Everybody’s talking about AI. My Youtube feed is littered with videos about how to harness the powers of ChatGPT to become a content-creation monster. It seems like there’s a new segment on the state of AI every night on network news.
The panic du jour is, “Will AI take away my job?”
Honestly, I’ve already lost one job doing SEO product copy to the bots. But I’m not worried. In fact, I’m embracing AI.
And you should, too.
Let’s dive into the state of AI in this step-by-step guide on how to use AI to write better copy, faster. Read all the way through because I will tell you a few secrets and big traps you do not want to fall into.
What Is Generative AI?
Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence models that create content by learning from extensive data sets.
These so-called chatbots are trained on vast datasets containing large swaths of the internet, enabling them to learn grammar, reasoning abilities, and human-sounding communication.
The AI models process prompts and generate new copy with dizzying speed. By iteratively predicting and generating text, these AI bots—like ChatGPT—can produce coherent and contextually relevant responses in a snap.
Debunking the Myth: Will AI Kill Copywriting?
New developments emerge weekly on the AI front. It’s impossible to know what will happen in the distant future. What I know with 100% accuracy is that AI will change the kind of things I write and the way I write them.
AI Speed vs. Human Experience: The Limitations of AI in Niche Copywriting
While AI can write quickly, it’s quite lazy. AI often requires significant prompting and re-prompting to output copy that sounds human and original. Currently, it can’t outshine human writers when it comes to intuition or contextual know-how.
Let me give you an example. I frequently work in the luxury beauty space. I could go into ChatGPT or Jasper AI and ask the bot to write me 50 campaign headlines for a product launch. It would spit out the list within a minute.
But AI does not know what I know. It doesn’t know that so-and-so in Marketing hates the word “pamper” or that a competitor ran a similar campaign two years prior. You can feed it the tone of voice guidelines, but it will still give you copy that sounds tonally off-brand.
Legal Hurdles Are on AI’s Horizon
The surge in AI-generated content has raised serious legal concerns, leading to lawsuits and debates over copyright issues.
The U.S. Copyright Office has taken a cautious stance on AI, asserting that works created by artificial intelligence lack the human authorship required for copyright protection. This position is based on the belief that copyright law should protect and incentivize human creativity…not the output of machines.
The legal landscape surrounding AI-generated content is still evolving, with ongoing discussions around intellectual property rights, ethical considerations, and the role of AI in creative industries.
It’s crucial for you to understand that you absolutely must not use AI if the copy you’re writing will need to receive a trademark or copyright. You might unintentionally cause your client legal harm if the words need legal protection and you use AI to draft them.
Make sure not to put trade secrets or sensitive information into the chatbots. It is unclear at this point how all the information is being collected and used by the bots and the companies that purport to control them.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy with AI
Now that we’ve explored what AI is and how it does what it does, let’s dive into how you can leverage it to write better copy, faster.
Note: I don’t always use AI to write copy. Some of my clients have explicitly said they do not want me to use generative AI tools. So, I will talk about how I would use ChatGPT to help me write copy, assuming that I had approval from the client to do so.
Step 1: Pop the Creative Brief into ChatGPT
After reading and digesting the creative brief, copy the text and paste it into ChatGPT’s prompt bar. Use a prompt like, “Respond to this brief and draft the required copy.”
The bot will spit out its answer quickly. Once you have the response, you will know exactly how much you will have to do to get the piece of work where it needs to be.
Step 2: Determine Where the AI-Generated Copy Has Fallen Short
Re-read the brief and compare what ChatGPT wrote with what was requested. Has it delivered all the required points? (Hint: probably not) Does the copy sound human, or does it sound like it’s from a middle school science book? Is the copy on-brand? How serious is the brand in its communications? Does the brand speak directly to the consumer using the word “you”? Is humor typical and appropriate for the brand? Keep a separate document open and start pulling in the pieces of copy you feel are working.
Step 3: Moving into the Edit Phase
Hemingway famously said, “The only kind of writing is rewriting.” Guess what? The same goes for AI. Chatbots are simultaneously incredibly intelligent and stunningly stupid.
The worst thing about AI writing is that it is repetitive and tends to format responses the same way every time. For instance, it will always write an introduction, several paragraphs of wordy text with long sentences, and a boring conclusion.
The good news is that you can ask ChatGPT to rewrite things repeatedly. And it will never get upset! Toggle back and forth between your document and the chatbot until you have everything in the document that the brief requested. You can paste the “bad” copy in the prompt box and say, “Rewrite this section and focus on x over y.” Or, “Rewrite this section and bring in a little bit of humor, but the tone should still be serious.”
Step 4: Determine Whether the Copy Will Get Flagged as Being Written by AI
While Google does not specifically penalize AI-generated copy, it prioritizes high-quality, unique, relevant content in its search rankings. If AI-generated content needs more quality, coherence, or originality, it may be ranked higher in search results. In the worst-case scenario, it might get flagged as spam.
To ensure AI-generated copy performs well in search rankings, you must review it, edit, and optimize the content for SEO. Ensure that the content provides value to the users, is free from errors, and follows best practices for search engine optimization, such as incorporating relevant keywords and ensuring proper content structure.
I’ve discovered a nice shortcut. I use an AI-detection tool called Writer AI. It’s free, but it only allows 1500 characters at a time, so the process of sifting through the content can be tedious. Writer AI analyzes the text and gives it a score. It will tell you what percentage of any given passage is human-generated. The goal is, obviously, to reach 100% Human-Generated. You must tinker with the copy, making the meter ratchet up.
AI’s Dead Giveaways and How to Fix Them
- Oxford commas: AI loves an Oxford comma. It may as well say (like many copy editors' coffee mugs do), “You can have my Oxford comma when you pry it from my cold, dead, and lifeless hands.” The issue is that most humans are terrible at grammar, and we simply don’t use Oxford commas in modern-day communication. I’ve personally seen the AI score go from 44% to 100% Human simply by removing three Oxford commas.
- Overly-long sentences: AI writes like a nerdy high school student trying to get an A. It definitely leans toward “more is more.” If a paragraph is too dense, copy it, paste it back into the prompt box and ask ChatGPT to rewrite it using “maximum burstiness.” That simply means that the sentences will feel more like natural language… kind of like a text message instead of a chunky paragraph.
- Unnatural phrasing: AI-generated text may include awkward phrasings. Edit the clunky portions and break them apart. Make sure the AI-generated copy isn’t overusing adjectives and adverbs. Cause it will do that!
- Inaccurate or irrelevant information: AI-generated copy may include information that is either inaccurate or unrelated to the topic. Fact-check and replace any incorrect or off-topic content with accurate and relevant information.
- Overuse of keywords: The chatbot tends to overstuff keywords to optimize for SEO. Review the keyword usage and ensure it is balanced and natural throughout the text.
Step 5: Check the Copy for False Information and Plagiarism
This step is very important—do not skip it! Are you tired yet? Ha, me too. See why I’m not worried about AI taking my job anytime soon? Read through the text. Does it all make sense? Are facts quoted anywhere? Check them! AI will straight-up lie. When a chatbot makes things up, it’s called a hallucination.
A good rule of thumb for fact-checking is to look for three reputable, independent sources to verify the information. Sorry, but reading on Wikipedia and yelling, “Nailed it!” does not count. I use Grammarly to check for plagiarism.
Step 6: Final Review
Before publishing or submitting your copy, give it a final review. Ensure it’s sparkling and original before handing it over to the client.
The Human Touch: The Key to AI-assisted Copywriting Success
Despite the impressive capabilities of AI tools, human intervention remains indispensable for successful copywriting. AI can assist in generating ideas, structuring content, and optimizing SEO. But it's up to human writers to deliver truly refined and polished work (and work that won’t get the client sued).
As AI continues to develop, the future of copywriting will likely involve even closer collaboration between human writers and AI tools. By embracing this partnership, copywriters can use AI's efficiency and accuracy while maintaining the unique human touch that makes compelling and engaging content.
Want to learn more? Jincey breaks down the best platforms for copywriters in Part 2, keep reading here.
Are you a creative professional who is looking for your next big gig? You’ve come to the right place—our recruiters at Artisan can help you find just the position.
About the Author
Jincey Lumpkin is a renowned author, copywriter, entrepreneur, and founder of DarkFantasyFans.com. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, Vice, and ABC Nightline. Out Magazine listed her as one of their "OUT 100" list of the world's most influential LGBTQ+ people, alongside celebrities like Laverne Cox and Ricky Martin. She has spoken at Harvard University and gave an infamous TEDx talk called “Are Robots the Future of Sex?” She works as a copywriter and creative director in the luxury beauty space. She has written copy and creative directed digital-first campaigns for brands like JLo Beauty, Scarlett Johansson’s The Outset, and Kiehl’s. (Artisan has also placed her with our clients multiple times - she's a gem!)
