Why Learning AI Isn’t Free, But Worth It

I've spent the last few weeks playing around and creating AI agents on Relay.app, and honestly? It's been eye-opening. I'm no expert yet, but even fumbling through the basics has taught me something important: learning this stuff costs money. And yet, the possibilities for marketing are huge.

Image credit: BotSpace

Nobody Tells You About the Price Tag

AI tutorials make everything look so simple and free. Spoiler alert! It's not!

First, there's the subscriptions. ChatGPT is great for brainstorming campaign ideas and mapping out content, but if you want to do anything more serious, you need the paid version. Then there are the creative tools like Google Veo 3, PixVerse and Kling. Whatever you're using to generate or animate videos. Every time you render something, tweak the resolution, or add an animation, you're burning through credits.

Want to auto-post to your social media accounts like LinkedIn or X/Twiiter? That's another layer. You'll need to mess around with APIs and webhooks, and sometimes that means paying for extra licenses or integration connectors.

And here's the kicker…nothing works perfectly the first time. You test. You break things. You test again. Each attempt eats up more credits. The costs add up fast, and suddenly your "free learning" project has a bill attached.

What I'm Actually Using Relay.app For

Relay.app has made this whole experiment feel more practical. It connects AI to the actual work I do in marketing, which is where things get interesting.

I can set up a workflow that triggers when a blog post goes live, use AI to create different versions of copy for various channels, and add a review step so my team can approve everything before it goes out. I can plug in APIs to connect with a CRM or ad platforms, and build conditions that let me segment audiences or personalize campaigns.

It's not magic. It's just automation that actually makes sense for marketing. Instead of manually reformatting content for five different platforms, the system does the grunt work while I focus on strategy.

What I've Built So Far

Relay.app home console. As you can see, there are errors during my runs.

Here are a few workflows I've put together:

Content amplification: When a new blog post publishes (from a website of your choosing), it automatically creates posts for LinkedIn and X with AI-generated captions tailored to each platform.

Video to post: When a YouTube video goes live, it pulls the transcript, summarizes it, and sends me a draft post to review before publishing.

Campaign variations: I can generate multiple copy versions for different audience segments, ready to drop into A/B tests.

Each one costs credits. Each one takes time to set up. But once they're running, they save me hours every week.

Sample of a workflow step using prompt to summarize a transcript from a YouTube video to social posting content.

Is It Worth the Investment?

Look, not gonna lie. This isn't cheap. But for marketers, the return is real.

You can repurpose content across platforms in minutes instead of hours. You can segment audiences and personalize messaging without drowning in spreadsheets. You can move faster on campaigns because you're not bogged down in repetitive tasks.

I'm not trying to become some AI engineer here. I just want to understand how these tools can help me do better marketing at scale. Every workflow I build clarifies how automation can boost efficiency and results.

Learning AI costs money, sure. But it feels like I'm building something that'll give me an edge down the road. And in marketing, that edge matters.

What about you? Have you try bulding an AI Agent? Let me know!

P/S: This is not a paid article by relay.app

Which AI Wins in This "Triple Threat" AI Battle?

Let's be honest, the AI landscape feels like a never-ending fighting match between heavyweights ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Grok (and many more) doesn't it? Everyone's declaring a themselves a winner. But what if I told you the real victor isn't an AI model, but YOU? That's right, after spending considerable time putting these heavyweights to the test in my daily digital marketing grind, I've come to a fascinating conclusion: it's less about who's "best" and more about who's "best for you."

Image generated using DALL-E

I've been using these AI for various tasks, integrating them into my workflows and tasks to see where they truly shine. Here’s a peek into my personal usage:

• ChatGPT: This has become my go-to for almost anything. From answering daily questions and diving into research to tackling complex calculations and organizing data, ChatGPT has proven itself incredibly versatile.
• Google Gemini: When I need to dig deep into marketing research, especially for tasks like SWOT analysis or detailed competitor breakdowns, Gemini seems to offer a more comprehensive output. Its ability to integrate with Google's vast knowledge base really stands out here.
• Grok: For quick-fire daily questions and direct comparison prompts (like "what's the difference between X, Y, and Z?"), Grok is surprisingly agile. It's great for getting immediate, concise answers.

To give you a clearer picture of my experience across the three, here's a detailed comparison with scoring on some key areas:

Disclaimer: AI comparison table with scores are solely based on my personal usage and experience.

Summary and Overall Findings:

My journey with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Grok has been incredibly insightful. ChatGPT continues to be a robust all-rounder, excelling in general content creation and complex queries due to its strong language capabilities and user-friendly interface. Gemini truly shines when it comes to detailed research and tasks that benefit from its seamless integration with Google's vast information ecosystem and productivity tools. Its growing multimodal capabilities are a definite plus for comprehensive marketing efforts. Grok, while having a distinct personality and real-time social media awareness, is more of a niche player for quick, trending insights, but its accuracy can be a trade-off.

The "propensity to hallucinate" is a common thread across all three, though the sources of potential misinformation vary. This underscores the critical need for human oversight and verification, regardless of which AI you're using.

The True Winner of the AI Battle? You!

Ultimately, the "winner" of the AI battle isn't fixed. It's not about one AI dominating all others. Instead, the true victor is the user. Each AI has its unique strengths and weaknesses, much like tools in a comprehensive toolbox. Your success hinges on understanding these nuances and, most importantly, crafting effective prompts that guide the AI to deliver the desired outcome. The better you understand what each AI is good at, and how to ask the right questions, the more powerful and useful your results will be.

What about you? What AI do you use as your daily go-to and why?

Google AI Mode. Adapt or Disappear from Search Results

Google is bringing something huge to the table, and it’s called AI Mode. This isn't just a small tweak; it's a massive shift in how we all search and find stuff online. You know how you used to type something into Google and get a list of links? Well, that's changing.

Image credit: Google Blog

Think of AI Mode like your super smart assistant, powered by Google's Gemini AI. Instead of just giving you links, it actually answers your questions. You can ask it complicated stuff, even chat back and forth, and it'll pull info from everywhere – text, photos, videos – to give you a complete, human-like answer right there on the search page. It’s like it’s done all the digging for you!

So, what does this mean for your brand and your online presence? Big, big news.

1. Why Your Website Might Get Fewer Traffic and Clicks

Your old SEO playbook might be outdated! This is the tough pill to swallow. If Google’s AI gives someone a full, direct answer to their question, why would they need to click your website link? They probably won’t. This means a drop in your organic click-through rates (CTR). We’re talking about "zero-click searches" becoming more common. If people aren't clicking, that's fewer eyeballs on your site, right?

2. What About Your Ad Money (PPC)?

Now, this is an interesting one. Google's not just going to leave ads out; they're putting them right into those AI answers (watch the AI Mode video above know more). That will be a new spot to be seen, which could be great, but it also means advertisers are going to fight like crazy for those prime AI-powered spots. This could push up your Cost Per Click (CPC) for the most valuable ad placements. Also, if users get their answers from the AI, they might scroll less, making traditional ads at the bottom of the page less effective. You'll need to be super smart about how you bid now.

3. Forget Optimizing Keywords, Start Thinking "Why" (Intent and semantic based)

This is where the game truly changes. Just stuffing your website with keywords isn't enough anymore. Google's AI is smart enough to understand the "why" behind your search. It’s about user intent.

Let's say someone searches for "best running shoes for flat feet." They're not just looking for words; they're looking for guidance. If your website has a detailed guide on choosing shoes and shows them where to buy, you're hitting that intent. The AI can then help them ask more questions, like "which brand is best?" – and your content needs to be ready to answer.

Or, imagine someone just types "Apple." Simple, right? But the AI, being super smart, looks at other things they've searched for recently. If they looked up "iPhone 15 reviews" or "MacBook Pro," the AI knows they mean Apple Inc. If they just searched "healthy recipes" or "fruit salad," the AI knows they mean the fruit. This is called semantic targeting – understanding the deeper meaning, not just the exact words. Your website content needs to make sense, deeply!

So What You Can Do Right Now?

It’s not entirely doom and gloom. Here’s how you start preparing:

• Become the Ultimate Expert: Google’s AI loves authority. Make sure your website clearly shows who is writing the content and that they know their stuff. Build trust, get good reviews, and make sure Google knows you're the real deal.
• Give Direct Answers, Fast: When you write for your website, imagine someone asking a question, and answer it directly, right at the top. Use bold headings, clear lists, and short paragraphs. Make it super easy for the AI to grab your info.
• Build Your Website Like a Smart Library: Don't just have random pages. Think of a big main topic (like "everything about coffee"). Then, create smaller, detailed pages that link back to it (like "how to brew espresso," "types of coffee beans"). This tells Google's AI you're a true deep expert on the subject.
• Boost Your Brand's Overall Buzz: The AI looks at everything. So, keep your online reputation sparkling clean. Get good reviews, get mentioned by other reputable sites, and use videos and pictures on your site – the AI loves all kinds of media.
• Watch and Learn, Always: Don't just focus on old metrics. See if the AI is mentioning your brand, how much traffic you're getting from those AI-driven searches, and if those users are actually converting. Keep testing new ideas, because this AI thing is moving fast.

The digital game has changed. Google AI Mode isn't just coming; it's here. Adapt your strategy, focus on being truly helpful and authoritative, or risk fading into the digital background. Your move!

How do you think this will impact your brand or business?