How to Use AI to Automate Social Media in 2024

AI can write, schedule, and even optimize your social media posts, but here’s the catch: if you rely too much on automation, your brand risks sounding like a soulless, corporate bot. The good news? AI can handle the heavy lifting while keeping your content personal—if you use it right.

What This Blog Covers:

• How AI saves time on content creation

• How to train AI to sound like you

• The best AI tools for automating social media

• Pro tips to keep engagement high while automating 80% of the work

The AI Shift: Why This Matters

Social media is no longer just a “nice-to-have” for small businesses—it’s an essential growth engine. But let’s be real: it’s also a time-sucking black hole.

The Social Media Time Drain: Why AI Is the Fix

A 2023 HubSpot report found that social media managers spend up to 13 hours per week creating and scheduling content. That’s over 650 hours per year—or a full month of work lost just to social posts.

According to Neil Patel, co-founder of NP Digital:

How AI Solves the Problem

Instead of spending hours brainstorming captions, designing posts, and manually scheduling content, AI can generate captions, batch-schedule posts across multiple platforms, analyze engagement, and repurpose content into different formats.

But automation without a strategy = robotic content. Let's make sure your AI-powered social media actually connects with people.

How to Train AI to Sound Like You

The biggest fear with AI-generated content? It won’t sound like you. But with a few tweaks, you can train AI to match your brand’s voice.

Step 1: Feed AI Your Existing Content

To make AI sound like you, start by providing it with examples of your past social media posts, blog content, or marketing materials. Upload these into AI tools like ChatGPT, Ocoya, or Jasper and analyze the results. Most AI platforms allow you to refine responses, so start with small tweaks—adjusting tone, phrasing, and word choice—to see how close AI can get to your authentic voice.

At this stage, it’s helpful to note the specific stylistic elements that define your brand voice. Do you use humor? Are your posts short and punchy, or longer and more informative? This step is about setting a clear foundation AI can learn from.

Step 2: Create a Master AI Template

A single three-sentence prompt won’t be enough for AI to consistently generate high-quality content that matches your brand voice. Instead, you need a comprehensive master template that acts as a blueprint for AI-generated social media posts. You can ask ChatGPT or another AI assistant to create a structured template for you based on your best-performing posts. The length of this template will typically be between 300 to 600 words, depending on how detailed you make it.

A well-designed master template should include:

• Brand Tone & Personality: Describe your brand’s tone in detail.

• Post Structure: Outline the format your posts should follow.

• Examples of Successful Posts: Provide sample posts that performed well in the past.

• Customizable Variables: Identify placeholders AI should adjust (e.g., ‘[Trending Topic]’, ‘[Call to Action]’).

By having this structured template in place, you ensure that every AI-generated post remains on-brand and consistent.

Step 3: Test and Refine Your AI Output

Even with a well-structured template, AI isn’t perfect on the first try. The next step is testing different variations of posts, refining them, and adding a human touch where needed. Run side-by-side comparisons—post AI-generated content next to your manually written posts and observe engagement rates.

Some tools, like Taplio for LinkedIn or Hootsuite’s OwlyWriter for general social media, allow A/B testing. This lets you see how different AI-generated tones perform with your audience.

Common AI Mistakes That Kill Engagement (And How to Avoid Them)

AI is a game-changer, but it’s not magic—and plenty of brands get it wrong. Here are three common AI mistakes that can ruin your social media strategy and how to fix them:

1. Over-Automation = Bland, Robotic Posts Some businesses rely too much on AI, churning out generic, lifeless content that doesn’t resonate. The fix? Blend AI with human editing. Use AI to generate ideas, but always add a personal touch—your own humor, industry expertise, or unique insights.

2. Ignoring Engagement: AI can schedule posts, but it can’t replace human interaction. If you’re automating social media but never responding to comments or messages, your audience will notice. Dedicate time daily to engage, reply, and join conversations to keep your brand authentic.

3. Failing to Train AI on Your Voice: If you don’t give AI examples of your brand’s style, it will create bland, default content. Spend time training AI tools with your previous high-performing posts, and fine-tune outputs before publishing.

Avoid these pitfalls, and AI will become your ultimate content assistant—not a shortcut to mediocrity. 🚀

Choosing the Right AI Tools for Social Media Automation

HubSpot

HubSpot’s AI-powered social media tools help businesses schedule posts, analyze engagement, and automate customer interactions. With built-in CRM integration, it streamlines social media management while keeping customer data at your fingertips.

📌 Best for: Businesses looking for an all-in-one marketing and CRM solution.
 🚀 Standout feature: AI-driven content suggestions for optimized engagement.

🔗 Try HubSpot’s AI tools now – Automate your social media and CRM in one place.

Ocoya – AI-Powered Content & Scheduling

Ocoya is an all-in-one AI-powered content tool designed to create, schedule, and analyze social media content. Unlike standard scheduling platforms, Ocoya has a built-in AI writer that can generate full-length blog posts, short-form captions, and even ad copy. It also integrates with Canva, allowing users to create and edit graphics directly within the platform.

Ocoya combines AI-generated content, scheduling, and analytics in a single platform. With an intuitive design and smart automation, it helps creators and brands scale their social media effortlessly.

Best for: Content creators and small businesses seeking an AI-driven marketing assistant.
Standout feature: AI copywriting and automatic hashtag suggestions.

Pros:
 ✅ AI-generated content creation for blogs, social media, and ads.
 ✅ Integration with major social platforms and Canva for seamless design.
 ✅ Real-time analytics to track engagement and adjust strategies.

Cons:
 ❌ Less customization for brand voice compared to dedicated AI writing tools.

Pricing: Starts at $15/month

🔗 Explore Ocoya today – Streamline content creation and scheduling with AI.

Taplio – AI for Linked-In Growth

Taplio is a LinkedIn-specific AI tool that helps professionals write engaging LinkedIn posts, track engagement, and automate outreach. It uses AI to analyze industry trends and generate post ideas tailored to a user's niche.

Taplio is an AI-powered LinkedIn growth tool that helps professionals and brands build their presence through automated content creation, scheduling, and analytics.

📌 Best for: LinkedIn users focused on growing their professional network.
 📈 Standout feature: AI-assisted post generation with engagement tracking.

Pros:

• AI-assisted LinkedIn post creation and topic suggestions.

• Personalized outreach tools to help users build connections.

• Performance tracking to measure engagement over time.

Cons:
Linked-In specific. Not ideal for brands that focus on Instagram or TikTok.

Pricing: Starts at $39/month

🔗 See Taplio in action – Supercharge your LinkedIn strategy with AI-powered insights.

Hootsuite’s OwlyWriter – AI-Powered Social Captions

Hootsuite is a powerhouse for managing multiple social media accounts in one place. With AI-powered scheduling, analytics, and engagement tools, it helps businesses and creators stay on top of their social strategy without the hassle. Likewise, Hootsuite’s AI-powered OwlyWriter takes scheduling to the next level by generating captions, suggesting hashtags, and optimizing post timing for engagement. Unlike Ocoya, which focuses on content creation, OwlyWriter is designed specifically for streamlining scheduling and maximizing engagement across platforms.

Best for: Businesses and marketers managing multiple social platforms.
Standout feature: AI-powered post scheduling with optimal timing recommendations.

Pros:
 ✅ AI-generated captions tailored to different social platforms.
 ✅ Smart scheduling to post at peak engagement times.
 ✅ Integration with Hootsuite’s broader social media management ecosystem.

Cons:
Requires a Hootsuite subscription and lacks deep content creation tools like Ocoya.

Pricing: Included with Hootsuite’s Professional plan ($99/month)

🔗 Try Hootsuite for free 

Final Thoughts: AI = Less Stress, More Engagement

AI won’t replace your personality or creativity—but it will free up your time so you can focus on higher-value engagement. When used correctly, AI becomes a true social media assistant, helping you maintain consistency, improve engagement, and optimize your content effortlessly.

Try one of these AI tools today and see how much easier social media becomes.

Likewise, 🚀 don’t let AI leave you behind. Stay ahead of the curve with Tool Sherpa AI, your trusted weekly newsletter and guide to AI tools, automation hacks, and expert strategies for freelancers and small teams.

Every week, we cut through the noise and deliver the most powerful, time-saving AI tools—straight to your inbox.

✅ Stay updated on AI’s latest innovations

✅ Discover automation tricks to save hours of work

✅ Get expert-backed insights for growing your business

🚀 Want More AI-Powered Insights Like This?

Staying ahead in the AI automation game doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Tool Sherpa AI curates the best AI tools, strategies, and shortcuts—so you don’t have to waste hours sifting through the noise.

Join thousands of freelancers, solopreneurs, and small teams getting weekly AI insights that save time, boost productivity, and make work feel effortless.

🔗 Subscribe to Tool Sherpa AI now – Let’s automate the busywork and get you back to what matters.