Most of us in marketing are running on empty these days. The constant demand for fresh content across an ever-growing list of channels has left even the most experienced marketers feeling stretched thin. We're all trying to do more with less, and it's exhausting.
That's why HubSpot's latest AI innovations feel like such a breath of fresh air. Their new Freeform Prompting in Content Remix and "Start with AI" campaign builder are game-changers for how we approach content creation and campaign development.
Remember the first wave of AI content tools? They were helpful but limiting—like ordering from a set menu when you're craving something specific that isn't listed. You could transform content, but only in predetermined ways.
HubSpot's Freeform Prompting changes that dynamic completely. Now you can simply tell the AI exactly what you want in plain language. Need to turn a technical whitepaper into something your non-technical audience will actually read? Want to extract just the sustainability bits from your annual report? Just ask for it directly. No more working around the tool's limitations.
Behind the scenes, there's been a significant leap in how the AI understands natural language. It now grasps context, tone, and intent in a way that earlier versions simply couldn't manage.
The AI now thinks more like an actual content strategist and less like a rigid transformer. The result is a tool that can handle the complex, nuanced content challenges we face every day.
Here's where Freeform Prompting shines in everyday marketing work:
Need to turn that dense case study into a series of engaging LinkedIn posts? Previously, you'd need to extract the key points manually, rewrite them for social, and then format everything appropriately. Now, a single prompt can handle the entire process, saving hours of work.
We've all been there—searching through a 30-page document to find the three paragraphs relevant to our current project. With Freeform Prompting, you can simply ask for "all sections related to customer retention metrics" and get exactly what you need.
Content often needs to be reworked for different segments. Now you can take your general product description and quickly adapt it for specific industries or regions without starting from scratch each time.
Perhaps most useful is the ability to expand content in specific directions: "Take this product announcement and develop three additional sections highlighting benefits for marketing, sales, and customer service teams."
While saving time is great, the real impact comes from how this changes your workflow:
If Freeform Prompting makes content creation more flexible, HubSpot's "Start with AI" makes campaign development dramatically faster. Currently in private beta, this feature promises to transform how we approach campaign planning.
We all know how campaign development typically goes:
By the time you launch, the market has often moved on, or your team is too exhausted to execute with enthusiasm. It's a process ripe for reinvention.
HubSpot's campaign AI compresses this entire process by generating comprehensive campaign frameworks from minimal inputs. You provide a brief description of what you're trying to achieve, maybe upload some background materials, and within minutes, you have a structured campaign outline ready for refinement.
A typical AI-generated campaign includes all the essentials:
While getting a campaign framework in minutes rather than weeks is impressive, the strategic advantages go deeper:
We all have our go-to campaign approaches and favorite channels. AI-generated campaigns incorporate data from thousands of successful campaigns, potentially identifying effective approaches you might not have considered.
Many teams still plan in silos—email in one meeting, social in another, content in a third. HubSpot's AI naturally takes an integrated approach, ensuring consistency while respecting each channel's unique characteristics.
By suggesting the most effective asset mix for your specific objectives, "Start with AI" helps you focus production efforts where they'll have the greatest impact.
The speed of campaign generation enables a more experimental approach. You can quickly develop multiple campaign variations, test different approaches, and apply learnings in near real-time.
While each of these AI tools is valuable on its own, together they represent a fundamental shift in how marketing teams can operate.
Traditional marketing follows a linear path: plan, create, distribute, measure, repeat. HubSpot's new AI tools enable a more fluid approach where planning, creation, and optimization happen in overlapping cycles.
When content creation and campaign development no longer consume massive resources, your thinking naturally shifts from "what can we afford to do?" to "what would be most effective?"
As AI handles more of the execution work, you can elevate your focus to higher-level questions: Which markets should we prioritize? How should our messaging evolve? What emerging channels deserve our attention?
If you're looking to leverage these capabilities, here are some practical considerations:
Many of your current marketing processes probably exist because content creation and campaign development were previously so labor-intensive. It's worth revisiting these processes to eliminate unnecessary steps.
As you can launch campaigns faster and iterate content more quickly, your measurement approach needs to keep pace. Quarterly review cycles may no longer be sufficient when you can make significant changes weekly or even daily.
These tools are impressive, but they're just the beginning. Looking ahead, we can expect:
Future iterations will likely enable even more precise audience targeting, potentially generating dozens of campaign variations simultaneously for different segments.
As AI systems analyze more campaigns, they'll develop increasingly sophisticated understanding of what works for specific industries, audiences, and objectives.
Rather than simply suggesting campaign structures, future AI tools will likely predict performance outcomes and recommend adjustments to maximize results.
For certain types of campaigns—particularly those with established patterns—we may see fully autonomous marketing operations that require only high-level approval.
As AI takes on more execution tasks, human marketers won't become obsolete—they'll be elevated. The most valuable marketing skills will shift toward:
Determining which markets, messages, and approaches deserve investment will remain fundamentally human decisions.
While AI can generate and transform content, the creative vision that guides these transformations will continue to require human creativity and brand understanding.
Ensuring that AI-powered marketing remains truthful, respectful, and aligned with your values will become increasingly important.
The human connections that underpin effective marketing—with customers, colleagues, and partners—will remain beyond AI's capabilities and increasingly valuable.
HubSpot's Freeform Prompting and "Start with AI" features represent more than just new tools, they signal a new era where technology handles the heavy lifting while human marketers focus on strategy, creativity, and relationships.
For teams struggling with limited resources and expanding demands, these AI advancements are arriving at the perfect time. They offer a path to greater productivity without sacrificing quality, more personalised communication without burning out your team, and faster market response without cutting corners.
The marketing battery that once seemed perpetually drained now has a powerful new charging system. The question isn't whether to adopt these new capabilities, it's how quickly you can integrate them into your approach before they become the industry standard.
In today's competitive landscape, these AI tools aren't just nice-to-have additions, they're becoming essential components of the modern marketing toolkit.
The future belongs to teams that can effectively blend human creativity with AI-powered execution, creating marketing that's both more efficient and more impactful than ever before.