Using AI to Push Ideas Until They Snap—So You Can Rebuild Them Stronger

Engaging the 'More More More' mechanism

I often describe AI as an army of extra interns. While it will never replace the sharp thinking of bright young talent, it can expand on it. Where people bring strategy, taste, and judgment, AI contributes sheer volume and stamina. It’s always ready, never tires of brainstorming and can keep feeding me lines long after a human teammate would (rightly) take a break.

Once a concept feels grounded, I send it through what I call the “More More More” mechanism—using AI to stretch the idea beyond what would be reasonable in a normal brainstorm, just to see what new possibilities surface.

This practice isn’t about grinding a single idea or copy line into dust. It’s about exhausting the possibilities around it so we can rebuild the concept stronger, sharper and more resonant. Think of it as stress-testing creativity: Push until the edges bend, break and reform into something new.

Step One: Turn the Idea or Message Into an Alteration Machine

The first pass is simple: Take your core idea or line of copy and ask the AI to spin it 10 different ways. Sometimes this is just alternate phrasing or new syntax. Other times, this delivers playful wordplay or unusual angles I’d never have thought of. Sometimes the AI pulls notions out of left field. When that happens, ask: “Why did you take it there?” Understanding the logic, however odd, often unlocks new ways of looking at the message you’re trying to convey.

Here’s the secret: AI can be cringe in the best way. It doesn’t always deliver brilliance, but it almost always produces at least one phrase, rhythm or a set of new words orbiting the concept that unlock something unexpected. Those near-misses are gold. They give teams permission to explore directions we might have dismissed as “too out there” on your own.

Step Two: Hunt for Messaging Earworms

The best campaigns aren’t just clear, they’re sticky. They work like songs you can’t get out of your head. AI is surprisingly good at helping identify those messaging earworms: the short rhythmic lines that balance clarity with memorability.

Ask the model to turn your write-up into “taglines you’d hear on the radio” or “phrases a friend might repeat at a bar.” The result? A batch of hooks where rhythm and rhyme amplify meaning. While I never had a line come back perfect, they reflect the importance of cadence in copywriting. A good line doesn’t just say something—it sounds right.

Step Three: Push Until It Snaps

This is where the “More More More” mindset comes in. Keep pushing the model with variations:

• What if this line were said by a comedian?
• How would this sound in the style of a manifesto?
• Can you make it aspirational, then sarcastic, then minimalist?
• How would I deliver this message to my mother?

Each round stretches the idea in a new direction. Sometimes it proves the concept is tight—it snaps back no matter how far you bend it. Other times, the exercise reveals a crack: maybe the idea is too dependent on a single phrasing, or maybe it can’t flex into different tones without losing meaning. Either way, the insight is valuable.

Step Four: Rebuild Stronger

Once you’ve exhausted the idea, step back. What words, phrases, or structures kept reappearing? What angles felt fresh vs. forced? By reviewing the rubble of “too much,” you find the through-line, the essence that actually matters.

This process helps reshape pitches to be tighter, fresher and more audience-ready. Instead of circling the same concept for hours in a brainstorm, let AI do the over-production and overthinking.

Then we, as humans, step in to do what only we can: Curate, synthesize, craft and decide.

Why ‘More More More’ Works

The mechanism isn’t about speed. It’s about depth and giving humans more raw material to refine into something meaningful. You can pressure-test language, surface unexpected directions and confirm the strength of an idea without exhausting a team.

AI doesn’t hit it out of the park every time. It doesn’t need to. Its value lies in volume, rhythm and the occasional brilliant accident.

By the end, you’re not just left with more options. You’re left with a better understanding of your idea. One that’s been bent, broken and rebuilt until it’s ready to resonate.