Five things a copywriter can do that AI can’t
I ran my writing through an AI detector. Just to experiment.
It told me that it could detect 40% AI-written content.
Absolute codswallop.
I’d not gone anywhere near AI.
The thing is, I’m not against AI helping writers research, experiment, and structure. But I am against using it as a crutch for delivering the written word.
Words hit differently when they come from humans, and if you want your words to build a relationship with potential clients, encourage them to take action and make you stand out, then avoid using ChatGPT to write your content.
Why should I use a human writer and not ChatGPT?
You might be thinking, why should I use a writer, not a robot? AI is a cheaper alternative to hiring a copywriter.
I get it.
But have you looked at places like LinkedIn recently? It’s awash with phrases like ‘empower’, ‘navigating’, and ‘innovation’. And whilst there’s nothing wrong with these words, I find myself avoiding them because they’re saturating messages and are a sign of AI’s involvement.
Will your ideal client buy from or interact with you if you’re not making them sit up and take notice because you’re talking like everyone else? How will you grab their attention in a noisy world where the noise sounds the same?
Why are copywriters better than ChatGPT?
Let’s talk about what human writers can bring to your business and why it’s worth investing in our skills. I’ve only got time to talk about five reasons, but they’re five good’uns.
Clarity at the start of a campaign
Can AI add to the discussion at the start of a campaign? Can you use its creativity to bounce ideas off? The thinking stage is where ideas and originality are born. Copywriters are also pretty hot at writing snappy words at the ideation stage. Why wouldn’t you want that clarity at the start of any process?
Add emotion
Our emotional engagement makes us act, encourages us to make decisions, and spreads messages. Appealing to your audience’s emotions is a powerful tactic in writing, from authors enveloping readers in a thrilling story, to copywriters engaging potential customers in a product or service.
AI can’t add emotion when it comes to storytelling. It can’t tell how you felt when you secured that new partnership. It can’t bring energy or excitement to writing that encourages readers from one sentence to the next.
Learned experience
AI can’t put itself in the position of your ideal customer. It can’t imagine a journey someone might take where they interact with your words. As a basic example, AI’s written you a blog. But does it know about your internal linking policy? Has it written your blog so that you can connect it to other pages on your website without removing the seamless structure of your writing? Has it written it so the reader takes a specific journey through your website?
Copywriters have spent years learning the nuances from various industries that enhance a marketing strategy.
Empathy
AI doesn’t know how to emphasise or understand how language affects the human brain.
For example, consider a strong and capable entrepreneur. They think they don’t need help with their sales approach and are finding it hard to accept they’re not generating any leads.
A sales coach might use AI to create a marketing message to attract this type of person. AI could spit out something like - No leads? You’re doing something wrong. Here’s what I recommend! However, AI doesn’t know the question/response technique can sometimes increase stress.
A marketing message like this might give the entrepreneur a chance to respond negatively, especially if they’re in denial. They’ll read that message and think, “It’s fine. I’m not doing anything wrong. I don’t need help. I’m not getting leads because no one can afford to hire me right now.” And the sales coach loses the opportunity to connect.
Instead of a negative reaction to your writing, you want your audience to be nodding along as they read. To achieve this, you need empathy.
Instead of the insensitive question/response technique, a copywriter might consider using one of the coach’s testimonials instead. We want the entrepreneur to think, “well, if it worked for them...”
“Since working with my sales coach I’ve been able to increase my leads by 50% per month. They’ve helped me to understand the sales funnel and apply it to my business. 100% recommend.”
By focusing on a positive without pointing the finger, the sales coach will be more likely to connect with the entrepreneur.
AI removes all human connection, and it’s this that ultimately creates a sale, encourages action, and builds a relationship.
Seeing the bigger picture
You’ve used AI to write your website pages. But AI can’t see the bigger picture. It can’t recommend that you build a blog page into your site so that you can keep refreshing your content. It can’t recommend adding a Calendly link so visitors can be proactive and book time with you when it suits them. It can’t recommend that you structure your pages in a way that appeals to the human gaze.
AI is new. It’s still finding its feet. I have no doubt that it will become more powerful. However, it will never be able to replace a copywriter when it comes to developing human-centred writing.
Am I acting like a total cliché? A copywriter and content writer blathering on about AI. Maybe. But I’ve wanted to write this blog for a while. Mainly to reassure my clients who don’t doubt me but need to know my stance. And for you. If you’re debating whether you should work with a copywriter or let AI do the work, I hope this blog helps to clarify things for you.
Step away from the robots and contact me if I can help you with your copy or content writing.