You can’t have missed the fact that, a bit like TikTok circa three years ago, AI is having a massive moment. And as a professional copywriter, if I had a pound for every time someone asked me lately “are you worried about AI taking all your clients?”… well in the current economy I might not be rich, but it would be a lucrative enough side hustle to cover next month’s energy bill at least.
To be able to answer the question though, you need an understanding of what actually goes into compelling, converting and impressive copywriting, because much like fine cooking, it’s composed of several elements.
Copywriting isn’t as straightforward as it looks. Rich, full bodied writing has so much going on behind the curtains, it’s like a wonderful stage show. What you read in the article or website copy has a lot of moving parts going on.
Didn’t realise it was so complex? That’s the trick of great writing, to make it seem effortless.
In this article, AI and pro copywriting are going head to head. In an exciting battle of woman versus “machine”, I’ll pull back the curtain and uncover the elements involved in great copy and whether AI can really compete.
Read on to find out who wins (loser makes the coffee, or at least orders it from Costa and has it delivered because it doesn’t have opposable thumbs).
Full grasp of language and grammar
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso
We’ve been using AI to help us create great writing for decades already in the form of spelling and grammar checks. And I for one am super grateful for it because without it, my job would take much longer and be much harder. In fact, I run all my work through a minimum of two different spell check programmes before I consider it finished (of course it doesn’t pick up anything because I’m so meticulous).
Having said that, excellent copywriting isn’t just about understanding the strict rules of language, you also have to know when and how to break the rules to make it flow better, get your point across, or simply to prevent the piece from sounding like it’s got a stick up its bum (or ram the stick up even harder).
Pro copywriters know that it’s ok to occasionally start a sentence with conjunction, preposition or break any of the other grammatical “rules” that were drummed into us at primary school. In the right place, little language rebellions can give the sentence a little jolt, wake up the reader, show some force or soften the point.
Language is constantly changing, phrases that were once considered linguistically improper make their way into everyday lexicon all the time.
Your average spell checker will pull you up on things like that and more, but if you keep hitting ignore, it’ll decide it’s not important anymore and stop pointing it out, and eventually forget it was even a rule in the first place. But it IS a rule, and must be observed in general, because without rules, the whole thing goes to crap.
Real writing, real talking, they don’t always follow the rules, but so that we can understand each other, language must have rules at its foundation. Knowing when to break the rules is what makes writing genuine, real, and human.
So we’ll give both pro copywriters and AI a point for this one. So far it’s even stevens.
Running total:
Pro copywriters – 1
AI – 1
Deep levels of research
“Research is formalised curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston
My clients are often surprised about how much of my time goes on research. For website copy for example, I spend at least an hour interviewing each new client and then a minimum of two hours additional client research after that, before I can even think about writing anything.
For articles, I’ll do a deep dive of research before I start, and will also research as I’m writing, fact checking, looking for studies to back up my claims, checking that I’m not missing something obvious. The very best copywriters are simply highly skilled researchers with a talent for writing. Many of us honed our trade at university; academic writing may not take up a huge space in commercial writing, but the critical thinking skills learned while studying usually make for richer writing.
To be able to have the desired effect on readers, great copy must be written with in depth product/service knowledge, brand understanding, along with an awareness of the entire industry, where it is currently, its history and how your brand fits with competitors.
Gathering this knowledge and writing with it at the forefront of your mind is no mean feat. And while AI might be able carry this out in theory, commercial AI does not yet have the capability to effortlessly combine all of this.
Yes, you can input all of this knowledge into your AI copywriter, but it will take a serious amount of manhours to give it the knowledge it needs. Might you just as well have written the copy yourself, or paid a pro copywriter? Pro copywriters win this one hands down.
Running Total:
Pro copywriters 2
AI 1
An understanding of the purpose of the writing
“Bad communication ends a lot of good things. Good communication ends a lot of bad things.” – Unknown
This is where I feel so much AI writing falls flat. Lots of startups use AI to write their website copy, but while the copy is there, taking up space on the page, sort of explaining what the brand is, do you know what it’s actually doing? Of course, every word shouldn’t be designed to sell, but words do need to pay their bills and be there for a reason.
And for all you marketing bods, please stop relying on AIDA (awareness, interest, desire/decision, action). It’s far more nuanced than that. What is the purpose of each piece, each paragraph, each sentence? Because it does often come down to that very level of granularity.
Judging by the sheer amount of dull, pointless AI content that is currently taking up valuable real estate on many company blogs and websites, I’m not yet convinced that commercially available AI has the capability for this. Again, pro copywriters for the win.
Running total:
Pro copywriters 3
AI 1
An understanding of the psychology of selling/buying
“If you believe your product or service can fulfil a true need, it’s your moral obligation to sell it.” – Zig Ziglar
When I think back over my career, in particular the hotch potch of random jobs that made up my early career, the progression of my working life might seem nonsensical to the layperson. But as a copywriter, I know that elements of all those experiences have made me a better copywriter. And while being a pub gardener and working in an embroidery factory both taught me the value of hard physical work and an attention to detail; it is the lessons learned from my sales jobs (from a teensy stint as a double glazing salesperson through to my record breaking turn selling cocktails in Ibiza and other stuff in between) that are the meat and potatoes of what I do.
Far from being solely the domain of sleazy men in shiny suits, selling is a key part of life. We all use sales techniques every single day, in whatever life we live. Being able to convince others is just part of living a human life wherein we are connected to other humans.
As parents we sell to our kids, as partners we sell to our lovers. We sell ourselves to employers when we go for jobs, and of course, as businesses we sell to our customers and clients.
Selling isn’t always about selling stuff though. It is about communicating an idea, convincing, or bringing someone around to your way of thinking. It is educating, bringing an awareness, or teaching. It is entertaining, making an impact, changing a belief, having a conversation.
And while older generations might baulk at the notion that they are themselves selling in every part of their lives, younger people are more comfortable with the notion and will “do sales” without much thought (after all, social media is a form of sales).
AI can be super useful for digital marketers though, especially in the form of targeting the right people with the right kind of content. These shortcuts can be used to get the right eyeballs on your page. However, the copy has to be there in the first place. Meh, I’ll chuck AI a bone here and give a point each.
Running total
Pro copywriters 4
AI 2
Creative flair
“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” – Albert Einstein
This is the very crux of the matter. Using all the above knowledge and then combining it with creativity is the special sauce of copywriting.
A good copywriter will know exactly when to surprise the reader, stroke their ego, scare them or slip in a fact that has languished, unused, in their brain forever (a bit like when we’re at a social gathering and say “I can’t remember where I read it but “insert interesting fact here”…”).
Professional copywriters can spot AI copy a million miles off, yes it often lacks depth and detail, but mostly it doesn’t have that human touch that real copywriters are so good at.
Imagine a chef creating a dish versus a robot cook. The robot can be programmed to put in all the ingredients in the exact quantities, and cook at a precise temperature, and it will be able to churn out exact replicas of the same dish over and over again. Will it taste good? Sure. The first time. But after a while it’ll get boring because it’s always so predictable. The chef on the other hand will never make the same dish in exactly the same way, because there are millions of variables. Every time it will be delicious, but ever so slightly unique.
Pro copywriters can’t be beaten on this one.
Running total
Pro copywriters 5
AI 2
To ensure that I am constantly aware of the competition, I have been staying on top of the AI copywriting market, and running some tests on several AI copywriters, including ChatGPT. Because like most pro copywriters, I am busy, I have a lot of clients to look after, and if there’s a way to legitimately take the pressure off myself, while still providing the level of service that my clients deserve, I’ll take it.
But honestly, it’s not there yet. So please can I request that we stop filling up our marketing materials, websites, and social media with dull, boring, pointless copy just because it’s free or cheaply provided on a subscription basis? You really do get what you pay for.
ChatGPT4 might feel like the answer to all our cash strapped, belt tightening prayers and we can’t move online without being bombarded with ads for the latest AI copywriter, but please don’t ditch your copywriter just yet.
One day no doubt, AI copywriters will be good enough for me to chain them up and make them my b*tch. But right now, AI is just the tea boy. Mines a latte, thanks.
