AI is on everyone’s lips nowadays – do we use it, or don’t we, especially in the context of PR agencies or consultants.  Is it cheating or making us more efficient? 

I’d argue the latter. 

Businesses and clients that invest in public relations can expect to see a wide series of benefits of using AI.

Formerly time-consuming tasks, like planning media campaigns and pulling together coverage reports, have been greatly simplified – and in some cases can now be done at the touch of a button.

But with the emergence of this new wave of technological innovation, there are also fears and worries to be addressed. As tools like ChatGPT and automated media monitoring become more common across the industry, it can seem as though the need for human roles is beginning to diminish.

Others fear a loss of creativity and authenticity, as generic AI-generated captions flood our feeds – bringing with them an increased risk of misinformation and a potential hit to credibility.

But it is important to focus on the benefits. While AI can feel intimidating, it can also be a revolutionary tool – one that, when used well, frees up your team to focus on the human-led, creative work that truly sets you apart. With over two decades of experience leading PR Agency, Holyrood PR, has seen many tech trends come and go – and we know when something is here to stay. Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, our team has been harnessing the power of these systems to drive our business forward, not shy away in fear.

To hopefully make it simpler, here’s a list of top tips to help make AI work for your business – not against it:

1) Don’t just copy, get creative

With a range of systems producing high-quality pieces of writing in seconds it can be tempting to let creativity slip to the wayside and allow AI to do all the heavy lifting. All too often social media captions and blog posts are being written by AI and copy-pasted

directly into websites, newsletters, or social scheduling tools without a second thought.

But while these posts may appear to be well written these AI generated pieces of copy have some common pitfalls:

· Lack of originality – AI can recycle existing content or phrasing, resulting in generic posts that fail to stand out or reflect your brand voice.

· Missing context – Without a deep understanding of tone, timing or cultural nuance, AI can misinterpret what’s appropriate or relevant.

· Surface-level messaging – While it can mimic structure, AI struggles with delivering true insight, emotion, or storytelling that connects with audiences.

· Poor SEO performance – Google prioritises original, high-quality content written for humans. AI-generated copy that lacks depth or appears spammy may actually harm your search rankings rather than help them.

That’s not to say AI isn’t a great tool for speeding up the copywriting process — just that it’s key not to simply copy and paste exactly what it generates.

So, what should you do instead?

Teaching AI to recognise and reproduce your company’s structure and style can be a great place to start. Take some time to create a custom AI using tools such as Chat GTP and use copy previously written by yourself or your company to teach the system your general style of writing.

Once you have done this, you can ask your AI to make you an outline for articles you are planning to write, for example “give me an outline for a new press release”. Your AI should produce a comprehensive template with subheadings and topic suggestions ready for you to finish off.

Creating this template takes much of the heavy lifting out of the copy writing process by giving you topics, headings and a general structure to follow, however it leaves most of the writing up to you, allowing for a main body of less generic, human written content. This will come across as more original and improve SEO performance whilst also taking large amount of time out of the writing and planning process.

2) Train, it does the stuff no one wants to do

Across every business, we all have tasks that get pushed to the bottom of the to-do list — the Excel spreadsheet that’s never updated, the repetitive admin that gets passed to interns. These are exactly the types of jobs AI can be trained to take on.

Let AI handle the long-winded, mind-numbing data tasks so your team can focus on what really matters: delivering creative, human-led content. Even UK government trials have found that AI could save civil servants nearly two weeks a year on routine tasks.

At Holyrood PR, we’ve used AI memory features to significantly cut down the time spent on tasks like summarising meeting notes or producing quick monthly reports — turning hours of admin into a job that takes just minutes. Not only has this ensured these tasks no longer fall to the wayside, but it also frees up our team’s time to focus on more valuable, creative work.

Of course, AI doesn’t replace human oversight,  it’s still crucial to check the accuracy of what it produces, especially as you train and refine the system. But when used well, it can be a genuinely powerful tool.

That’s why our team has embraced AI across the board to streamline everyday tasks and make more time for the creative work that really counts. We’ve been using it to reduce routine workload in areas such as:

· Conducting deep research into new topics – reducing the time of research tasks by hours

· Managing basic reporting and calculating statistics – freeing up our team to do what they do best, crafting people focused content

· Drafting outlines and content templates – helping speed up the writing process while still allowing for original, human-led storytelling

3) You can’t replace human creativity

AI can produce impressive pieces of work at an alarmingly fast rate, which has left many in the industry questioning the value clients will place on PR professionals. But it’s important to remember you bring something AI can’t replicate – real human emotion, insight, and lived experience.

After 23 years in the industry, we’ve seen time and again that nothing rivals the power of human connection. Our award-winning public relations campaigns are proof of that – each one built around real people, real stories, and authentic insight.

Human-led content that tells a genuine story will always have a vital role in society – perhaps even more so as AI-generated material becomes increasingly widespread.

So instead of fearing that AI will replace traditional copywriting, acknowledge the true value of what you offer: authenticity, originality, and the creative spark that only a human can bring.

Final Thoughts

AI isn’t here to replace you – it’s here to help. So, get behind the wave, or risk being left behind.

When used wisely, AI becomes more than just a time-saver. It’s a powerful partner that can streamline your operations, lighten the load of repetitive tasks, and create space for the meaningful, human-led work that sets your business apart.

The future of communications isn’t AI or human creativity – it’s both, working together. The question is: are you ready to lead the way?

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