A generic prompt often produces generic advice because it contains no reason for the answer to sound like you. “Give me ten ideas about marketing” supplies a subject but no audience, observation, conviction or evidence.
For creators, editors, and agencies, the practical solution is a repeatable brief that carries those ingredients into ideation and then into production. Smez keeps that creative context connected as you develop video, text, images and carousels.
Develop your ideas in Smez with your own context
Open Smez and capture real audience questions in Saved ideas. Bring the strongest question, relevant references and examples of your voice into the creative work before asking for suggestions.
In Editor Chat, ask for three genuinely different arguments, each tied to your evidence. For example: “Use my customer onboarding notes to propose a demonstration, a mistake to avoid and a case study. Keep the language direct and explain the evidence each needs.”
Choose the argument you can substantiate and develop it in Idea Boards or a production project. Use Smez to turn the chosen direction into video or editable text, images and carousels, then review the final wording and creative decisions. Your point of view guides the work from the first prompt through publishing.
Start with something you actually know
Collect raw material before asking for ideas. Useful inputs include a customer question, a mistake you corrected, a surprising result, a demonstration or a disagreement you can explain responsibly.
Write the observation in ordinary language. “New customers send us a logo but no examples of the content they like” is a stronger starting point than “brand onboarding tips.” It already contains a person, a behaviour and a practical consequence.
Remove confidential details and confirm that you have permission to use any customer story. Keep a private note distinguishing verified facts from your interpretation so a persuasive draft does not quietly turn an assumption into a claim.
Build a small voice brief
You do not need a long brand manifesto. Include a few representative examples and explain what makes them characteristic.
| Ingredient | Useful instruction |
|---|---|
| Audience | First-time service buyers who understand their business but not production terminology |
| Perspective | Explain the practical reason behind a recommendation |
| Tone | Direct, warm and specific |
| Evidence | Use the supplied onboarding example; invent no results |
| Language | Prefer everyday words and concrete actions |
| Boundaries | Avoid exaggerated promises, manufactured urgency and fake personal stories |
Include examples you dislike as well as examples you like. Explain the reason: “This sounds patronising because it assumes the buyer is careless.” That feedback is much more actionable than “make it authentic.”
Ask for different arguments, not different headlines
Request three approaches to the same question. One might explain a mistake, another demonstrate a process, and a third challenge an assumption. Require each proposal to state what the viewer should understand afterwards and what evidence will support it.
A useful prompt is: “Using this observation and voice brief, propose three distinct angles for new customers. For each, give the central claim, a concrete example, the evidence needed and a suitable format. Use only the supplied facts.”
Compare the substance before choosing the opening line. Ten variations of the same hook are not ten editorial directions.
Select with an editorial test
An idea deserves production when you can answer four questions clearly:
- Who recognises this problem?
- What will they learn or be able to do?
- What can we show that makes the explanation credible?
- Why are we qualified to make this point?
If the evidence is missing, gather it or narrow the claim. If the audience is too broad, choose one situation. If you have no distinct perspective, interview someone with direct experience rather than asking for a more dramatic headline.
For a simple example, a creator could show the difference between a vague brief and a useful one. The video demonstrates the contrast, while a carousel becomes a reference checklist. Both communicate the same expertise through different forms.
Carry the idea through the edit
Voice is more than vocabulary. It also lives in pacing, the examples you choose, the amount of context you provide and the promises you decline to make.
In Smez, keep the audience, message, references and chosen direction with the project. Ask for a specific change such as bringing proof earlier or simplifying the opening. Review the result against the original intent before approving publication.
Editable text and carousel workflows are useful here because the first draft remains a starting point for judgement. A slide can be reordered, a claim narrowed and a caption rewritten for the destination while the core idea stays coherent.
See our guide to editing content with AI for a practical revision process, and the ideation tool comparison for different research and planning approaches.
Read the final version aloud
Remove phrases you would never say to a customer. Replace abstract benefits with an example. Check that any first-person statement describes something you actually experienced.
Then inspect the source facts separately. A natural voice cannot make an invented statistic reliable. Verify product features, names, quotations and changing prices before scheduling.
After publication, collect useful audience questions and misunderstandings. They provide better material for the next brief than simply asking for another batch of generic topics.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI help with ideas without writing the whole post?
Yes. Ask it to organise source material, propose arguments, identify missing evidence or challenge an assumption. You can keep the final wording entirely your own.
How many voice examples should I provide?
Start with a small set of representative examples and clear explanations of why they work. Relevant, well-explained samples are more useful than a large unlabelled archive.
How can a team maintain a consistent voice?
Use a shared brief, an accountable reviewer and examples of approved work. Smez helps keep that context connected from planning through production and publishing.