GIG’s Founder Tim Gomersall takes the indirect route in support of human writing.

WRITTEN WITH FINGERS?
Seven signs your marketing content was authored by a human.

Even in this iLLuMinated era of cheap, scalable machine-tooled copy, some people still believe there’s a market for brain-sourced content; the kind of people who still believe ‘authenticity’ and ‘connection’ have value. Their outputs are expensive, slow and chaotic… and you may be reading their work without even realising it.

So, to help you filter items of organic origin from your feed, here’s seven giveaway signs that the marketing content you’re consuming was typed by meat.

1. It presents an opinion
   And not from the stable of AI-endorsed platitudes like “the game just changed forever” or “we’re only scratching the surface”. Humans are prone to making up opinions of their own. They might even disagree with popular opinion, as if their personal outlook matters against the wisdom of the crowd. If you catch yourself being intrigued by a point of view or turn of phrase that you don’t remember encountering anywhere else, there’s a high chance someone with a pulse is responsible. Proceed with caution.
2. It lacks focus
   You’re two paragraphs into “How to Win Agentic Prompts” when you realise the writer is still explaining why you might want to win, rather than jumping right in with a shopping list of advice. The author might even meander through allegory or anecdote to reinforce their message, as if anyone has time for supporting data in 2026. These are red flags that the article’s writer is an actual writer.
3. It doesn’t think you’re an idiot.
   The language of automated marketing content today should be overconfident and lightly threatening. If your customers aren’t terrified of falling behind, however will they be pressured into buying that remote vibe-coding course? So, if the article you’re reading takes the time to reassure you, or explain something in terms you understand, it hasn’t been anywhere near an algorithm, and you should delete immediately.
4. It wants to make you feel something
   Any word that isn’t selling, isn’t worth its space on the page. But humans refuse to evolve, filling their content with cynical attempts to elicit laughter, tears, or anything in between. If you have the patience and inclination to be delighted, then by all means follow your flesh-and-blood writer down the “story” you’re being told. You’ll only have yourself to blame when you develop an emotional connection to the brand.
5. It has inconsistent formatting
   If an article’s lack of laser-sculpted, reassuringly consistent syntax and punctuation doesn’t offend you, then please proceed directly to the nearest improv comedy event and enjoy even more anarchic spontaneity. The rest of us will stick to a cascade of five-word paragraphs that resemble a seismometer readout more than an article.
6. It accepts uncertainty
   The world is much more convenient when viewed in black or white. But human creators insist on introducing complexity, always fascinated by shades of grey. It’s another surefire signal that you’re reading something non-synthetic. So if you’re bewildered by a sub-plot, or the author admitting they don’t know everything, then simplify your life by scrolling onwards to more confidently all-knowing content.
7. It doesn’t even ask what you think
   Because the misguided mammal that wrote it hopes their writing may have invited you to explore your own opinions over its entire length. That same creature trusts you to leave a comment if, and only if, you consider it worth your time. So rather than a “what do you think?”, the human author might just end things abruptly when they decide they’re done.