How I Automated My Social Media Without Sounding Like a Robot

There's this promise floating around that you can "set it and forget it" with AI content. Just plug in a script, let it run, and watch your social media grow while you sleep.

I believed that too. Then I spent $7 on tokens generating content I had to delete.

I run The Biz Spark, an AI implementation consulting business. I help small businesses actually use AI, not just talk about it. So when I decided to automate my own Threads content, I figured I'd be good at this. I wasn't. At least not at first.

Here's what I actually learned building a content automation system that doesn't make me look like a bot.

The First Version Was Trash

My first attempt was simple. Python script, hardcoded list of topics, basic AI generation. Press a button, get content.

The result? Generic, repetitive posts that all sounded the same. I'm talking "AI is transforming business" level stuff. The kind of content that makes you scroll past without a second thought.

I burned through $7 in tokens, which was half of what I'd initially put in, on content I ended up deleting. At one point I had 200 posts sitting in my review queue. When I finally went through them, I deleted about 70% because they were either duplicates or so similar it didn't matter.

That was an expensive lesson. Automation without guardrails just creates expensive garbage.

What Actually Fixed It

The Persona Problem

Here's the thing about AI. It doesn't know how you talk. It doesn't know you're sarcastic. It doesn't know you prefer being blunt over being polished. It just writes like... AI.

I had to explicitly define my voice in the prompts. Things like "sarcastic, dry, blunt but not mean" and "be direct and fact-based." I even had to write out my core beliefs, the things I actually care about, so the AI would stop generating generic hype content.

One specific thing: I had to ban em dashes. Turns out there's a trend on Threads where em dashes are a dead giveaway that content is AI generated. Apparently ChatGPT loves them. People see an em dash now and their brain just flags it as "AI slop" and keeps scrolling. So I added "NO em dashes" to every single prompt.

This took weeks of tweaking. I'd generate content, notice something that didn't sound like me, update the prompts, and try again. Eventually the posts started sounding like something I'd actually write.

The Context Problem

My original hardcoded topic list was the other issue. When you're generating content about "AI tools for small business" with no other context, you get the same generic takes over and over.

I added RSS feeds from tech news sites so the educational content would reference what's actually happening in the industry. I also connected the script to my own blog's sitemap so when it generates promotional posts, it's pulling from real content I've written, not making things up.

The difference was immediate. Instead of "AI can help your business" I started getting posts that referenced specific news, specific tools, specific situations.

The Quality Problem

I also turned on extended thinking in the AI API calls. Costs more tokens, but the output quality jumped noticeably. I ran the script right after enabling it and could see the difference immediately.

When you're not deleting 70% of your output, the extra token cost pays for itself. I went from spending $7 on garbage to spending $3 on content I actually use.

The Human in the Loop

Here's where I'll be honest. I don't just let this thing post whatever it wants.

The Review System

I built a mobile review interface, basically a simple Vue page connected to Supabase where all the generated posts queue up. I can approve, edit, or delete from my phone. This was intentional. I'm not always at my desk. I wanted to be able to review content while I'm at my parents' house, buying groceries, watching Netflix, wherever.

When I first started, I was editing basically every post. The approval rate was close to zero. Now I'm at about 70% approval. The other 30% I either tweak or delete entirely. That's the part AI can't replace: the judgment call on whether something is actually good.

Rules That Keep It Human

I also added quiet hours. The script doesn't post between midnight and 6am because I wouldn't be posting then anyway. If your automation is doing things you wouldn't do manually, it's going to look automated.

The Content Mix That Works

Not everyone connects to the same type of content. Some people want tips and stats. Some people want to see the behind the scenes of running a business. Some people just want to laugh.

I landed on a split:

• 50% educational content
• 25% behind the scenes
• 15% humor
• 10% promotional

The 10% promotional was intentional. I'm running a business, not a charity. But nobody wants a feed that's all "check out my blog" posts. So I keep it low and make sure those posts actually provide value. They pull content from my real blog posts instead of just being ads.

This ratio keeps the feed feeling human while still driving traffic where I need it.

Where It's At Now

The system runs every hour, on the half hour. It respects the Threads API limits, which I believe is around 20 posts per day, because I'm not trying to get my account suspended. I've seen people post every 10 minutes and I'm guessing they've already dealt with the consequences.

$3 in tokens now produces quality content that I actually use. The duplicate detection I added catches posts that are 85% similar to existing ones before they even hit my review queue. No more wading through 200 identical posts.

And yes, I review from my phone while watching Netflix. That's the whole point.

The Actual Takeaway

Automation isn't about removing yourself from the process. It's about removing the parts that don't need you.

What doesn't need you:

• Scheduling
• Drafting initial content
• Posting at consistent times

What still needs a human:

• Voice
• Judgment
• Quality control

(Probably always will)

The goal isn't to replace yourself. It's to let AI handle the busywork so you can focus on actually running your business. That's what I do for my clients, and that's what I built for myself.

If you want help building something similar for your business, reach out. I promise I won't just hand you a script and wish you luck.