Too much content sounds the same. It blends into search results and AI answers like it was stamped from a factory. My view is simple: if your work could be written by a bot, it will be buried by one. That was the sharp message from Marketing Against the Grain, and they are right. In a world stuffed with copycat posts, only original, provable insight cuts through.
Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan did not rant about word counts or keywords. They drew a line between fluff and proof. Their case was clear: uniqueness now means evidence. It means firsthand detail that only you can supply. As a creator who has built media, brands, and crypto projects, I could not agree more.
The Case for Evidence Over Echo
Search and AI now reward information gain, not regurgitation. That means readers should learn something they cannot get from the top result. It also means you need a point of view that is hard to fake. The show put it this way:
“Commodity content is not going to rank you in Google, it’s not going to rank you in LLM’s… Non-commoditized, unique, original content is what’s going to get you traffic.”
They then offered a clean test for real content. I use a similar filter in my own work. If I can’t show receipts, I keep digging.
Here’s how they advise creators to raise the bar. These checks force you to trade filler for proof.
- Proprietary evidence: data, logs, tests, or user records you own.
- Firsthand experience: did you do the work or see it yourself?
- Specific over general: names, numbers, tools, timeframes.
- Clear point of view: what do you believe and why?
- Could ChatGPT write this solo? If yes, start over.
- Information gain: does the reader learn something new?
Run your next piece through that list. You will feel where the weak spots live.
The Running Shoe Story That Nails It
The example that hit home was from a running store. Years back, a “top 10 tips” post could win. Not now. AI can spit out those tips in seconds. What wins today is a post that only that store could write. They framed it like this:
“Why this customer’s shoes collapse after 400 miles, a wear pattern analysis. Jake brought his Brooks Ghost 15’s in at 402 miles… lateral foam on the right heel was compressed 4 mm deeper than the left… a signature of his forefoot strike.”
That short story carries weight. It has a name, a model, a mileage, a measurement, and a cause. It is human, specific, and useful. A model can guess. It cannot inspect Jake’s actual shoes. That is the edge.
Some will argue you can still scale general advice. You can. But you will fight on price and ad spend. The better route is to own proof. Ship fewer posts, each with undeniable facts. This is how you win trust, links, and shares that last.
My Playbook for Originality
I have grown online businesses by doing the work, then writing from the work. Here is how I translate their advice into action that any team can use.
Start with a real question. What are your customers stuck on this week? Pull support tickets, Slack threads, or Discord chats. That is your topic.
Collect receipts. Run a test. Film a teardown. Publish the data table. Screenshots beat slogans.
Name names and numbers. Quote dates, versions, models, and exact steps. Vagueness is the enemy.
Share a take. Say what you would do, and why. Readers respect a stand even if they debate it.
Package for humans and machines. Clear headings, short sentences, and obvious answers. Make it easy to cite and to skim.
What This Means For You
If you lead content, your job is not “more.” Your job is more truth per paragraph. That may demand new habits:
– Pair writers with analysts or product leads.
– Build a simple evidence archive.
– Set a rule: no post ships without at least one unique artifact.
Will it take longer? Yes. Will it perform better and compound? Also yes. Commodity posts fade. Proof compounds.
The Bottom Line
The internet is crowded. AI made it louder. The answer is not volume. It is verifiable insight. Marketing Against the Grain got this right, and I am doubling down. Own the facts no one else has, and you win.
Start this week. Pick one topic. Gather three real pieces of evidence. Write one clear take. Publish it. Then do it again. Your audience will notice. So will search and AI. And you will finally stop sounding like everyone else.
