Podcasts, AI and the future of authentic content

It's been impossible to miss the explosion of AI content creation tools in recent months. We've written about them on The Onlinification Hub, HubSpot has built them into its CMS platform, and you've probably tried them out for yourself. Already, we're entering a world where it's almost impossible to tell whether an AI or a human expert has created an article you're reading. I think this creates authenticity issues — and I think podcasts might be the answer.

When researching and consuming content about products or services I'm interested in purchasing, authenticity and authority are important for me. Ideally, the content should be built on extensive knowledge and personal experiences with the topics at hand. When clicking on a link in a page of search results, I want to get something I can't get anywhere else from someone who knows my needs and challenges.

The future of authentic content

With this in mind, if an article is mainly AI-generated by a tool that creates content using knowledge it has scraped from the internet, is it worthwhile for me to read it? Well, it can be. If the creator has a good knowledge of AI tools, has used smart prompts and received unique conclusions, the article may fulfil my goal of learning something new.

But if this is the case, why not cut out the middleman? More and more, I find myself going straight to a tool like ChatGPT to get information, rather than a company that has used the exact same tool to create an article. I'm sure I'm not the only one doing this — so how should businesses who have expert knowledge of their products, solutions and market reach me effectively?

Personally, I've noticed that I'm relying more and more on podcasts than articles when I want to learn about a specific topic. There are two reasons for this:

• First, it's an unfiltered medium where a conversation can cover so many different parts of a topic in a short period of time. While articles are great for an overview, a conversation between experts offers the possibility of deep diving. The twists and turns that happen in a discussion between two people would be hard to replicate in an article, but they offer great insights in an audio format.
• Secondly, it's highly personal. When I listen to an expert being interviewed in a podcast, I'm not just reading their edited words on a screen. I'm getting a feeling for their personality and a better understanding of their expertise. It builds a high level of trust, and in the context of a company podcast, it makes me see their company as a reliable expert partner that I feel more willing to do business with.

I predict there will be more demand for authenticity in knowledge content as more and more companies outsource their content creation to AIs. This isn't a criticism of tools like ChatGPT — I know from personal experience that when used properly, AI tools can improve content quality and the efficiency of the creation process. But AI-generated content often lacks the personal touch and real-life experiences that human authors carry with them. This is especially true if your company works in a relatively niche industry. If there's not already much knowledge online about the kind of products, services or solutions you work with, AI tools won't have the material they need to produce truly relevant, valuable and insightful content.

For that reason, involving your company's experts in your content operation and making their knowledge available to the world is still the way to go — ghostwriting is usually the best approach if they're not ready to start writing themselves.

Company podcasts create a personal connection

But as the demand for authenticity increases, podcasts should definitely become part of your content mix. By inviting your experts to share their thoughts and experiences in a conversational format, your audience can establish a deeper connection with them and your business. And you'll be giving your listeners a source of knowledge and insights that they can't get from an AI content creation tool.

While AI-generated content may have its place in content creation, it's important to remember that nothing can replace the authenticity and personal touch that comes from human interaction — and podcasts are the perfect medium to make it available to your prospective and existing customers.

Do you want to try podcasting for yourself?

In my experience, many companies want to jump on the podcast train, but they're unsure where to start. That's understandable — finding the right equipment, learning how to edit audio and coming up with relevant episode topics can be tricky. And not everyone is comfortable sitting behind a microphone! We've published plenty of insights recently, from articles about choosing the best-value equipment and becoming a great podcast host, to an on-demand webinar explaining how podcasting can accelerate your overall content production efforts.

You can find all our podcasting-related content here, but if you need a hand to get started, you can take a look at our podcasting packages. They offer two different approaches, but both will help you get your company's podcast off the ground and turn it into a source of high-quality, authentic knowledge content that will create trust and drive business. 

Take a look, and don't hesitate to book a meeting with my colleague Doug if you've got any questions about how to succeed with your podcast.