Did a Copywriter Write This?
“As a seasoned copywriter at Brightside Marketing, I understand the growing concern among many writers and companies about the possible threat that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to our profession.
Let’s talk about ChatGPT, for instance. A powerful AI tool that can generate highly effective and carefully curated SEO-optimised content for let’s say, both business and consumer clients (if that’s what you ask it to do – no, not ask, TELL it to do). However, what we must remember is that we are not obsolete. We (copywriters, like me) possess expertise and skills that make us indispensable in the industry.
Here are a few tips for ‘real life’ writers to differentiate their writing from that of AI:
Personalisation
AI may be proficient at generating data-driven content due to its ability to scan everything that exists on the internet, but it cannot understand the human nuances that make writing engaging – after all, AI isn’t the one having in-person experiences…just yet.
To be a successful copywriter, you must personalise your content to meet the specific needs of your audience. Use storytelling and emotional triggers to capture your audience’s attention and connect with them on a personal level.
Authenticity
Authenticity is the key to differentiating yourself. Your writing should sound like a real person wrote it (which is the case), not a machine. Avoid using jargon and overusing buzzwords that make writing sound too ‘robotic’ and clinical. Instead, use conversational language and humour that resonates with your audience.
Creativity
Creativity is what makes us human. An AI can only generate content based on pre-existing data and patterns. However, as a copywriter, or any human in general for that matter, you can think outside the box and create unique and original content not only scripted by facts and data and pulled from resources found online. Only so much information lives online, and even though it’s A LOT, eventually AI-generated content will start to sound the same. It will become recognisable at some point. It can already be noticed depending on what your topic is, and what you’ve TOLD it to do.
Tone
The tone of your writing sets the mood for your content. An AI may be able to match a brand’s tone, but it cannot capture the subtlety that makes the tone of writing for that brand and its personality unique; after all, we see a brand as a person, we give it a personality, we give it values, we give it meaning.
Something an AI will never be able to do? Understand and interpret a brand and recreate its ‘voice’.
Skill
Finally, skill is what separates us from AI. As copywriters, we spend years mastering the craft of writing and storytelling. This includes understanding grammar, the structure of words and sentences, punctuation, and the ability to write compelling headlines, introductions, and calls to action.
In Conclusion…
While AI is a useful tool for generating content, it cannot replace the human experience. We, as humans, are programmed to ‘think’, whereas an AI is programmed to scan data and put it together in a way that makes sense based on what’s available online.
While it may be scary for some, because new is always scary, we must embrace the unknown, and learn how to work WITH and not against. In my opinion, when it comes to technical, data, and fact-driven writing, it’s a great resource to have. I believe that the human touch will always win when it comes to storytelling, personalisation, and brand writing.
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.”