The three-sentence test for spotting AI-sounding copy before your readers do
A quick self-edit pass that catches the stiff phrasing and empty transitions that make copy feel machine-written.
By the markmetAI Team ·
Readers can tell when copy was generated and not edited, even when they can't articulate why. It usually comes down to a small set of patterns that show up whether the draft came from a person rushing or a model with no editing pass. Here's a fast test: read any three consecutive sentences out loud. If they fail on any of these counts, they need a rewrite.
1. Does every sentence add new information?
AI-sounding copy often restates the previous sentence in slightly different words to hit a length target. "Our platform helps you grow. It's designed to support your growth." That second sentence said nothing the first didn't. If a sentence could be deleted without losing meaning, delete it.
2. Would a person actually say this out loud?
Phrases like "in today's fast-paced digital landscape" or "unlock your full potential" don't appear in real conversation. They're filler that sounds like confidence but reads as generic. Read the line back as if explaining it to a colleague at lunch. If it sounds like a keynote slide, rewrite it plainly.
3. Is there a specific, checkable claim, or just a vibe?
"We deliver exceptional results" is a vibe. "We cut response time from 48 hours to under 4" is a claim. Generic copy leans on vibes because they're safe and require no evidence. Specific claims are riskier to write but are what actually persuades, because they're falsifiable and therefore believable.
Why this matters beyond the reader's gut feeling
Generic, AI-sounding copy doesn't just read poorly; it also underperforms on the metrics that matter, and it tends to get skipped by the same AI answer engines it was meant to reach, since they favor specific, extractable claims over vague ones. Vague claims don't answer the objections a real buyer has, so they don't move anyone closer to a decision. The fix isn't avoiding AI in the drafting process; it's making sure every draft gets a specific, human editing pass before it goes out, checking exactly these three things. Our Content & Social team runs every draft through this same pass before it ships.
Want copy that passes the test?
Our Content agent drafts from your voice, then a specialist pass edits until it reads like a person wrote it.
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