Could a Robot Write Great Headlines?

Smartphones are one of the most addictive tools we have ever seen. They’re powerful, convenient and mobile. You can use them to accesses your email, allows you to find your way to your next appointment and it keeps us entertained with YouTube videos while waiting for friends. They are great time savers and enhance who we are as humans.

It’s a Swiss army knife for an information age.

Tools have moved on from just saving time and money, they are also doing some of our thinking for us. Having trouble remembering a fact or some information?….then Lord Google is sitting in your pocket or purse disguised as an internet connected smartphone.

Marketing automation

Ever since social media broke onto the web, businesses have been working on how to use it as a tool for marketing, They have also been developing ways to automate the processes with tools (often called apps). As humans we are always trying to work out how to do more with less.

In the early days of social media any automating was almost seen as a crime. But for social media marketers to scale their efforts, automation and marketing platforms are a necessary evil.

But efficiency is not the only skill needed to succeed as a marketer, creativity is also vital.

Technology tools are also creeping into that space.

Will robots replace or enhance creativity?

The next step for tools beyond just saving time, money and automating processes is the use of technology for leveraging our creativity. For many of us coming up with a headline or even an idea for your latest article, book or blog post is a challenge.

Need some help?

I have just discovered a tool (thanks Kerwin Rae!) that makes coming up with a good headline or idea that much easier. Its called Portent’s Content Idea Generator.

Now will this tool replace our headline and idea creativity?

When I plugged in the term “headline” it came up with some responses such as “Will Headlines save Your Marriage” and “How Headlines Once Saved the World”. Fun but I don’t know if they work!

I think enhancement is more realistic.

How did it perform?

Here are some headlines for the topics of social media marketing, content marketing and Twitter. I thought I would check out how the tool performed using a three word phrase, two  words and just one.

These 15 headlines were created by plugging in your keyword or phrase into Portent’s Content Idea Generator “tool”…or should I say robot?

So that begs the question “could a robot write great headlines? Let’s find out.

Social media marketing

Here are 5 headlines created by the tool using a three word phrase.

• What the Amish Can Teach You About Social Media Marketing
• How Hollywood Got Social Media Marketing All Wrong
• How to Build an Empire With Social Media Marketing
• Shocking Ways Social Media Marketing Will Make You Better in Bed
• Ways Your Mother Lied to You About Social Media Marketing

You certainly could use some of these but a couple are a stretch.

Content Marketing

Next I tried a two word combination to see how it performed.

• How to Stay Popular in the Content Marketing World
• How Content Marketing Can Make You Sick
• Why Content Marketing Will Change Your Life
• 12 Reasons You Should be Talking About Content Marketing
• Content Marketing in 16 Easy Steps

So again, not all will work but it’s bringing some good ideas.

Twitter

Finally I plugged in a one word favourite of mine to see what resulted.

• How Twitter Could Help You Win the Game of Thrones
• How Low Can Twitter Go?
• True Facts About Justin Bieber’s Love of Twitter
• The 15 Best Twitter Feeds to Follow
• Twitter by the Numbers

Again it came up with the good, the bad and the ugly.

What about you?

Could you use a tool like this? Would it enhance your creativity? Look forward to your feedback in the comments below.

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