I’ve been watching the evolution of content creation with great interest, especially as AI tools become more prevalent. A recent episode of Marketing Against the Grain featuring Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan caught my attention when they discussed an unexpected trend: deliberately making content less perfect to appear more human.
This concept resonates with me deeply. As someone who’s been in the digital marketing space for years, I’ve seen the pendulum swing from polished corporate speak to raw authenticity and back again. But now we’re entering a new phase where being too perfect might actually hurt your credibility.
The New Authenticity Paradox
The hosts discussed how they’ve started avoiding m-dashes in their text content, replacing them with double dashes or other delimiters. Why? Because perfectly formatted content with flawless grammar and sophisticated punctuation increasingly signals “this might be AI-generated” to readers.
This shift represents a fascinating reversal. For years, we’ve used tools to make our content more polished. Now, we might need to deliberately introduce human quirks to prove our content isn’t machine-made.
We have found that the best ways to reach our customers has been to go more direct, be more authentic, and to use a lot of writing tools less.
This statement from the podcast perfectly captures what many marketers are discovering. The pursuit of authenticity now requires a certain level of imperfection that signals human creation.
Finding the Right Balance
So what does this mean for your content strategy? Based on my experience and what the Marketing Against the Grain team suggests, here’s how to approach content creation in this new landscape:
- Use AI tools for ideation and drafting, but ensure the final product has your unique voice
- Incorporate personal anecdotes that an AI couldn’t know
- Add occasional quirks in formatting or style that are uniquely yours
- Focus on direct, conversational language rather than overly polished prose
The goal isn’t to make your content bad—it’s to make it distinctly human. This might mean occasionally breaking grammar rules when it feels natural or using punctuation in ways that reflect how you actually speak.
The Irony of Technology’s Impact
There’s something deeply ironic about using sophisticated AI tools to help create content, then deliberately making that content less perfect to hide the AI’s involvement. Yet this is exactly where we find ourselves.
What fascinates me most is how this trend reflects a deeper human need for connection. We don’t just want information—we want to feel like we’re hearing from another person with real experiences and perspectives.
The most effective content today feels like a conversation, not a presentation. This was true before AI, but now it’s becoming a critical differentiator.
My Approach Moving Forward
After considering this perspective, I’ve started reviewing my own content strategy. I’m asking myself: Does this sound like me, or does it sound like what an AI thinks I should sound like?
For brands and creators, I recommend these practical steps:
- Record yourself speaking about topics before writing about them
- Keep some of your natural speech patterns in your writing
- Share personal stories that only you would know
- Avoid overly perfect formatting when it doesn’t reflect your natural style
The beauty of this approach is that it not only helps distinguish your content from AI-generated material but also creates a stronger connection with your audience.
The content landscape continues to evolve rapidly, but one thing remains constant: authentic human connection matters. As AI gets better at mimicking perfection, our humanity—with all its wonderful imperfections—becomes our greatest asset.
So go ahead and ditch those m-dashes if they’re not naturally part of your writing style. Your readers might thank you for being refreshingly human.
