People can sense when unedited AI is being used as content. Let me show you what I mean. Here’s what happens when someone plugs “write about mortgage marketing trends” into one popular AI tool without a second thought:

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, mortgage pros struggle to stand out. Old-school marketing isn’t enough anymore. It’s an unprecedented challenge—standing out in a sea of sameness. The secret? Authenticity vs. automation. While AI provides scale, it can’t build the human trust essential for long-term client relationships. 

Successful marketers use tech to enhance, not replace, genuine connection. 

At the end of the day, clients choose people they trust over algorithms.

See what I mean?

The AI tells

That paragraph might as well be wearing a name tag that says “Hello, I’m AI-generated content and my creator didn’t bother editing me!”

As Exhibit A, I present to you the setup. “In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape” is AI’s favorite way to start just about anything. It’s the written equivalent of clearing your throat before speaking. It says nothing. It means nothing. And if you spend any time at all reading business content on LinkedIn, you’ve seen it a hundred times.

Then we get the dramatic pivot with the em dash. “An unprecedented challenge—standing out in a sea of sameness.” That’s AI trying to sound profound. It’s creating tension where none needs to exist.

And look, this one bugs me personally. I used to love em dashes. I even use them when I talk because I interrupt my own thoughts constantly. But now? Now I have to ration them like they’re going out of style because the second you use more than one or two, everyone assumes a robot wrote your content. Thanks a lot, AI. You’ve ruined one of my favorite punctuation marks. 

Even if they can’t quite put a finger on it, most people sense that AI uses em dashes constantly. Every other sentence gets a dramatic pause for no particular reason other than AI thinks it sounds more sophisticated that way.

Next up: the contrast framing. “Authenticity vs. automation.” “Successful marketers use tech to enhance, not replace, genuine connection.” They’re both classic examples. AI absolutely loves to position everything as a battle between two opposing forces. It’s like every piece of content needs to be a cage match.

And finally, there’s the inevitable single-sentence paragraph at the end. “Because at the end of the day, clients choose people they trust over algorithms.” Peak AI drama right there.

What you’re actually telling your audience

I’m guessing you’re not trying to announce to everyone that you can’t write your own marketing content. Yet that’s exactly the message you send when you post AI’s raw output without touching it.

Your clients can spot this stuff. Maybe they can’t explain precisely what feels off, but they can certainly recognize it doesn’t sound like you. They’ve seen this exact style from a dozen other people this week.

We know that the mortgage and title industries run on trust and personal relationships. The most successful pros become the expert someone calls because they’ve repeatedly demonstrated the judgment and experience to understand their situation. So when you publish generic AI content, you’re basically telling people that you value convenience over connection. I’m betting that’s not the impression you’re hoping to make.

What editing actually looks like

Now, here’s what should have happened to that opening paragraph.

Get rid of the throat-clearing. We don’t need to be reminded that digital stuff exists. Drop the manufactured drama. Say what you actually mean in the way you’d actually say it. Maybe include something specific from your work. Consider using a real example that shows you know what you’re talking about.

Finally, write like you’d talk to someone across the table instead of reading word for word from a corporate presentation. Take the bones AI gave you and build something that’s actually yours.

When it sounds real

Let’s say you’re actually trying to write about mortgage marketing trends. Here’s how that might read if someone in the industry wrote it themselves:

“I’m seeing a lot of loan officers posting the exact same content about rate changes lately. And they’re using the same format and the same talking points. I really don’t care to read the same post from seven different people who all sound like they copied each other’s homework.”

That’s a genuine observation. The author is presenting something original. You can see (hopefully) that it has a perspective and sounds much more like a person who works in this industry every day.

How to actually use AI

Look, I get it. AI can help you get words on a page when you’re staring at a blank screen. It can organize ideas. It can give you a framework to start with.

What it can’t do is replace the editing step. It can’t execute the part where you take that framework and make it reflect your actual knowledge and experience.

When AI hands you a draft, read it like you’re the prospect. Ask yourself some important questions such as would this make you want to work with the person who wrote it? Does it sound like someone you’d trust with a major financial transaction? Could anyone else in your market have written the exact same thing?

If that last answer is yes, you’re probably publishing a first draft that needed to be a fourth or fifth draft.

Here’s what happens next

Too many smart people who really do have something to contribute are, unfortunately,  using AI the lazy way. Copy, paste, publish, wonder why nobody cares. That means you have a real opening. So be the person who sounds like an actual person. Share observations from your real work and create content that couldn’t have come from anyone else.

People are exhausted by generic content. Even if they can’t quite put a finger on what irks them about it, they can smell it from a mile away. Instead, they truly want something genuine. They’re looking for something that demonstrates you actually know what you’re talking about rather than just knowing how to operate ChatGPT. So why not give them that?

Or, just keep posting robot-speak and wondering why your content isn’t landing. Totally your call!

Brian Rieger is the founder of True Impact Communications in 2008 to serve the mortgage and title insurance industries. 
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners. To contact the editor responsible for this piece: zeb@hwmedia.com.