6 Ways to Differentiate B2B Content in the Age of AI Beige

A Guide to Standing Out and Reclaiming Thought Leadership in a Saturated Market

AI content fatigue is growing. You open a LinkedIn article or a new landing page for a SaaS product, and within three seconds, your brain has shut off. Em-dashes all over the shop. Every landscape (digital or otherwise) is now fast-paced and ever-evolving.

According to the The Times, businesses have started recruiting storytellers to 'cut through the AI slop'. Cathal Morrow, a specialist recruiter from HeadlineWriters.com said “Brands understand they need to take their communications to a whole new level if they are going to cut through this endless noise. Great storytelling is definitely the way to do this but it requires human creativity and ingenuity.”

That’s why I’ve created this guide to help you differentiate your B2B AI content and reclaim your thought leadership.

Key takeaways

• The AI sameness trap: Purely generative AI often produces generic, beige content that lacks brand differentiation and makes your product feel like a commodity.

• The trust gap: Over half of consumers distrust AI-powered search results, and many feel deceived if the use of automation isn't disclosed.

• Search engine penalties: Google’s 2026 guidelines give the lowest quality ratings to content created with little original effort, prioritising human experience and first-hand expertise instead.

• The ROI of human insight: Content that features unique information like SME interviews and original data drives more traffic than AI content.

Why is differentiating your B2B content so important now?

I’m not saying B2B content has always been fun and interesting. On the contrary. When you’re balancing SEO and engagement it’s easy to get into the habit of writing for robots when you should be writing for people. People who, no matter your industry or niche, are fed up with unedited AI slop. 

Forrester recently reported that in North America, only 15% of US adults trust companies that use AI with customers. 

A report by Hookline& revealed that 82% of respondents notice AI-written content at least some of the time. Among those aged 22–34, the rate rises to 88%. Only 12% of young people said they never notice AI content.

Go back 2 spaces: AI has put us on the back foot

We, the content marketers and copywriters of B2B SaaS, started blogging not simply to sell, but to educate, help, and create trust. And we did this while sales teams told us we weren’t being salesy enough. 

Trust the process, people! You’ll see! 

And they did see. Soon our content attracted new and returning monthly readers. Maybe they weren’t ready to buy from us just yet, but they were starting to trust. That’s important as 67% of people need to trust a brand before they’ll consider buying from it. Then, the click-throughs happened. Then the conversions.

So why build all that authority and trust just to dent it? 

Here’s why: being an in-house content marketer or copywriter is a hard job. I was one. And the ugly truth is you’re probably also doing general marketing (and in my case, event planning). 

Generative AI like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini gave in-house writers a relief valve. These tools offered a way to cut workload and reduce stress. If I went back in time to my old in-house job, I’d likely jump on the opportunity of AI. 

You’re not alone. A majority (79%) of technology marketers use generative AI for content tasks and almost half (48%) use it to write first drafts according to the Content Marketing Institute.

The issue with generative AI is that it is easily recognisable. 

In 2026 that’s an issue. AI content usually signals a lack of originality and depth, which triggers both algorithmic penalties and a loss of human trust. 

Worst of all, unedited AI content chips away at your brand voice and makes you sound the same as every other brand using unedited AI (there are many). 

6 Ways to Differentiate B2B Content in the Age of AI Beige

There’s nothing wrong with using AI as an in-house content marketer or copywriter (unless we’re talking sustainability and water conservation which is another topic entirely!). 

But what makes the difference between a blog that tanks and a blog that continues to grow past the AI boom, is the way you use it.

Time to get ahead. Here are 6 ways to differentiate your B2B content in the age of AI beige and reclaim your brand’s thought leadership. 

Download the B2B Tech Content Rescue Checklist (PDF) here.

1. Strip the AI-isms

AI has ‘tells.’ It loves certain words because they are statistically safe. Aside from already hating terms like delve, comprehensive, multifaceted, or game-changer on account of how jargonny they are, AI also overuses them. And that makes them a no-go even if you’re writing from scratch. Here are some more AI tells:

Buzzwords

• Verb tells: Delve, leverage, foster, ignite, empower, uncover, unleash, underscore, and optimize.

• Adjective tells: Cutting-edge, seamless, robust, future-ready, multifaceted, comprehensive, and pivotal.

• Metaphorical tells: AI constantly describes topics as a ‘complex landscape’ that needs ‘navigating’. It also frames everything as a journey.

Predictable sentence structures

• The balanced paragraph: AI often produces paragraphs of nearly identical length, typically with three to four sentences each.

• The ‘No X. No Y. Just Z.’ pattern: AI frequently uses this rhetorical structure (e.g., ‘No fluff. No theory. Just results.’) because it’s a high-performing pattern in its training data.

• Grammatical symmetry: AI writing often lacks suboptimal or unconventional phrasing, making it feel too polished or sanitised.

There are many, many more AI tells, but I’ll get into these in a future blog.

The fix

Read your copy out loud. If you wouldn't say a sentence to a colleague over a coffee at a trade show, delete it. Replace ‘leveraging cutting-edge technology’ with ‘using tools that actually work.’

2. Insert relevant, recent research (not hallucinations)

Large language models (LLMs) are essentially high-speed parrots. They summarise the internet as it was a year or two ago. Industries like Fintech and Hospitality SaaS move on fast which makes 2023 data ancient history. Worse, AI is famous for ‘hallucinating’: making up stats that sound plausible but are pure fiction.

The fix

Ground your blog in the now. Include data and research from recent, trusted reports in your industry and link to them. Here are the most relevant reports for the hospitality industry:

• The data-driven standard: Hotel Tech Report

• Strategy & trends: Skift, EHL, Cvent Planner Sourcing and Travel Manager Reports

• Financial & performance benchmarks: STR and PwC

• Specialised niche reports: IDeaS Future Forecast or The Caterer’s Technology Buying Guide

3. Extract the SME Gems

The best insights are sitting in the heads of your Head of Product or your CEO. AI can't interview them. It doesn't know about that specific ‘aha!’ moment your team had during a difficult implementation for a 500-room resort.

The fix

Spend 15 minutes talking to your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Use their specific stories, their frustrations, and their unpopular opinions. Here are some specific tips for collecting SME insights:

1. Pre-game prep: Start with a bit of homework. Read their recent LinkedIn posts or technical docs first. Then categorise your experts. Don't ask a Sales Lead about API architecture; ask them about the specific objections they hear during demo calls. Finally, send 3–5 high-level questions 24 hours in advance.

2. High-yield interview questions: Avoid Yes/No questions. Use prompts that force them to tell stories or take a stand.

   1. The anti-generic prompt: 'I’ve seen a lot of people saying [Common Industry Trend] is the future. Why do you think that's actually a bad idea for hoteliers?' (This generates the contrarian content Google loves).

   2. The pain point drill: 'What is the one thing your customers are complaining about today that they weren't complaining about two years ago?'

   3. The magic wand question: 'If you could fix one thing about how payments are handled in the hospitality industry today with a snap of your fingers, what would it be?'

   4. The 'ELi5' (Explain Like I'm 5): 'If you were explaining this new feature to a hotel owner who still uses a paper ledger, how would you describe the benefit?'

3. During the interview - Active extraction: SMEs often speak in ‘Corporate-ese.’ Your job is to find the Human translation. 

   1. Listen for the aha! moment: When their voice gets faster or they get more animated, stop your script and follow that thread. That’s where the best insights live.

   2. The S.O.S. technique: Summarise, Outline, and Sign-off. Periodically say, 'So, if I'm hearing you correctly, the real issue isn't the tech, it's the staff training?' This ensures accuracy and gives them a chance to refine their point.

   3. Ask for proof: When they make a claim, ask: 'Do you have a specific (anonymous) story or a metric that shows this in action?'

4. Localise the nuance (the UK vs. US divide)

Most LLMs default to American Corporate. But the hospitality market in the UK is a different beast. From VAT complexities and labour shortages to the way we describe a ‘vacation’ versus a 'holiday,' the nuance matters. Ignoring this can actually make a product feel legally or operationally incompatible with the UK market.

The fix

Instead of just changing the spellings, adapt the context. If you’re selling to a UK-based hotel group, mention the specific pressures of the local hospitality sector. Here are some specific ways to adapt your content to a UK audience:

1. Cultural context: In the US, hospitality is often framed around ‘Excellence’ and ‘Service.’ In the UK, it’s frequently about ‘Efficiency,’ ‘Reliability,’ and ‘Value.’

2. Terminology swaps: If a UK Hotel GM reads ‘checking the front desk for vacationers,’ they know it’s AI or written by someone who has no idea about the UK hospitality market. Swap ‘vacationers’ or ‘travelers’ for ‘holidaymakers’ or ‘leisure guests.’ 

3. Tone-of-voice calibration: American B2B copy is often high-octane and superlative (e.g., ‘The most revolutionary, game-changing platform on the planet!’). UK audiences are naturally more cynical and prefer understatement. Dial down the hype by 20%. Instead of ‘Unlocking limitless potential,’ use ‘Providing a practical solution to…’. 

5. Empathy as your secret weapon

AI doesn’t know what it feels like when the check-in queue is out the door and the property management system (PMS) goes down. It can’t feel the relief of a Revenue Manager who finally reclaimed four hours of their week.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) found that emotional campaigns performed twice as well as rational ones. There was a 31% profitability increase for emotional content compared to 16% for rational.

The fix

Take quotes from your happiest customers and include them in your content. Focus on the stories where they’ve used your technology/services to solve a challenge. Also, replace generic claims with micro-stories:

• Instead of: ‘Our automation increases operational efficiency by 20%.’

• Try: ‘Remember that 3:00 PM rush where the front desk team looked like they were drowning? Our automated check-in means staff can focus on a warm welcome, rather than staring at a loading screen while the queue grows.’

6. Structure for humans, not just bots

AI tends to produce dense walls of text. Your audience is likely reading your blog while scrolling between meetings or checking LinkedIn on a mobile device.

The fix

If a reader can’t get the gist of your post in 15 seconds, they won’t stay for 60. Here are a few ways to structure your content for humans AND bots:

• The bottom line up front (BLUF) approach: 2026 SEO best practices favour the ‘Answer-First’ framework. Place your most important insight or a Key Takeaways box immediately under your H1 or introduction. This satisfies the skimmers and helps Google’s AI Overviews extract your content as the definitive answer.

• Use visual sign posts: AI tends to use generic headers like ‘introduction’ or ‘benefits. Humans need narrative headers. Descriptive, benefit-driven headers (think ‘How to Reclaim 4 Hours of Your Manager’s Week’) act as anchors for the eye. Even if a reader only reads your headers, they should still walk away with 80% of your message.

• Design for the thumb: On a mobile screen, a four-sentence paragraph looks like a brick. Keep paragraphs to 2–3 sentences max. If you have a list of three or more items, always use bullets. It creates essential white space that reduces cognitive load. Use simple comparison tables. A table comparing ‘Old manual process’ vs. ‘New automated flow’ is infinitely more readable than three paragraphs of explanation.

Don't let your brand become digital déjà vu

In 2026, the cost of content production has plummeted, but the cost of trust has never been higher. 

While AI can outline a blog or draft a product description for a PMS in seconds, it can't interview your CEO, it doesn't understand the specific pains of a UK GM, and it can't feel the empathy required to turn a reader into a lead.

If you’re ready to rescue your content from the flood of AI beige and start publishing experience-led insights that actually convert, I’d love to chat.

Download the B2B Tech Content Rescue Checklist (PDF) here.

Or, if you’re ready to see how a 'Human-in-the-Loop' specialist can transform your existing strategy, Book an Introductory Content Audit with me.