With the global revenue for AI in marketing pegged at over $107.5 billion by 2028<\/a>, there is no doubt that AI in content marketing will (and may already) be an integral part of the digital marketing landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Strategy, research, content generation<\/a> \u2014 there is no shortage of how AI can be used. But for the creator or marketer who wishes to stay ahead of the curve, what exactly does it look like?<\/p>\n Using the real experiences of marketing professionals and data from our recent State of AI for Marketers<\/a> survey, I will answer your questions about how creators and marketers are using AI and what this means for their output and productivity.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n While there\u2019s no standard definition of \u201cAI in content marketing,\u201d I will attempt to build one based on the understanding of the two concepts.<\/p>\n Corey Wainwright describes content marketing<\/a> as a \u201cmarketing program that centers on creating, publishing, and distributing content for your target audience \u2014 usually online \u2014 the goal of which is to attract new customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Google defines<\/a> AI as \u201ca set of technologies that enable computers to perform a variety of functions, including the ability to see, understand and translate spoken and written language, analyze data, make recommendations, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n Combining these two concepts into one definition for AI in content marketing would look like this:<\/p>\n AI in content marketing involves using technologies that analyze data, understand language, and make recommendations to create, publish, and distribute content designed to engage an online audience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve gathered some of the most popular applications of AI in content marketing, and their benefits are below.<\/p>\n In our 2025 State of AI report, 55% of marketers placed content creation as the most popular use case of AI in content marketing. This echoes what we found last year but with an impressive uptick of 12%.<\/p>\n Content can take many forms \u2014 written, visual, video, and audio, but let\u2019s face it: writing isn\u2019t everyone\u2019s favorite task or most natural skill, so it\u2019s no surprise to see the prominence of text-based pieces. Generative AI<\/a> can bring this to life at scale.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a PR professional working with high-growth SaaS startups and VC firms, AI enables us to craft more personalized stories that resonate deeply with their audiences, drive engagement, and ultimately, build stronger, more credible brands,\u201d Sim Aulakh<\/a>, founder of PR firm EstablishCred<\/a>, says.<\/p>\n But remember, don\u2019t make the mistake of using AI-generated text without making it your own. HubSpot Principal Marketing Manager and blogger Ramona Sukhraj explains why<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the operational positives, AI is plagued by concerns about plagiarism<\/a>, bias<\/a>, data security, and the potential for government regulation<\/a>. In other words, raw AI content can be very problematic as it is derivative by nature.<\/p>\n You see, AI content generators<\/a> are built on existing content commonly gathered from the Internet. This is how they \u201clearn.\u201d Every time you enter a prompt or query into a tool, AI simply reaches into this knowledge bank and picks out what it thinks is most relevant to what you want.<\/p>\n That means it just compiles things already out there. There\u2019s no guarantee that your results will be different from what the tool produces for another user or even from what\u2019s already published online.<\/p>\n It also certainly won\u2019t be written with your brand\u2019s voice or differentiators in mind<\/a>, or offer the expertise, experience, authoritativeness, or trustworthiness (EEAT) Google SERP demands<\/a> of the pages it ranks.\u201d<\/p>\n Our survey supported this idea, finding that only 7% of marketers use AI to create entire pieces without editing. 56% of marketers significantly revise AI-generated text or change it completely, while 38% make minor tweaks before publishing.<\/p>\n Benefits:<\/strong> In using generative AI<\/a> to do anything from writing marketing copy to turning text into video, marketers can save time and increase productivity in the content creation process.<\/p>\n Great marketers are also great researchers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Content marketers, in particular, need to know enough about customers, competitors, and their industry to make confident decisions about the entire content production pipeline. That\u2019s likely why research came in as our second most popular use case for AI in content marketing, with just over 47%.<\/p>\n AI tools can be quite useful in finding information and analyzing volumes of data to identify trends, keywords, and relevant information, all in record time.<\/p>\n For example, HubSpot\u2019s new AI Search Grader<\/a> \u2014 a first-of-its-kind, free app that quickly analyzes your brand based on what your prospects and customers are seeing across AI search engines \u2014 gives you actionable recommendations on how to improve. Imagine the wonders this would do for any marketing team.<\/p>\n Benefits:<\/strong> Besides saving time and effort, using AI for content marketing research guarantees that decisions are made more quickly and confidently than manual research. Advanced AI models can even extract up-to-date information for more accurate content planning.<\/p>\n Believe it or not, 74% of consumers<\/a> prefer to talk to a chatbot when looking for quick answers. But why exactly?<\/p>\n \u201cConsumers expect instant access, real conversations, and brands that respond like real people, not corporate robots,\u201d explains Rachel R. Pitchford, Owner & Principal Consultant at Life Advisors. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about solving problems; it\u2019s about showing up where people already are and proving that your brand listens, cares, and acts.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, fielding questions and conversing in real-time isn\u2019t always possible, especially for small businesses. 41% of brands are using AI to help, whether it be on their website or social media.<\/p>\n 50% of marketers<\/a> already use an automated response tool to field customer service requests on social media, while others have website chatbots that start a conversation with users when they visit specific pages (e.g., pricing<\/a> or demo page).<\/p>\n HubSpot even uses this strategy on its website:<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n A chatbot like this can deliver relevant content, offers, or even just ask if the user has questions.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Drift<\/a>, Facebook Messenger<\/a>, Slack<\/a>, and ManyChat are great options to set up chatbots or automated conversations for your business, but if your website is hosted on HubSpot, you can also use HubSpot Conversations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n According to our findings<\/a>, generating media content is also a popular use case for AI. (I\u2019m honestly surprised it wasn\u2019t #1.)<\/p>\n 56% of marketers reported using AI to create short-form videos, while 53% are using it to generate images, and 42% are creating long-form videos.<\/p>\n Benefits:<\/strong>\u00a0Many small businesses and entrepreneurs lack the design and visual arts skills needed to produce visual content, the time to develop them, or the budget to hire them.<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence helps overcome these challenges to create beautiful results and keep them competitive.<\/p>\n To learn how content is faring in the market and impacting the business, marketers need data analytics. AI-powered analytics tools can evaluate content performance and generate detailed reports on engagement metrics, ROI, and audience behavior.<\/p>\n For instance, you can upload a spreadsheet of data into ChatGPT and ask it to summarize any prominent trends for you or ask for recommendations based on it.<\/p>\n It can also analyze and interpret data faster than humanly possible to:<\/p>\n Learn more about using AI for data analysis in HubSpot\u2019s free guide: \u201cHow to Use AI for Data Analysis.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Benefits:<\/strong>\u00a0Provides data-driven and actionable insights for optimizing content strategies and could also automate reporting. This improves the quality of decisions the marketer makes which, in turn, affects performance positively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As great as AI sounds for content marketing, it still has some challenges \u2014 especially when it comes to content generation.<\/p>\n Data quality is one of the most significant concerns when it comes to AI use of any kind.<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence typically generates content based on information and data gathered from the internet or learned from other users, and unfortunately, not everything out there is based on facts.<\/p>\n Our survey found that 43% of marketers struggle with AI generating inaccurate information.<\/p>\n Knowing this, you can\u2019t always know if the content you get from AI is sound or based on reliable sources. This can be dangerous when using AI to generate things like educational blog articles or doing research.<\/p>\n The way AI \u201clearns\u201d also comes with the risk of plagiarism.<\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019re using AI to generate content, it will be inherently derivative \u2014 based on things that already exist. Because of this, there\u2019s always the possibility that your results may be similar to something already ranking or even those delivered to another user.<\/p>\n Imagine publishing a blog article with almost the same exact content as one of your competitors. Not only does this look back to your audience, but it also hurts you in search engine results.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re generating content or doing research, it\u2019s not uncommon to see bias when working with AI. 34% of our survey respondents agree, including HubSpotter Sukhraj<\/a>.<\/p>\n Flori Needle, senior marketing manager at HubSpot, reflects on why, saying, \u201cAI is biased because society is biased.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince society is biased, much of the data AI is trained on contains society\u2019s biases and prejudices\u2026For example, an image generator asked to create an image of a CEO might produce images of white males because of the historical bias in employment in the data it learned from.\u201d<\/p>\n You may also see stereotypes or bias emerge in your strategic suggestions or research. So, be wary.<\/p>\n While AI can genuinely help speed up your work, you often have to share detailed information to produce worthwhile results (i.e. maybe your buyer persona, brand guidelines). AI is currently unregulated<\/a>, so there is no guarantee your shared information won\u2019t be stored or passed on to others.<\/p>\n 41% of marketers in our survey cited data privacy concerns as the primary barrier in their AI use. 75% prioritize this when evaluating new AI tools.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To help illustrate how you can use AI in content marketing, let\u2019s walk through a potential scenario from start to finish.<\/p>\n Without a good idea, it\u2019s impossible to get the content on the road to either attract or engage audiences. So, we\u2019ll start with brainstorming.<\/p>\n Assume I\u2019m a content marketer at HubSpot who needs a cool video idea for distribution on our social media channels.<\/p>\n I found a cool AI brainstorming platform called Ideamap AI<\/a> and asked it to brainstorm a video content idea for HubSpot, after providing context on what kind of brand HubSpot is. You\u2019ll find that the map it produces is a bit much, considering that I already have trouble deciding what I want to do.<\/p>\n I chose the first idea and used the expand with AI option to generate more ideas or inspiration for marketing content.<\/p>\n One way AI can be used for ideas or inspiration is by creating a mood board with tools like Kive.ai<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given the sheer range of options for expansion and transformation available, it is nearly impossible not to find something you would be willing to work on.<\/p>\n So, we are creating an animated explainer video showcasing how HubSpot connects marketing, sales, and customer service.<\/p>\n To get accurate information needed for this video, I will need to extract it from the website. This time, I will employ the research abilities of ChatGPT Plus, which can pull real-time information from the internet.<\/p>\n While it does a good job of extracting the information (from six sites), the output is not exactly video material. So, the next step would be to ask it to create the video script, which would kickstart the content creation process.<\/p>\n I can also verify the claims ChatGPT made \u2014 or find more relevant information for my research \u2014 with HubSpot\u2019s AI Search Grader<\/a>. In short, this tool gauges a brand\u2019s visibility in AI search engines and reveals any extra details AI assistants display whenever users ask something related to the brand in question.<\/p>\n For example, ChatGPT mostly covers HubSpot\u2019s ease of use, expansive toolset, and great customer support. I could use these details in the intro of my video script.<\/p>\n Speaking of which, the next step would be to go back to ChatGPT and ask it to create the video script, which would kickstart the content creation process.<\/p>\n Since OpenAI\u2019s Sora has still not been released to the public, I had to find available alternatives. It is worth mentioning here that 70% of the marketers we surveyed say they cannot wait to use the new tech.<\/p>\n However, Elai<\/a>, an intuitive AI video creator, came in handy.<\/p>\n Creating the video with the script ChatGPT helped me create was indeed straightforward, although I must mention that there were not many video editing options to choose from.<\/p>\n Using an avatar, an American voice sample and a blank background with HubSpot\u2019s brand color were as far as I could go, especially as someone with limited video editing skills.<\/p>\n While I think this attempt was far from flawless, it was a solid effort. With some additional time to refine the details, I believe it has the potential to be even better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recently, OpenAI launched its most advanced AI image generator<\/a> to date, and it included a style mimicking the work of Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. Social media has since exploded with images in the style.\u00a0<\/p>\n One brand that jumped on the trend was New Jersey-based South Asian fashion retailer Nazrana. The retailer, known for its South Asian version of “Say Yes to the Dress,” used the tool to create and share images of some of the couples it has worked with over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s an abundance of marketing professionals leveraging AI to boost their productivity and enhance their strategies.<\/p>\n For example, filmmaker and photographer Mateo Toro<\/a> recently started using Kive.ai to design mood boards to develop treatments for his film projects.<\/p>\n A video treatment is a way to convey a project’s concept or story. Many video treatments involve the use of images and visual media found online or in previous works.<\/p>\n \u201cVideo treatments take time. You have to scrub through the video, take screenshots, and edit for the video treatment,\u201c Toro explained. \u201d[Kive.ai] just makes it so much easier for me to find the video that has a style or tone I’m looking to emulate.\u201d<\/p>\n With Kive.ai, creators can paste the link of a video into the system, and Kive.ai will extract frames from the video as screenshots to import into a board. Toro says the process can save him hours of time.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a video treatment, I could be going through 10, 15, 20 videos to reference,\u201c he said. \u201cYou add that up, and it could easily be an hour of time just scrubbing through, screenshotting, and dragging content to a treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Bethany Anderson<\/a>, a public information officer for Milton, Florida, who says ChatGPT streamlines the writing aspect of her job.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it because ChatGPT is a software that learns,\u201d Anderson explains.<\/p>\n She says ChatGPT can mimic her writing style, so she\u2019ll sometimes use the tool to write press releases, social media posts, and SEO-friendly blog content.<\/p>\n Anderson says the tool is handy because writing is a crucial part of her job, but it\u2019s far from the only responsibility she has to tackle daily.<\/p>\n \u201cI am behind the scenes planning events and getting them out to the public,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, ChatGPT allows me to get the writing done in a very easy, seamless way so that I can get to the bones of my job \u2014 which is outreach.\u201d<\/p>\n Anderson admits she was wary of ChatGPT at first but tested it out during a week that was jam-packed with deadlines.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was this one week a couple of months ago when I had so many deadlines, so many social media calendars due, so many blogs due, and so many bios due \u2014 I was drowning,\u201d she recalls. \u201cSo, I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to give it a try.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Days\u2019 worth of writing assignments could be completed in just a few hours thanks to the assistance of AI, according to Anderson.<\/p>\n Her experience aligns with the findings of our survey \u2014 nearly 80% of marketers said generative AI has a positive ROI on their content writing tasks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about days of your life that you get back,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, to me, time is valuable. It’s more valuable than money.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, Irina Nica<\/a>, former HubSpot Senior Product Marketing Manager, used HubSpot\u2019s AI Content Writer<\/a> to edit her drafts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s like having a second pair of eyes that helps me go through my drafts, tidy them up, and get them out there faster. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2026 Writing is a huge part of my job and something that AI can\u2019t take over, but it sure helps to speed up the nitty-gritty bits like editing.\u201d<\/p>\n She also used ChatSpot<\/a>, HubSpot\u2019s AI chatbot solution designed to help businesses perform marketing and sales operations, to supercharge her research.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to use ChatSpot for getting quick recommendations for products, books, or any type of resource really. Say I\u2018m looking for the best product marketing book for SaaS companies; normally, I\u2019d be knee-deep in Google searches, reading articles, and checking out recommendations on Goodreads,\u201d Nica says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut with the right prompt, ChatSpot can get me there 10X faster. I still give its final recommendation a quick Google check, but it’s a super handy shortcut.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Download](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/b72f2b25-8cc9-4642-9a1b-1e675d3d273b.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat is AI in content marketing?<\/h2>\n
Benefits & Most Popular Ways to Use AI in Content Marketing<\/h2>\n
![\"graph](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-1-20250328-6773600.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n1. Text-based Content Creation<\/h3>\n
2. Research<\/h3>\n
3. Automated Conversational Marketing<\/h3>\n
![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-2-20250328-6399250.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-3-20250328-580123.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n4. Media Content Creation<\/h3>\n
![\"graph](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-4-20250328-4152556.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n5. Data Analysis and Reporting<\/h3>\n
\n
Challenges of Using AI in Content Marketing<\/h2>\n
Data Quality<\/h3>\n
Plagiarism<\/h3>\n
Bias<\/h3>\n
![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-5-20250328-7854502.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nPrivacy<\/h3>\n
How I Use AI in Content Marketing<\/h2>\n
![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-6-20250328-3831368.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-7-20250328-5811562.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/ai-in-content-marketing-8-20250328-346466.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nAI in Content Marketing Examples<\/h2>\n
1. Generating Images: Nazrana<\/h3>\n
2. Generating Ideas & Inspiration: Mateo Toro<\/h3>\n
3. Writing Copy: Bethany Anderson<\/h3>\n
4. Editing Drafts: Irina Nica<\/h3>\n
Future of AI for Content Marketing<\/h2>\n
Will AI replace content creators?<\/h3>\n