Saved $18K a Year with Make.com and ChatGPT
An internal case study proving that AI-powered automation can consistently publish high-quality, SEO-optimized content, eliminating massive copywriting costs.
TL;DR
We were paying $75 per article. $3,600 annually just in copywriting, closer to $18K when you factor in coordination, editing, and publishing time. So we built an AI content engine using Make.com, GPT-4, and Typeform. Now topics go in, published SEO-optimized posts come out. 4X content velocity, 99% manual work eliminated, $18K saved. We run on our own automation.
Key Takeaways
- 1.Calculate true content costs including coordination, editing, and publishing. Not just raw writing fees.
- 2.Deploy structured input via Typeform capturing keywords, links, and brand voice requirements.
- 3.Engineer custom GPT-4 prompts that match your specific brand voice and SEO patterns.
- 4.Build end-to-end pipelines. Topic goes to AI generation goes to Google Drive goes to WordPress publish.
- 5.Eat your own cooking. We built this for ourselves first, then opened it to clients.
The Challenge: $75 Per Article Was Unsustainable
Content marketing is non-negotiable for demonstrating expertise. But at $75 per article, publishing four posts monthly cost $300/month, or $3,600 annually in raw copywriting fees. Factor in coordination, editing, and publishing time, and the true cost approached $18,000 per year.
We faced a classic scaling problem: the more we grew, the more content we needed, and the more expensive it became. Something had to change.
The Content Cost Crisis
Companies publishing 16+ blog posts per month get 3.5X more traffic than those publishing 0-4. But at $75-150 per article, that level of output costs $15,000-30,000/year. Often more than the ROI justifies.
Beyond cost, two critical factors were failing:
- Time drain: Manual editing and publishing choked the content pipeline, taking 2-3 hours per post
- Consistency collapse: Weekly publishing schedules were aspirational, not operational. We'd miss weeks at a time
- Quality variance: Different writers meant inconsistent brand voice and SEO optimization
- Scalability ceiling: Adding more content meant adding more cost linearly
“Human labor in low-margin content production doesn't scale. Every hour spent on repetitive content tasks is an hour not spent on strategy. The math demands automation.”
The Solution: Autonomous Content Pipeline
We built this system for ourselves first, then opened it to clients. An end-to-end AI content engine that takes topic input and delivers published, SEO-optimized blog posts without human intervention.
Important Note
AI-generated content still requires human oversight for accuracy and brand alignment. Our system automates 99% of the work but includes optional review checkpoints.
Phase 1: Structured Input System
The foundation: a clean data capture system that feeds the AI with exactly what it needs.
- Typeform frontend: Clean interface capturing blog topics, primary/secondary keywords, and internal/external links
- Google Sheets tracking: Central record for content pipeline visibility and status updates
- Validation rules: Ensures all required fields are populated before triggering automation
Phase 2: AI Content Generation
The intelligence layer: custom-engineered prompts that produce consistent, high-quality output.
- GPT-4 integration: Engineered prompts instructing AI to generate SEO-optimized outlines and full posts
- Brand voice training: Custom system prompts that maintain our tone, style, and formatting preferences
- SEO best practices: Built-in requirements for headers, keyword density, meta descriptions, and internal linking
- Length control: Configurable word count targets (1,500-3,000 words typical)
Prompt Engineering Matters
The difference between generic AI content and publishable AI content is in the prompts. We spent 40+ hours refining our prompt architecture to match human-quality output.
Phase 3: Automated Publishing Pipeline
The entire system runs on Make.com. Topic enters Typeform → AI generates content → Google Drive organizes assets → CMS publishes automatically.
- Zero manual copying: Content flows directly from AI to CMS
- Asset organization: Generated content automatically saved to organized folder structure
- Scheduling flexibility: Publish immediately or queue for optimal timing
- Error handling: Failed steps trigger notifications for human intervention
Phase 4: Quality Assurance Layer
Optional but recommended: human checkpoints for critical content.
- Draft review stage: Content pauses for human approval before publishing
- Fact-checking prompts: AI flags claims that may need verification
- Brand alignment check: Quick scan for off-brand language or tone
- SEO validation: Automated checks for keyword presence and meta data
The Results: $18K Saved, 4X Output, 99% Automation
The system delivered immediate, measurable impact:
The Bottom Line
What used to cost the same as a part-time employee now runs for less than the cost of a single outsourced article. We don't just sell automation. We run on it.
Breakdown of Impact
- $18,000 annual savings: Compared to fully-burdened manual copywriting costs
- 4X content velocity: Weekly publishing now operational, not aspirational
- 99% manual work eliminated: Data entry, writing, formatting, scheduling. All automated
- Consistent quality: Every post follows SEO best practices and brand voice guidelines
- Scalable infrastructure: Adding more content costs pennies, not dollars
“We went from struggling to publish once a month to effortlessly publishing weekly. The content quality is indistinguishable from our manually-written posts, and our organic traffic has grown 340% year-over-year.”
Tech Stack
- •
- •OpenAI GPT-4
- •Typeform
- •Google Sheets
- •Google Drive
- •WordPress/Sanity
Your Content Costs Are Eating Your Margins
If you're paying $50-150 per article, or worse, not publishing consistently because it's too expensive, the math is broken. Every month you delay is a month your competitors are building organic traffic that you're not.
We build AI content systems that fix the economics permanently, custom-tailored to your brand voice, SEO strategy, and publishing workflow.