Innovative Content Ideas: AI Tools Every Nonfiction Author Should Try

Following up on last week’s article, “How to Harness AI Innovation to Revolutionize Your Book Marketing,” let’s explore more ways to use AI to generate innovative content ideas.

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your nonfiction book, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you come up with fresh content ideas? How do you keep your followers engaged? And how do you do all this without spending hours in front of your computer every day?

The answer is AI, or artificial intelligence. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, AI tools can make your social media marketing easier and more effective. Let’s explore how AI can simplify your social media game with easy, practical, and realistic solutions. Get ready to save time, reduce stress, and keep your audience hooked!

Here are five easy ways you can use AI even if you feel tech-challenged:

1. Generating Content Ideas

One of the biggest challenges for authors is figuring out what to post. AI can help you brainstorm content ideas based on your book’s topic and audience interests. For example, if your nonfiction book is about personal finance, an AI tool might suggest ideas like:

• “5 Simple Tips to Save Money Every Month”
• “The Biggest Money Mistake People Make in Their 20s”
• “How to Budget Without Feeling Restricted”

These ideas are generated by analyzing what’s popular on social media and what your potential readers are interested in. This way, you can post content that’s relevant and engaging.

Real-Life Example: Sarah, an author of a book on healthy eating, used ChatGPT to generate weekly content ideas. She typed in, “Suggest 10 social media post ideas about healthy eating,” and within seconds, she had a list of ideas like “Quick and Easy Breakfasts for Busy Mornings” and “How to Snack Smart Without Overeating.” This saved her hours of brainstorming and helped her keep a steady flow of posts.

2. Writing Social Media Posts

With your your content ideas nailed down, it’s time to write the posts! This is when AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity can do the heavy lifting for you. They’ll draft posts based on your chosen topic. All you need to do is add your personal touch!

For example, your go-to AI tool can whip up a post for your personal finance book like this:

“Stressed about saving money? Here are 3 simple tips to help you start saving today! #PersonalFinance #MoneyTips”

This is a huge time-saver, especially if writing posts feels like a drag or takes forever!

Real-Life Example: John, who wrote a book on productivity, tried Copy.ai and was blown away! He simply typed in keywords like “time management tips” and “increase productivity,” and the tool instantly generated several posts. One of the posts said, “Struggling to stay on task? Try the 2-minute rule: If a task takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately! #ProductivityHacks.”

John was excited to see how these AI-generated posts were just as engaging as the ones he wrote himself. The real difference was that they took a fraction of the time to create, which in turn, increased his productivity!

3. Creating Images and Graphics

Visual content is a game-changer on social media because it instantly grabs attention! The best part is that AI tools help you create eye-catching graphics with zero design skills, which is a blessing for non-creatives! 

Tools like Canva make it super easy. Just plug in your text, pick a style, and let AI whip up a polished graphic in seconds. Imagine turning quotes from your book into stunning infographics or promotional images without breaking a sweat.

Real-Life Example: Maria, the author of a mindfulness book, tapped into Canva’s AI-powered design tools to create daily quote images. She simply uploaded a few quotes, picked a template, and let AI work its magic. In no time, she had beautiful graphics ready for Instagram. This approach helped make her posts stand out and boost her follower engagement!

4. Scheduling and Analyzing Posts

Consistency is the secret sauce to social media success, but keeping up with regular posts can be a real pain. This is where AI tools come to the rescue! With tools like Buffer or Hootsuite, you can schedule posts in advance and forget about the daily hassle. These tools use AI to find the best times to post when your audience is most active. Plus, they analyze your post performance so you can see what’s working and what’s not and tweak your strategy accordingly.

Real-Life Example: David, the author of a leadership book, used Buffer to schedule his posts a month in advance. AI suggested sharing his leadership tips at 9 AM, the peak time for his audience. After reviewing the AI’s analysis, David noticed that posts with actionable tips got the most engagement. He quickly adjusted his content strategy to focus more on these types of posts. And it paid off with better interaction from his followers!

5. Engaging with Your Audience

AI tools boost your engagement by helping you interact with your audience. Chatbots, for example, handle common questions or comments, making your followers feel heard and valued. While engaging personally is always preferable, AI takes care of the basics and saves you time.

Real-Life Example: Emma, who wrote a self-help book, used a chatbot on her Facebook page to answer frequently asked questions about her book. The chatbot quickly responded to queries like “Where can I buy your book?” or “Do you offer a free chapter?” This allowed Emma to focus her time on more personal interactions and creating fresh content.

Final Thoughts

AI might seem a bit daunting at first, but it’s here to make your life easier and more fun! From generating content ideas, writing posts, creating eye-catching visuals, scheduling, analyzing, and even engaging with your audience, AI takes the hassle out of social media marketing. And you don’t need to be a tech whiz to use these tools, as most are user-friendly and designed for people who might be tech-overwhelmed or tech-challenged.

Start small and try one AI tool, like ChatGPT, for content ideas or Canva for quick graphics. Play around, experiment, and find what fits your style. The goal is to make social media marketing less of a chore and more effective. This way, you can focus on what you love most — writing and sharing your message with the world!

And by the way, this article was AI-assisted!