When I started freelancing full time in 2021, it took me 6 hours to write a blog post. That includes researching, writing, editing, and sourcing images.
A few months later, I started using AI. At that time, there was no ChatGPT yet. I used Jarvis (later named Jasper). It took me 1.5 hours to write the first draft. But nowadays, the entire process takes 1.5 hours, including the edits and the images.
Here’s how I create unique content using Claude Projects. It’s a process I’ve honed for almost two years. It even got featured in Harvard Business Review!
What to Prepare Before You Start Creating Content
Before you open Claude and start prompting, you need a few things ready. Skipping this step is why most people get generic, unusable AI output.
Here’s what to prepare:
- Brand guidelines: Your logo usage, colors, and visual identity. Claude can reference these when generating content for different formats.
- Tone of voice: How do you sound? Conversational? Data-driven? Direct with a touch of humor? Write this down in a short paragraph or a list of adjectives with examples.
- Content strategy: What topics do you cover? Who is your target audience? What’s the goal of your content: SEO traffic, lead generation, or thought leadership?
- Content briefs: Each piece of content should have a brief that includes the target keyword, audience, key points to cover, word count, and any first-hand examples or data you want included.
The more specific your inputs, the better Claude’s outputs. Garbage in, garbage out.
Claude Chat vs. Claude Project: What’s the Difference?
Before diving into the setup, it helps to understand the difference between the two ways you can use Claude for content.
Claude Chat is the standard conversation mode. You type your prompt in the Chat, and Claude spits out the finished content. For simple, one-off content that doesn’t need a repeatable process, Claude Chat is perfectly fine.
For example, I just need a one-liner for my LinkedIn account, so I just used the normal chat.
Claude Project is a persistent, structured workspace designed for repeatable workflows. You set custom instructions once, upload your knowledge resources and content examples, and every chat within that project carries that context forward.
For blog posts like this, I have a Claude Project. Here’s a screenshot of what my Claude Project looks like for creating a blog post for this site.
I have specific projects for each client and for each type of content.
How to Use Claude for Content Creation with Claude Project
Here’s the step-by-step workflow we use at IreneChan.co. This is the same system I built to increase our SEO traffic by 156% while publishing consistently with a small team.
Step 1: Write Your Custom Instructions
This is the most important step. Your custom instructions tell Claude who you are, how you write, and what you never want to see in your content.
Include:
- Your brand name and what you do
- Your target audience (be specific: “early-stage SaaS founders,” not just “startups”)
- Your tone of voice with examples
- Formatting rules (e.g., H2 and H3 only, short paragraphs, no em dashes)
- Things to avoid (corporate jargon, filler phrases, overly formal language)
Think of this as the briefing document you’d give a new writer on their first day.
Step 2: Upload Your Knowledge Resources
Your knowledge base is what makes Claude sound like you, not like a generic AI. Upload:
- Previous blog posts that represent your best work
- Your brand guidelines document
- Your content strategy or editorial calendar
- Any research, case studies, or data you want Claude to reference
Step 3: Upload Your Best Content Examples
This is the “few-shot” method. Instead of describing your tone with adjectives, you show Claude what good looks like. Upload 5 to 10 of your best-performing articles or posts. Claude will study the structure, voice, and patterns and replicate them.
I also try my best to upload my original content where I didn’t use any AI, so I can retain my original tone of voice as much as possible.
Step 4: Connect MCPs If Needed
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It lets Claude connect directly to external tools like Notion, Google Drive, or your CMS.
If your team works in Notion or stores briefs in Google Drive, connecting those tools lets Claude pull context directly, without manual copy-pasting. For example, I connect Tactiq’s MCP to gain insights from my call transcripts and use them to create content.
This step is optional but worth exploring as your workflow matures.
Step 5: Share the Content Brief to Generate the Output
Once your project is set up, this is where the magic happens. Paste your content brief into a new chat within the project. Include:
- Target keyword and secondary keywords
- Word count
- Key points to cover (if you have the full outline, share it)
- Any first-hand examples or data you want included
- Any internal links to weave in
The more detailed your brief, the stronger the first draft. I personally start with my own outline. For example, I started outlining this article before I went to Claude Projects.
Step 6: Copy and Paste the Content
Paste Claude’s output into your CMS or document editor. Don’t skip straight to publishing. This is a draft, not a finished article.
You can either use Claude’s artifact. The artifact opens up on the side panel. You can either copy and paste it into a Google Doc or open it in Google Drive.
Step 7: Start Editing
This step is non-negotiable. Edit for accuracy, voice, and relevance. Add personal anecdotes, remove anything that sounds generic, and make sure every sentence earns its place.
Claude is a strong first-draft engine, but your expertise and experience are what make the content worth reading. For example, I didn’t use the original introduction that Claude wrote for me. It sounds so similar to the introduction in the previous blog posts (that’s the tendency of a Claude Project sometimes!).
Step 8: Go Back to the Chat for Rewrites
If a section doesn’t land right, go back to the chat and provide the prompt: specify the section you want rewritten and what should replace it.
Claude usually rewrites everything from scratch, so you have to tell it/him/her (whichever gender is Claude for you) specifically to write only the specific section that you want.
Step 9: Final Edit and Verify Accuracy
Before publishing, do one final pass. Check every statistic, claim, and tool reference for accuracy. Claude can occasionally get details wrong, especially on recent data or niche topics. Your name is on the article: verify everything.
For SEO articles, make sure to link to other blog posts and to external sites.
Best Practices for Using Claude for Content Creation
Getting good results from Claude consistently comes down to a few habits:
- Provide a very detailed brief: Vague inputs produce vague outputs. Include the keyword, audience, angle, examples, and word count every time.
- Use first-hand examples and data: Claude can’t invent your client results or your personal experiments. Feed it your real data, and it will weave them into the content naturally.
- Cite your sources: If you want Claude to reference a statistic or study, paste the source into the brief. Don’t ask Claude to find data on its own for factual claims.
- Edit, edit, edit: No matter how good the output is, your editing is what transforms a decent draft into a great article. Factor editing time into your content schedule.
If you want to take this further and use Claude specifically for SEO and GEO audits, that’s a separate workflow worth exploring for technical content reviews.
Start Building Your Content Workflow with Claude
Using Claude for content creation is about removing the friction between your ideas and the published page, not replacing your voice. With Claude Projects set up properly, your brand voice, your examples, and your strategy are always loaded and ready. You spend less time repeating yourself and more time on the work only you can do.
If you’re curious how AI tools for startup founders fit together into a broader content stack, that’s a good next read.
FAQs About Using Claude for Content Creation
When should I use Claude Project for creating content?
Use Claude Project when you’re publishing content regularly and need consistency in voice and format. If you’re producing one or more pieces per week, the upfront setup time pays off quickly. Claude Chat is fine for one-off tasks that don’t need a repeatable process.
What types of content can I create with Claude?
Blog posts, LinkedIn posts, email newsletters, social media captions, product descriptions, FAQs, video scripts, and more. Claude is especially strong for long-form written content with a clear structure.
How is Claude different from ChatGPT for content creation?
Claude follows instructions more precisely and drifts less from your formatting rules. The bigger differentiator is Claude Projects, a structured workspace built for repeatable content workflows.
What is Claude’s context window, and why does it matter for content?
Claude Projects has a 200K token context window, roughly equivalent to a 500-page book. A large context window means Claude can retain more of your brand context at once, producing more consistent outputs across all content.
How do I know if Claude’s output is accurate?
You don’t, until you verify it. Claude can generate plausible-sounding but incorrect information, especially on recent events or niche topics. Always fact-check statistics, tool names, pricing, and any specific claims before publishing.
