Category Archives: Social media

Content creators: beware of AI telling you what to think

Content marketing, Social media, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees, Writing

Have you ever Googled your name? Of course, you have. Who doesn’t want to know about the weird and wonderful places where their name crops up online? Now, though, through the miracles of AI, you can go a step further and ask Google what it actually thinks about you.

Try it, ask it anything about yourself. I thought I’d have a go.

“Ahem, a question for Google’s AI assistant: is Sebastian St. John-Clarke any good at content creation?”

I’ve a delicate ego, so for the few seconds it took a data centre in Slough to come up with an answer, I fretted. My career is on the line here. But I need not have worried, dear reader, for the answer it came, with only good things to say:

My AI-powered testimonial
Sebastian St John Clarke is regarded as an expert in content creation specifically for B2B sectors and the insurance/reinsurance industry. With over 25 years of experience, he leads Paper Plane Communications, where his work focuses on storytelling and simplifying complex corporate messages.

His expertise is built on a “simple and engaging” philosophy, prioritising brevity and narrative over technical jargon.

B2B Specialisation: He has a strong track record of delivering communications for high-profile financial services and insurance firms.

Diverse Formats: His portfolio includes high-level copywriting for trade publications, blog creation and drafting whitepapers.

Training & Strategy: Beyond execution, he facilitates creative writing courses and idea creation workshops for corporate clients.

Buffing up my self-esteem
There was more, but I think you get the idea. AI really is a lovely, thoughtful thing and would be welcome to pen my career obituary. There is, though, more to this exercise than just a buff up of my self-esteem. Of course, all that Google knows is to repackage viewpoints that are already out there. And where did it scrape these viewpoints from? Well, from the very places where my name appears most regularly: my LinkedIn page and my own company website.

Admittedly, it’s added some verbiage that I wouldn’t write myself – I’m far too modest to say I’m “regarded as an expert” – but Google has simply recycled all the nice words it found on the internet that, by the way, I wrote in the first place. It’s saying what I’ve said about myself, but in an even more positive and flattering way.

For originality, only a human will do…
The point of this exercise? It’s not about knocking the power and uses of AI; the progress large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini have made in the last few years is incredible. It is, though, a reminder that AI assistants are not capable of being particularly objective, original or of always telling the truth. They are simply recycling the information that’s already out there.

From a content creation perspective, that’s not a bad thing if you want a first draft and would prefer AI to do the initial heavy lifting. But, by doing so, be aware that you’re not necessarily creating an objective, original or even factually true viewpoint. Only a human has the power to give you all that.

Top tips for a career in communications (and one thing to never get wrong)

Communicating in a crisis, Content marketing, Social media, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees, Working with the media, Writing

Somebody asked me for the best bit of career advice I could give after years of working in the communications business. I thought long and hard about it and came up with a few thoughts.…

Be curious; listen more than you speak; know your audience; tailor your messaging; keep it simple; less is more; be nice (or at least not objectionable); proof read and proof read again; don’t misspell a spokesperson’s name; be clear and concise; don’t be afraid to introduce a bit of humour; don’t be afraid to challenge those around you (and particularly those above you); the legal team might know the law but that doesn’t mean they write better than you; trust your instincts (they’re almost always right); don’t use jargon/corporate speak; if you don’t understand what’s being said, chances are most others don’t know either; and don’t let ‘busyness’ steal time needed for thinking creatively…

And then I realised, all these things are great and ‘must haves’ but ultimately it comes down to one thing:

Never – and that means absolutely never – send an email with an attachment without first opening the attachment and checking it is actually the attachment you want to send.

Have that as your bedrock and you’ll go far.

Where’s your bite?

Content marketing, Social media, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees, Writing

I’m no design expert but it struck me the other day while looking at my phone, how brilliant the Apple logo is. Yes, it’s obviously an apple – I told you I was no expert – but it’s the bite out of the apple that is the really clever bit.

There are all sorts of stories, myths and legends weaving around the web as to why the ‘bite’ is there. According to one media report some think it’s a play on ‘byte’, others relate it to the famous code breaker Alan Turing who apparently died by eating a poisoned apple. The truth is likely to be the more prosaic suggestion that the designer just saw it as a great way of differentiating the logo from a cherry.

AppleHowever it got there, the bite makes what would be a rather routine outline of an apple into something far more interesting. It suggests movement, action, even intrigue.

My point?

Writing can use the same trick to liven up a piece that might otherwise get lost although this time the ‘bite’ could be humour, creative language, a great picture to accompany the piece, or even an Unconvential. Grammar. Approach.

Next time you write something, take a moment to step back and ask yourself, “Where’s the bite?”

Social media – in or out?

Social media

Pub chain Wetherspoon recently announced it was closing its social media accounts. Convinced staff were being side tracked by Facebook and its social media mates, the CEO also added a more general social commentary that too many people spend too much time living their lives online (rather than tucking into a large mixed grill at the Moon and Sixpence in Milton Keynes perhaps?).

Does he have a point? And, as a business is it worth taking the risk?

Pint Beer Glass on WhiteYes, and no. Yes, I’m sure there are many who feel that too much time is spent online but no, in that I’m not sure that switching off one of the primary customer communications channels will do a business any favours.

Ostrich approach
In today’s world, it’s the equivalent of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. You might not be able to hear anything or see anything, but it’s going on out there and you’ve just given up the opportunity to right any wrongs.

There are many positives of having an active social media approach, not least the chance to actively engage with clients and customers but also to help shape your business’s personality.

In the short term, exiting social media might relieve the business of a job of keeping its social media accounts up to date, but in the long term  your reputation might well suffer for your social silence.

Clickbait might hook you a fish or two but is it a price worth paying?

Social media, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees, Writing

Clickbait. A pejorative term for those blog/article headlines that you just can’t resist clicking on. We’ve all been there, or rather clicked on them and been reeled in. Some firms are making a lot of money focusing on this style of content – Taboola and Outbrain to name a couple.

Generally it’s for content aimed at the consumer market and involves a celebrity or two, but increasingly clickbait seems to be plying its trade in the b2b world.

Man with fish

LinkedIn for example, is littered with ‘clickbaity’ type headlines and seems to be getting more so every day:

  • Why I’m quitting social media
  • Why quitting your job today will be the best thing you ever do

In days gone by of course, clickbait used to be called a headline. And there is nothing wrong with a good headline of course – in fact, a good headline is essential. There’s no point in writing a well thought out blog/article and sticking a bland title on top – a bit like wrapping a great Christmas present in brown paper…(I had to shoehorn one Christmas reference in).

When is a headline not a headline
The risk is that the more sensational the headline – the more clickbaity it is – the higher the risk of disappointing the reader if the content doesn’t live up to its billing. In the clickbait world it almost never does but it’s done its work and the advertisers are happy. As a business though that sort of engagement is of no use and, if anything, could do more to damage your brand.

But, if you really like clickbait, and in these fallow days before everyone clears off on their holiday break, perhaps invest a few minutes perusing Onion’s ClickHole for some irresistible clickbait (that may, or may not, be made up)…go on, you know you want to.

Have a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.