You can usually tell within two sentences. “In today’s fast-paced digital landscape…” and you’re already scrolling past. AI-written blog posts have a sound, and readers have learned to recognize it.
I use Claude for almost every post on this blog, and I don’t want any of them to sound like that. The secret isn’t a magic prompt. It’s using Claude for the parts it’s good at (structure, first drafts, catching gaps) while keeping the parts that make a post yours: your opinions, your examples, and your final edit.
Here’s the exact process I use to write blog posts with Claude that still sound like a person wrote them, with the prompts for each step.
Why AI blog posts sound like AI
Before fixing the problem, it helps to know what causes it. AI writing tends to sound generic for a few predictable reasons:
- No point of view. Asked to “write a blog post about X,” AI covers every angle evenly and commits to nothing.
- No specifics. Without your real examples, numbers, and stories, it fills space with safe generalities.
- Predictable phrasing. Certain openers, transitions, and sentence patterns show up again and again.
- Too tidy. Everything comes in threes, every section is the same length, and every paragraph wraps up with a neat little summary.
Every step below targets one of those problems.
Step 1: Give Claude your voice before you ask for anything
I keep a Claude Project for my blog with a short voice guide and three or four of my best posts uploaded as examples. That way every chat starts with a clear picture of how I write. If you haven’t set up Projects yet, my beginner’s guide to Claude walks through it.
I'm going to paste three blog posts I've written. Study them and write a voice guide I can save in this project. Include:
- how long my sentences and paragraphs usually are
- how I open posts and how I close them
- words and phrases I use often
- my tone (how casual, how direct, how much humor)
- things I never do
Be specific enough that another writer could imitate me.
[paste 3 posts]
Add a “never use” list
This is the single most effective thing I’ve done. I keep a list of phrases I never want to see in my writing, and it lives in my project instructions:
Never use these words or phrases: delve, landscape, game-changer, unlock, elevate, seamless, robust, "in today's fast-paced world," "it's not just X, it's Y," "let's dive in," "in conclusion," "whether you're a ___ or a ___." Don't end sections with a one-line summary of what you just said. Don't group things in threes by habit. Avoid em dashes.
Start with this list and add to it every time you catch a phrase that makes you cringe.
Step 2: Start with a brief, not a draft
The fastest way to get a generic post is to ask for the whole post in one go. Instead, I start by telling Claude what I actually think.
I'm writing a blog post on [topic] for [audience]. Before you write anything, here's what I want to say:
- My main point: [your actual opinion]
- What most advice on this topic gets wrong: [your take]
- A real example from my work: [story, client situation, or result]
- What I want readers to do after reading: [action]
Ask me up to 5 questions about anything that's unclear or that would make this post more specific.
Those questions are gold. They pull out the details only you know, and those details are exactly what makes a post sound human.
Step 3: Build the outline together
Based on my answers, suggest an outline. Give me 2 options: one that leads with the problem and one that leads with my example. For each section, write one sentence on the point it makes. Don't write the post yet.
I almost always change the outline. I reorder sections, cut the one that’s just filler, and add a section for a tangent I care about. This is where the post becomes mine.
Step 4: Draft one section at a time
Drafting section by section keeps Claude focused and gives you a chance to steer before it goes off track.
Write the section "[heading]" using my voice guide. Use my example about [detail]. Keep it under [word count]. Write it the way I'd explain it to a client over coffee, not like a textbook.
If a section comes back bland, tell it why: “This is too general, use the real numbers from my example” or “Shorter, and cut the last paragraph.” Treat it like an editor working with a writer, not a vending machine.
Step 5: Edit like a human (because you are one)
This is the step people skip, and it’s the one that matters most. My edit pass always includes:
- Read it out loud. Anything you’d never actually say gets rewritten.
- Add one thing only you would know. A specific client story, a mistake you made, a number from your own business.
- Cut 10 to 20 percent. AI drafts run long. The best edit is usually deleting.
- Check every fact. Claude can be confidently wrong about prices, dates, and statistics. If it matters, verify it.
- Rewrite the intro and the ending yourself. These are the parts readers remember, and they’re where AI sounds most like AI.
Step 6: Run a final “AI tells” check
Once I’ve edited, I ask Claude to review the post as a skeptical reader:
Read this post as a skeptical reader who hates AI-written content. Point out any sentences that sound generic, robotic, or like filler. Flag anything from my never-use list. Don't rewrite the post. Just list the lines and tell me why each one sounds off.
[paste post]
Asking for a list instead of a rewrite keeps the final words in your hands.
What this looks like in practice
It’s still real work, but it’s much faster than starting from a blank page. Claude handles the outline, the first draft, and the second set of eyes. I handle the opinion, the examples, and the edit. The result reads like me on a good day, which is the whole point.
If you want more prompts like these, I share the ones I use every week in Claude prompts for business, and the ones I use for pinning those posts in Claude prompts for Pinterest.