How to Use AI to Speed Up Branding (Without Sounding Generic)

Let’s get this out of the way: yes, AI can absolutely help you build your brand faster. But no, it won’t magically hand you a finished, authentic brand if you just copy-paste a prompt and hope for the best. That’s not how this works.

Still, the idea that using AI will automatically make your brand sound robotic or cookie-cutter? That’s outdated. Maybe even a little lazy.

Because here’s the thing: the tools are neutral. It’s how you use them that makes the difference.

The real issue isn’t whether AI is “cheating” or too impersonal—it’s that you’re probably juggling 12 different things and trying not to burn out. You need a way to move faster without sacrificing clarity or personality. And that’s exactly where AI can step in—as a co-creator, not a replacement.

Let’s talk about how.

One of the fastest ways to make AI sound generic is to give it nothing personal to work with. If the prompt you feed it could’ve come from a mass-market branding book, the output will feel... well, like it came from a mass-market branding book.

So instead, write how you would write. Even if it’s messy or half-baked. Jot down how you talk about your work to a friend. Add little phrases you actually say out loud. Then ask AI to rewrite or expand on that.

It’s a subtle shift, but it changes everything. You’re not asking it to create from scratch. You’re giving it raw material—your own words—and letting it clean them up, organize them, or rework them into something more usable.

That’s a completely different vibe from just saying, “Write my brand story for me.”

AI is incredible for getting started. Drafting ideas, outlining content, throwing out first-pass headlines so you’re not staring into the void—it’s like having an assistant who never gets tired of brainstorming.

But expecting AI to spit out something final is where a lot of people hit a wall. You end up editing so heavily that it feels like more work than if you’d written it yourself. And honestly, I’ve been there. It’s frustrating.

What works better is treating the first AI-generated version as a placeholder. A sketch. Something you react to. Like, “I hate that phrasing, but I do like the angle it’s taking.”

Once you see it that way, it becomes easier to use AI without losing your own perspective in the process.

You can tell ChatGPT (or whatever tool you’re using) what you like and don’t like. You can even paste in old emails or social captions you’ve written and say, “This is my tone. Use this as a reference.”

And yes, the first few tries might feel a little off. But it gets better. The more examples you feed it, the more aligned it becomes. It's like working with a junior copywriter—you have to invest a bit upfront, but after a while, you barely need to explain.

And the best part? You don’t have to wait days for a revision.

This might be the most important piece: AI is only as good as your ability to filter it.

Sometimes the phrasing will be weird. Or too polished. Or just… not you.

That’s not a failure of the tool—that’s a normal part of the process. Think of AI as giving you a rough block of marble. You still have to do the sculpting. The ideas are there, but they need trimming, reshaping, softening. You bring the nuance.

And if you’re someone who tends to second-guess your own writing, AI can give you something to push against. Sometimes the clarity comes not from what it generates, but from how you instinctively respond: “Actually, that’s not what I mean at all.” That moment of reaction is gold.

I think we sometimes forget that branding is allowed to feel a little messy while it’s in progress. Tools like AI aren’t meant to make everything perfect—they’re meant to make it possible when your brain is fried or your toddler just threw applesauce on your laptop.

The point isn’t to sound like a robot, or even to sound “professional” all the time. The point is to sound like you, but a little clearer, a little quicker, a little less overwhelmed.

And if AI helps you do that? Use it. Just keep your voice in the driver’s seat.

Want a running start with AI?

Grab my free quick-start guide here to start defining your brand with clarity and confidence using AI as a creative partner.

I also created a full prompt library just for this. It’s organised by brand stage—launching, rebranding, and scaling—so you’re not stuck figuring out where to begin. Grab it here as part of the Brand Clarity Bundle.

You’ve got this. And AI’s not replacing your magic—it’s helping you share it faster.