What is content automation?
Content automation is software that handles repeated publishing tasks: finding and reading sources, writing a draft, checking it against those sources, attaching an image and publishing it to the site on a schedule. The work still happens, but nobody has to sit and do it every time.
Content automation differs from an AI writer, which waits for a prompt and returns one draft while you keep the research, the checking and the publishing. It also differs from content marketing automation, which schedules and distributes writing that already exists.
Which half of content creation should you automate?
Automated content generation has a bad name because many tools automate the writing and leave out the research and the checking. Those are the expensive steps to do by hand and the cheap ones to fake, so a lot of automated content is faked. This is where the line sits.
Finding and reading the sources
Research is on by default at the time of writing, and every source it reads is cited inline. This is the tedious, mechanical part of publishing.
The first full draft
One line in, one article out: a topic, a list, a brief or a URL goes in, and the article comes back in the voice and reading level the publication has set.
Checking the draft against its own sources
Each claim is checked against the sources the article itself used. Any unresolved problem is named on the article in amber rather than hidden behind a green tick.
The picture, and the disclosure
An on-topic image per article, and the EU AI Act Article 50 disclosure where one is owed.
Putting it on the site, on time
Your topics, your times, per site. Seven CMS platforms, or Markdown and HTML if you would rather take it away.
Deciding a topic is worth covering
You set the sections a publication covers, and Mastheads finds what to write about inside them. You decide which subjects your publication covers. That editorial judgement stays with you.
Writing something it cannot source
A topic it cannot find real pages for is not written, because a confident article with nothing behind it is worse than no article.
Hiding what it could not check
Some things a check cannot settle. Mastheads names those on the article as not recorded, in the customer's own words, and does not pass them quietly.
Being nobody's responsibility
Every article carries a named byline, and a publication set to publish unattended names an editor of record. Automation does not remove the person accountable for what went out.
In Mastheads, content automation is a setting.
Mastheads is source-backed article writing with ten editorial desks behind it. Content automation is one of the ways you can run it: set the sections a publication covers, set the times, and articles arrive written, checked, illustrated and ready. Most people leave review switched on and read the articles first. Review is the default, and turning it off is a decision you make per publication, with a named editor of record attached to it.
You can also run Mastheads with no automation at all: ask for one article in one line and read it when it lands. The same ten editorial desks run either way. AI content automation and content generation services are two ways to use the same engine, and you do not choose a mode before you start.
Content automation questions, answered
What is content automation?
Content automation is software that handles repeated publishing tasks: finding and reading sources, writing a draft, checking it against those sources, attaching an image and publishing it to the site on a schedule. The work still happens without a person doing it each time. Mastheads writes source-backed articles through ten editorial desks, and content automation is one way to run it.
How does content automation work?
Content automation uses software for each repeated step of publishing, and you set the topics and schedule. In Mastheads, research is on by default and every source it reads is cited inline. Mastheads writes the draft in the publication's chosen voice and reading level, then checks each claim against the sources the article used. It attaches an image and publishes the article to your site at the times you chose.
How is content automation different from an AI writer?
An AI writer waits for a prompt and returns one draft, so you still research it, check it, find a picture, open the CMS and press publish. Content automation, as Mastheads does it, covers all of those steps, which is why automated content generation and content publishing automation are usually talked about together.
Is content automation the same as content marketing automation?
No. Content marketing automation schedules and distributes content somebody has already written, such as emails, posts and sequences. Content automation, the part Mastheads covers, is about the writing and the publishing themselves. A team can want one without the other.
What should content automation never do?
Content automation should never write something it could not source, and it should never hide what it could not check. Those two failures turn automated content into a liability instead of a saving. Mastheads does not write a topic it cannot find real pages for, and it names on the article what a check could not settle. A tool that cannot tell you where a sentence came from has automated the wrong half of the job.
Does automated content rank?
Automated content is judged like any other content: Google's guidance is about whether content is helpful and original, not about how it was produced. What sinks it in practice is that it is thin, unsourced and says nothing a reader could not get elsewhere. Content automation and SEO only agree when the automation is doing real research, which is why Mastheads researches by default and cites every source it reads inline.
Does automated content cite its sources and get fact-checked?
Mastheads researches each automated article by default and cites every source it reads inline. Each claim is then checked against the sources the article itself used. Any unresolved problem is named on the article in amber instead of hidden behind a green tick.
Can I keep a person in the loop with content automation?
Mastheads content automation keeps a person in the loop by default: articles are written and wait for your review. You can switch on unattended publishing per publication, with a named editor of record accountable for it. Every article also carries a named byline.
Is Mastheads a content automation platform?
Mastheads can be run as a content automation platform. It is source-backed article writing with ten editorial desks, and automation is one of the ways to use it: you set the sections a publication covers and the times, and articles arrive written, checked, illustrated and ready. You can also run the same desks with no automation, by asking for one article in one line.
Which platforms can content automation publish to?
Mastheads content automation publishes to seven platforms: WordPress.org, WordPress.com, Ghost, Webflow, Shopify, HubSpot and GoHighLevel. You can also use it fully without connecting a platform and export articles as Markdown or HTML.
Does content automation add images and an AI disclosure?
Yes. Mastheads attaches an on-topic image to each article and adds the EU AI Act Article 50 disclosure where one is owed. Content automation handles these two repeated steps for you.
Does content automation work in languages other than English?
Yes. Mastheads content automation writes articles natively in the language you set, rather than writing in English first and translating afterwards. The press style of that language applies to the article itself.
Can I try content automation for free?
Yes. Every new Mastheads account gets a free trial of content automation with 10 articles over 7 days, with no card required, and nothing is scheduled until you say so. Start by asking for one article in one line, using a topic, a list, a brief or a URL, then read the article and its sources.
Try it on one article first.
Ask for something in one line and read what comes back, sources and all. Nothing is scheduled until you say so.
Start free