Can Manis AI Automate a $3 Million Content Business? My Jaw-Dropping Experiment
Just last night, I tasked Manis AI with a challenge: could it duplicate and automate the core processes of a content business that has generated substantial revenue? What I discovered this morning was truly eye-opening. Manis AI didn’t just research; it created a batch of articles, completely hands-off. But is this the “biggest side hustle business available today,” especially for beginners?
Let’s dive into why I believe AI-driven content creation holds immense potential and see exactly how Manis AI performed in automating a potentially lucrative online business.
The Backstory: Identifying the AI Content Opportunity (and its Flaw)
About two years ago, a former employee skilled in writing reached out about starting a business. After exploring various ideas, a light bulb went off. With the rise of AI, the demand for AI-generated content was exploding. Companies like Jasper, Surfer AI, and Content at Scale were making promises, but often, the emphasis wasn’t purely on quality.
This led me to start “Content Profit Strategy.” The core idea? Use a specific system and trained outsourcers to create premium AI-assisted content. While some companies charged exorbitant rates (like $45 for a 100% AI article), I knew businesses were willing to pay for reliable content – I myself was spending $15-$30 per article, totaling over $100,000.
Today, millions of businesses rely on AI content, creating a massive market. Our initial webinar for Content Profit Strategy netted over $19,000 in two hours, proving the demand. However, managing outsourcers, ensuring quality control, and handling logistics was a significant challenge.
My Existing Content Business Model: Profitable, But Labor-Intensive
Our current business, which has generated close to a million dollars as a side hustle (and aiming for $3 million overall potential, though results aren’t typical or guaranteed), follows a specific process:
- Develop a content strategy based on client needs or online trends.
- Assign content creation to trained outsourcers (using AI tools but with human oversight).
- Perform rigorous quality checks.
- Deliver the finished content to the customer.
Profitably, we sell articles for around $10 each (sometimes $5 for simpler ones). Our outsourcers cost roughly $3-$4 per article produced. After other expenses, the margin is approximately $5 per article. Pumping out 75-100 pieces of content daily, this model generates significant profit, but requires constant management.
The Big Question: Can Manis AI Automate This Entire Process?
My goal was to see if Manis AI could replicate this workflow automatically, maintaining quality while drastically reducing costs and eliminating the need for direct human interaction in the creation phase. If successful, anyone with a Manis account could potentially launch their own AI content business side hustle.
So, I gave Manis AI access to a brand new site I’m developing (focused on explainer video production) with a simple instruction: devise a good content strategy and create the articles automatically.
The Manis AI Test: Prompt and Execution
Inside the Manis interface, I provided a list of about 60-75 article ideas (broken into smaller batches of 10-15 to avoid timeouts). The core prompt involved:
- Analyzing provided URLs and keywords (sourced from an Ahrefs “Top Pages” report for a competitor).
- Understanding the site’s topic: Explainer Videos.
- Writing articles between 500-1,500 words, based on search intent (shorter for simple topics, longer for complex ones).
- Focusing on the primary keyword for each article title/URL provided.
This single prompt structure was designed to handle everything from strategy to final article generation.
Manis AI Results: Content Generation and Initial Quality
Manis AI delivered. It produced dozens of articles based on the inputs. For example, an article titled “The 10 Best Animation Apps for 2025” included features, pricing, and seemed quite solid – content I’d potentially use on my own site or refine slightly to sell.
Crucially, Manis AI also handled the initial content strategy aspect by analyzing the keywords and topics, which normally takes me or my team significant time (20-60 minutes per strategy).
Analyzing the Manis AI Output: Cost, Quality Control, and Plagiarism
The Shocking Economics: Manis AI vs. Manual Outsourcing
The automation came at a cost – Manis credits. The entire batch of 59 articles consumed approximately 5,700 credits. Based on typical Manis pricing, this translates to roughly $57 total, or just under $1 per article.
Compare this to the $3-$4 per article cost using human outsourcers. With Manis AI, I could potentially sell 100% AI-generated articles for $3-$5 each and still maintain a healthy profit margin, making this AI side hustle incredibly accessible.
Quality Check: Usability and the “Filler” Problem
While the structure and information were generally good, some articles contained what I call “filler content” – generic introductory sentences common in AI writing. This isn’t ideal for premium content. However, the core information was often valuable.
For example, an article on “Motion Graphics Explainer Videos for Marketers” included relevant points like versatility, brand consistency, cost-effectiveness, and even examples of companies using them (IKEA, Dropbox, Crazy Egg). At 2300 words, it was comprehensive.
The Plagiarism Hurdle: A Necessary Check
A critical step is checking for plagiarism. I ran several Manis-generated articles through Grammarly:
- Article 1 (Motion Graphics): 4% plagiarism – Generally acceptable, mostly common phrases.
- Article 2 (Training How-Tos): 0% plagiarism – Excellent result.
- Article 3 (Another topic): 6% plagiarism – Borderline, would require editing.
- Article 4 (Tik Tok Length): 10% plagiarism – Too high, definitely needs significant revision.
- Article 5 (Another topic): 12% plagiarism – Also too high, requiring substantial edits.
Key Takeaway: While Manis AI *can* produce low-plagiarism content, results vary. Manual checking and editing using tools like Grammarly are non-negotiable before using or selling the content. My human outsourcers typically refine content to ~2% plagiarism.
Building Your Own AI Content Business with Manis AI
Essential Tools and Startup Costs
To replicate this as a business, you’d likely need:
- Keyword Research Tool: Ahrefs/Semrush (~$100-$200/mo) or potentially rely more on AI for research (topic for another day!).
- Web Hosting: To build your service site (~$10-$30/mo).
- Grammarly Premium: For quality and plagiarism checks (~$15-$30/mo).
- Manis AI Subscription: Plans vary, but cost per article is low (~$1-$2).
Your basic monthly overhead (excluding Manis credits) might be around $150-$260. You could start leaner, but these tools provide a professional foundation.
Potential Profitability and Scaling
Imagine a modest Manis plan allowing 100 articles per month. Even selling these refined articles at just $10 each could generate $1,000 in revenue. Selling at $25 each (including strategy and oversight) could yield $2,500. Your primary costs are Manis credits and your time for quality control and client acquisition.
As you grow, you could hire virtual assistants specifically for the editing/polishing phase, leveraging Manis AI for the heavy lifting of initial drafting and strategy.
The Crucial Human Element
While Manis AI is powerful, it’s a tool, not a magic wand. Success requires:
- Strategic Prompting: Learning to give Manis AI clear instructions (e.g., “no filler content,” specific tones).
- Fact-Checking: AI can make mistakes.
- Editing & Polishing: Refining grammar, flow, and removing plagiarism.
- Client Management & Sales: Finding and managing customers.
Manis AI Features for Content Automation: A Quick Look
Based on this experiment, Manis AI excels at:
- Generating full content strategies from keywords/topics.
- Producing articles at scale (batch processing).
- Offering extremely low cost-per-article creation.
- Potentially replacing separate keyword, strategy, and writing tools.
- Adapting to different tones and brand voices (with proper prompting).
Limitations include potential timeouts on large jobs and the current lack of built-in, foolproof plagiarism removal (requiring external checks).
Conclusion: Is Manis AI a Viable Path to an Automated Content Business?
Yes, absolutely. My experiment shows that Manis AI is a powerful tool capable of automating significant portions of a content creation business, particularly the time-consuming drafting and initial strategy phases. The cost-effectiveness (around $1/article) is a game-changer.
However, it’s not entirely “set and forget.” You still need to invest time in quality control, plagiarism checking, editing, and refining prompts. Treat Manis AI as an incredibly efficient assistant, not a complete replacement for human oversight.
For entrepreneurs looking to start an AI side hustle or scale an existing content service, Manis AI offers a massive head start and significant cost savings. The potential to build a profitable business selling AI-assisted content is very real.
What are your thoughts on using AI like Manis for content businesses? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclaimer: The income figures mentioned are based on personal experience and potential projections. Starting any business involves risk and expenses. Individual results will vary based on effort, market conditions, and execution.