When Everyone Sounds the Same: Standing Out in the Age of AI Content

July 21, 2025•4 min read

In 2025, AI has fully infiltrated marketing. From blog posts to product descriptions to entire ad campaigns, generative tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and hundreds of industry-specific models are producing content at scale—and at speed.

On the surface, this seems like a marketer’s dream: more output, faster workflows, and lower costs. But a new problem has emerged: everything is starting to sound the same.

Search engines are flooded with derivative takes. Social feeds are cluttered with formulaic posts. Thought leadership feels like it’s been templated.

In a market oversaturated with content, the real challenge is being remembered.

AI Made Content Cheap—But Not Impactful

Generative AI lowered the barrier to content creation. But in doing so, it commoditized something that once differentiated brands: voice, originality, and point of view.

Now, even small businesses can publish at enterprise volume. SaaS startups can crank out whitepapers. B2B firms can generate endless LinkedIn thought leadership.

But with everyone playing the same game, the result is noise. And in that noise, customers tune out.

As marketers, how do we move beyond being mass producers of content and begin producing conviction?

The New Differentiators: Point of View, Evidence, and Actionability

As generative content becomes table stakes, the most successful brands are doubling down on what machines can’t do well:

A distinct point of view: Interpreting trends to develop products and values that people care about (whether they need them or not)
Original thinking: Ideas born from first-person customer insights, not just scraped data.
Operational credibility: Earn trust by showing how things work, not just saying what should happen.

A prime example is Stripe’s developer documentation portal. The documentation is organized for usability: a three-column layout features intuitive navigation, clear explanations, and live code samples side by side. This design allows developers to find information quickly, understand it in context, and test code instantly.

Stripe’s language is concise and direct, avoiding marketing jargon. Explanations are written from the user’s perspective, focusing on how to solve real problems rather than promoting Stripe’s products. For instance, API references include step-by-step guides and automatically insert a developer’s test keys into code samples, making integration seamless.

A compass held by a hand pointing slightly off true north.

The portal also features advanced search and accessibility tools, ensuring users can locate exactly what they need without wading through irrelevant content. Tutorials, quick starts, and detailed guides are all structured to help users achieve their goals efficiently.

Or look at Notion’s tutorials. They’re not blog fluff—they’re built from how actual users solve problems. For example, the “Complete Notion Tutorial” guides users step-by-step, starting with basics like setting up a workspace and gradually moving to advanced features such as databases and formulas. Each tutorial includes small exercises, encouraging users to practice as they learn, mirroring how actual users build systems to solve their unique needs.

Rather than just listing features, Notion’s guides explain practical scenarios: how to organize content, create columns, embed files, or automate dashboards. The tutorials address common mistakes and provide troubleshooting steps, such as debugging guides or isolating issues within a workspace. This approach ensures users can adapt Notion to their workflows, whether for project management, personal knowledge, or automation. By focusing on real use cases and actionable steps, Notion’s tutorials empower users to solve problems just as experienced community members do

In contrast, most AI-generated content offers smooth but shallow takes. It gets clicks. It doesn’t build loyalty.

How to Make Content That Doesn’t Get Ignored

If you want to stand out in 2025, your content must deliver three things AI alone can’t:

1. Insight Over Information

Don’t just tell your audience what’s happening. Tell them why it matters and what to do about it.

Instead of: “B2B buyers prefer self-service.”
Say: “Here’s how your sales team should adapt to a no-demo buying journey—and what metrics to watch.”

2. Clarity Over Volume

Publishing more isn’t the goal. Resonating more is. Cut anything that isn’t sharp, useful, or specific.

Replace generic thought leadership with customer use cases.
Use specificity to drive trust: numbers, names, firsthand lessons.

3. Conviction Over Consensus

AI is great at writing what the market already agrees on. Humans win when they take a stand.

What unpopular truth are you willing to say out loud?
What conventional wisdom do you challenge—and why?

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

— Maya Angelou

AI as a Partner, Not a Publisher

Forward-thinking teams aren’t ditching AI—but they are redrawing the line between automation and authorship.

Use AI to:

Draft baselines for lower-stakes content
Structure outlines faster
Surface gaps and relevant questions

But final messaging, brand tone, and strategic POV? That still lives with people. The brands that stand out are the ones using AI as a force multiplier, not a ghostwriter.