Copywriting in the Age of AI 

You’ve probably never forgotten the thrill of the first time you asked a generative artificial-intelligence (AI) program to write something for you. Words appearing on screen more quickly than you could have typed them, let alone thought of them.

So does that mean copywriting is a task we can hand over to AI? 

Not yet, no. Maybe not ever. There are definitely uses for it, though, and ways it can help us be better, more efficient writers.

Why AI isn’t a copywriter 

As you’ve no doubt discovered, the words you get as an AI output don’t always stand up to scrutiny. The argument or narrative might not run very smoothly or convincingly. It might not get the right message across. It might feel a bit overwritten or hyperbolic. It might be longer than it needs to be. It might sound a bit stilted and impersonal. 

The same, of course, is often true of the first draft humans write too.

Why is that?

It’s because the hard bit about writing isn’t typing the words, it’s the thinking that leads to them. What do you want to say? How do you want to say it? Why do you want to say it? Where does it fit in with the other things you’re saying at the moment? Who are you saying it to? How do you want readers to feel when they finish reading? 

Some people try to circumvent the bad first draft by writing detailed outlines before they start. But even that’s no guard against discovering the gaps in your argument as you start to draft (I speak from bitter experience!). Others prefer to write the ‘ugly first draft’ then edit and polish it afterwards. Whichever your preferred method, you have to go through the thinking process to get to anything good. 

And something good (rather than ‘good enough’) is important. Good copy isn’t about words that sound nice. It’s about words that sell. It’s why copywriting is referred to as ‘salesmanship in print’. 

The fact that AI isn’t – yet – doing the thinking that’s central to effective copy is one of the reasons its output often doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It's why you can’t – yet – entirely outsource copywriting to a machine.

It doesn’t mean you can’t use AI to help you write copy, though. Because there are lots of ways it can help you be a more efficient copywriter.

AI copywriting use cases 

AI is useful when you’re researching a particular field or market. It can distil hours of Googling into a pithy summary. However, don’t automatically believe everything you read.

If you aren’t familiar with the area you’re researching, take time to sense check what it tells you. Ask it for sources and verify those sources for credibility and accuracy.

If you are familiar with the area you’re researching, take unexpected findings with a pinch of salt until you’ve checked them out yourself. 

AI has value when brainstorming – headlines, subject lines, outlines and more. It can take away the fear of the blank page and help kick-start your thinking.

Use AI to critique your work too. In the same way as you’d ask a colleague, you can ask an AI to do the same. But again, don’t automatically accept its feedback – use your critical-thinking skills to assess its value and accuracy. 

It’s useful for basic proofreading, but it isn’t infallible.

You can also use AI to repurpose your work – create social-media posts from articles you’ve written, turn text written for print into web-friendly words, swap one copywriting framework for another. It’ll give you a great starting point to work from. 

What do all these use-case suggestions have in common? 

It’s here that we get to the really interesting point about AI. You’ll notice that in all those examples, I’ve suggested you check what the AI gives you. 

And to do that, you need to know what you’re checking and why. 

I’m fortunate. I’ve got nearly 30 years’ professional experience behind me. I’ve spent 30 years learning, thinking and applying copywriting frameworks the long way, without the aid of AI. It gives me a huge advantage now because I’m equipped to critique an AI’s output, in the same way as a manager would have critiqued my work when I was starting out.

It’s why, if you’re tasked with writing copy for your organisation, it’s vital to learn the skills of good copywriting for yourself. When you understand the rules, you can be the manager of AI rather than vice versa. You’ll be equipped to turn your copy (whether you’ve written it yourself or asked an AI for help) from basic to brilliant. You’ll be able to give better prompts and get better outputs. You’ll have all the tools you need to ensure your words translate into sales. Most importantly, you’ll gain the vital thinking skills that will make you more valuable – and more employable – as you progress in your career. 

Catherine Every is a freelance copywriter and writing skills trainer. She tutors Copywriting for Publishers for the PTC. Follow her on LinkedIn.