, and meta descriptions are also important for businesses.
An AI writing tool that can generate short-form content quickly and easily will save you time and effort.
Outline Editor
One of the key features to look out for in an AI writing tool is an Outline Editor. I can’t stress this well enough.
Being able to see and improve your outline means you will have little to work on when the draft comes out. A one-click content generator from a keyword will produce junk.
An outline editor allows you to create an organized and structured outline for your writing, which is essential for effective planning and content production.
With an Outline Editor, you can easily create templates for your writing projects, which can save you time and effort in the long run.
You can also use the editor to plan out your writing process, breaking down your content into smaller, more manageable pieces.
The editor also allows you to create documents with clear and concise paragraphs, ensuring that your writing is easy to read and understand.
When the outline is well arranged it creates a flow for the article, which makes it easier to read and flow with.
This is particularly important when it comes to clarity, as an unclear or confusing outline can lead to a poorly written document.
Language Model (and GPT Versions) Available
One other key feature to consider is the language model a writing tool is using and the versions of GPT it offers.
Generative AIs run on Large language models (LLMs). These language models are trained on a vast amount of data which the AI needs to generate useful output.
Examples of LLMs are GPT used by OpenAI tools like ChatGPT, and PaLM which is used by Google’s Gemini. But GPTs seem to be more popular thanks to OpenAI.
GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, which is a type of neural network used in natural language processing and machine learning algorithms.
The most popular GPT version currently available is GPT-3, which has been praised for its ability to generate human-like text.
However, newer versions such as GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, are already out and they offer even more advanced capabilities.
These models create content with higher quality and originality. So if you’re worried about producing low-quality and largely plagiarized content, stay away from outdated GPTs like GPT 3 and 3.5.
Some AI writers will give you several GPT versions to choose from which is a good thing. But you must realize that most AI tools only open their latest language models to premium or Advanced users.
If you’re on a regular plan, you’re likely to incur more costs if you choose a high-end language model.
Try not to give important work to inferior language models. To get the best out of your AI tools, consider purchasing a premium plan.
But some AI writers may offer the ability to fine-tune their language models to better suit your specific needs.
In the end, do well to choose an AI writer that offers a language model that is well-suited to your specific needs.
Real-Time Research
One of the key features to look out for in an AI writing tool is real-time research.
This feature allows you to conduct research within the tool itself, without having to switch between different applications.
With real-time research, you can quickly find relevant information and incorporate it into your writing, saving you time and effort.
When considering an AI writing tool with real-time research capabilities, it is important to ensure that the tool is reliable and accurate.
Real-time research does not always ensure accurate information.
You want to be able to trust the information you are getting, as it will be the foundation of your writing.
Look for tools that have a high predictive performance score, indicating that their algorithms are effective at predicting relevant information.
But well, you still need to review and fact-check because, like I said, real-time research does not always ensure accurate information.
In addition to reliability and accuracy, data security is also a crucial factor to consider when using an AI writing tool with real-time research.
Ensure that the tool you choose has robust data security measures in place to protect your research and writing from unauthorized access or theft.
Point of View (POV) and Tone of Voice
When it comes to AI writing tools, it is important to consider the point of view and tone of voice that the tool is capable of producing.
- The point of view refers to the perspective that the writing takes, whether it is first person (I, me, we), second person (you, your), or third person (she, he, they, it).
- The tone of voice refers to the attitude or emotion conveyed through the writing, whether it is serious, playful, humorous, etc, or something in between.
When choosing an AI writing tool, consider the specific needs of your brand and target audience.
If your brand has a specific tone or voice that you want to maintain, make sure that the tool is capable of producing that tone consistently.
Additionally, consider the audience that you are writing for and make sure that the tone and point of view are appropriate for them.
Signing Out
AI writing tools can be particularly useful for content creators who need to produce a large amount of content quickly.
However, it is important to remember that the tool is only as good as the input that it receives.
Make sure that you provide clear instructions and guidelines for the tool to follow to ensure that the output is accurate and engaging.
Of course, the ability to prompt or instruct the tool to taste depends on its flexibility and the collection of features at your disposal.
With the right tool and input, AI writing can be a powerful tool for content creators looking to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.
Recommended Post: Top 5 AI Writing Tools for Bloggers.
