Here’s what to know before using AI to craft your brand’s social media posts

Social media is brimming with AI, from automated ads to disinformation bots — and now, posts by real people written with the tech’s help. 

AI writing tools help people and businesses engage with followers and, judging by the sheer number of tools that generate, rewrite and edit social media copy, that use case probably happens more than we think. 

These tools can save time, but they can also steer people away from certain topics for neutrality’s sake and generate inaccurate narratives.

To see whether AI writing tools that assist with social media posting are worth it or if they’re just contributing to the AI avalanche, I tested four platforms. 

The tools I selected — Hyperwrite, Fraze, HIX and Rytr — offer at least limited free usage that features social media generation, require signing up for a premium account and advertise social media copywriting as one of their services. 

I chose a recent article by my colleague Sarah Huffman as the subject of a social media post and used the same prompt for each (with an additional prompt to make it into a LinkedIn post where applicable) with a link to the post so that they could review the article as they generated the post:

Uncertainty looms as the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia prepares for the Trump presidency. Sarah Huffman reports on the business community’s concerns.

What I found was that there are AI shortcuts for some of the more irritating and time-consuming aspects of social media posting, including auto-generating user tags and creating relevant hashtags. Whether the generated posts were ready to go live without changes is another story. 

Here’s how it went.

Frase leans into more optimistic messaging and promotion 

Frase has a LinkedIn post generator where I could drop my prompt into its “key message” box. It generated this result:

🌟 The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia Faces Economic Uncertainty 🌟

As we navigate the new landscape under the Trump administration, the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia is gearing up to address the challenges and opportunities ahead. 🏙️ From potential shifts in trade policies to impacts on small businesses, the future remains unpredictable.

Curious about how economic changes may affect our local business ecosystem? Dive into this insightful article that breaks down key concerns, strategies for adaptation, and what this means for Philadelphia’s vibrant economy.

👉 Read more here!

#Philadelphia #ChamberOfCommerce #EconomicFuture #BusinessCommunity #TrumpAdministration

Frase pulled details from the article to expand on the original with accuracy, and it doesn’t come off as overly cliche or robotic and includes a headline and relevant hashtags. It also added emojis, which can increase engagement by adding visual appeal.

This could save time if you need a quick description of an article or other piece of media. Though, it comes off as too optimistic to be neutral. 

HIX adds a prompt to the post to generate engagement

HIX Writer will generate just about anything, from social media to ads to scripts to whole articles. I dropped my prompt into its LinkedIn post generator, and got this:

“Uncertainty is the name of the game right now, especially with the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia gearing up for a Trump presidency. Sarah Huffman dives into the concerns bubbling up within the business community in her latest piece. 

As leaders contemplate the implications for the economic landscape in 2025, it’s clear that businesses are keeping a close eye on potential shifts in policy and regulation. There’s a mix of optimism and caution in the air, and one thing’s for sure: adapting to change will be more important than ever.

Link to the full article here: https://technical.ly/civic-news/philadelphia-business-leaders-chamber-economic-outlook-2025/

What are your thoughts on this? How do you think the upcoming presidency will impact businesses in our city? Let’s discuss! 💬 #PhiladelphiaBusiness #TrumpPresidency #EconomicOutlook”

This result, including added details from the article, is generally accurate, but there’s something about the first line that screams AI-generated — is “uncertainty the name of the game”? What game? 

It’s a phrase humans use, but it comes off as unnatural. The discussion prompt is a nice touch, but it is easy enough to add manually that I wouldn’t consider it a significant time saver. 

Hyperwrite introduces inaccurate details into the post 

Hyperwrite lives up to its name — it quickly offers multiple suggestions in its ChatGPT-style chatbox. Unlike some AI writing assistants, it offers commentary, explaining what it did to improve your copy.

In the case of the Chamber article, Hyperwrite removed the reference to Trump without comment, offering this result that inaccurately states where a data point in the story comes from.

📊 What’s ahead for Philly’s business community in 2025? While 56% of Chamber of Commerce members reported increased business activity from 2023 to 2024, local leaders are preparing for economic shifts ahead.

@Sarah Huffman explores how Philadelphia’s business community is navigating uncertain times, with insights from Chamber leadership on adaptation strategies and growth opportunities.

Read the full story: [https://technical.ly/civic-news/philadelphia-business-leaders-chamber-economic-outlook-2025/]

#PhillyBusiness #EconomicOutlook #PhillyTech

When I asked the bot not to omit the Trump reference from the post, it responded that it was a politically sensitive topic, an unspoken potential target for shadowbanning on social media. The bot said it would “craft a balanced, factual post that acknowledges the political context while maintaining a professional tone,” resulting in a post that comes off as disjointed:

“Philadelphia’s business community is preparing for potential economic shifts as former President Trump’s policies could shape the 2025 landscape. While 56% of Chamber of Commerce members saw business growth last year, uncertainty looms.

@Sarah Huffman speaks with Chamber of Commerce leadership about how local businesses are strategizing amid potential policy changes and what this means for Philadelphia’s economic future.

Read the full story: [https://technical.ly/civic-news/philadelphia-business-leaders-chamber-economic-outlook-2025/]

#PhillyBusiness #EconomicOutlook #BusinessNews

Hyperwrite also has a document feature that can produce detailed posts, including tagging the author, which could save time, but overall it fumbled the ball in this test.

Rytr generates posts that speak in the first person

With a LinkedIn post generator format nearly identical to Frase, Rytr similarly adds more relevant details to the post, along with a sense of urgency most other results lacked.

As we stand on the brink of a new era with the Trump presidency, uncertainty looms large over the business landscape in Philadelphia. 📉 Sarah Huffman dives deep into the concerns voiced by local business leaders and the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia in her latest article.

The implications of this political shift are far-reaching, and understanding these dynamics is crucial for all professionals navigating this evolving environment. From economic forecasts to strategic planning, we must stay informed and proactive.

I encourage you to read Sarah’s insightful piece that sheds light on the challenges and opportunities facing our business community as we look toward 2025. Your perspective matters—how do you think these changes will impact your industry?

👉 Read more here: 

#Philadelphia #BusinessCommunity #TrumpPresidency #EconomicOutlook

This is the only one that uses a first-person voice, which is a bit jarring knowing it’s AI. The vaguely jingoistic lead-in doesn’t quite match the “stay informed and proactive” message. 

Overall, it’s potentially time-saving but still requires human edits.

AI can generate decent posts, but still can’t capture human voice

AI tools can potentially be helpful for social media, especially if your social media posts are not your original content, but a means of promoting content. 

Because they’re programmed to be middle-of-the-road neutral, they may undercut even the mildest of political commentary.

These tools’ abilities to gather background information from a provided link, including things like details, links and relevant hashtags is convenient, but fully-AI-crafted posts still come off as stilted. 

They still require human review and in virtually all cases some level of rewrite, making for tools that work better as assistants, not content creators.