There we were, minding our own business, when BOOM — the AI bots exploded on the scene. Nope, not a George Orwell novel. This is real life!

And if you’re an 80s/90s baby like me, you might be totally weirded out by all the things this technology can do. 

Taking care of digital pets in our pockets for fun? Totally fine. But relying on a computer to come up with copy? The jury is still out on that one. 

However, with the uptick of AI programming like ChatGPT, it seems like everyone’s going to be a heck of a lot sharper. 

Thanks to this new tech, creatives, and small business owners are able to churn out a lot of content. And at light speed too!

But does that mean that copywriters are going away for good? And if you’re DIYing your copy, what does that mean for you as a biz owner? Stick around — I’ve got those answers!

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How AI is impacting the copywriting industry

ChatGPT is a tool built by Open AI. As of now, it’s completely free — all you need to do is grab a login, tee it up in your browser, and boom! You’re in.

You may have heard about it, but it does a dang good job of producing content in a snap! It’s an on-hand copywriting VA in your back pocket.

It can generate sales page copy, product descriptions, emails, blogs, articles, scripts, Reels, ideas, TikTok ideas, interview questions, and job descriptions. You name it, it can spit it out.

And how does it do this? Because, in the very simplest of terms (I’m not a computer scientist) it’s been fed lots of info about how these pieces of content operate. 

But what does that mean for creatives? Well, think about it like this…the chef’s only as good as how they apply, use, and leverage the tools in their hands. That’s how I want you to think about AI — a tool, not a substitute. 

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How to use AI in your own biz

Knowing how to use AI effectively is the key to making this machine work. The important thing to remember is that it can’t take the place of a human copywriter. 

But that doesn’t mean it can’t help us do our jobs. Here’s a few different ways I use it in my own biz (and even if you aren’t a copywriter, this can still apply to you):

• Plug and play: With fill-in-the-blanks or plug-in templates, it’s really easy to get the AI to spit out what you want. You can ask it to just fill in a blank once or give you five different options. 
• Open-ended prompts: This will help you get a wider range of responses. And because this type of AI is really good for getting those creative juices flowing, this is one of my favorite ways to use it. I recommend going broad at first and then narrowing it down (you’ll get better results this way!).
• Feedback prompts: These are great for copywriting because you can ask it things like, “Can you make this copy tighter?” or, “Can you reduce this copy by 100 words?” You can even ask it to pull something specific, like all of the adverbs or adjectives!

Now, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Wow this copy is so dang good!!!” when you first see what it can do. And true, this AI stuff is a smart cookie.

But it’s gonna take you some know-how and a strategic mind that understands the layers of a sales argument, the messaging hierarchy, that knows your audience like you do, that knows the story and the voice, to really make it work. 

You have to know how copy works, and what makes it work well, to discern if an AI response is good or needs to be tossed aside. 

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You’ve got the power

If this tech stuff freaks you out, just remember that it can’t do everything. As a human being, as a creative, you still have so many superpowers that it never will. Computers can’t replace what people do best — be people.

You can nose out a hook better

I have tried to use AI to create those scroll-stopping hooks before, but I’ve just accepted that it doesn’t work. At best, it’s a meh line that doesn’t really grab my attention. 

Why? Because it takes a very strategic mind to come up with something to reel people in. 

AI also can’t know how certain hooks are landing with your audience in real-time, because it takes looking at all these little nuances. And that’s just a human thing you can’t transfer over to a machine. 

You have emotions, computers don’t

Computers can’t pick up the vibe. They just produce based on the information given to them. There is no reading in between the lines, no intuitive thinking, nada! 

But you? You know what it means to feel something you know how to show empathy. You know what it takes to create and foster connections. You know how to be relatable. So use that to your advantage!

You can problem solve

Using AI is kind of like a puppet and puppeteer. 

You, the human, are obviously the puppeteer in this scenario —  you’re the one in control. You piece it all together. You’re the one that tells the machine to move. Not the other way around!

And when something feels off or disjointed, you’re the one that’s able to reevaluate and pivot accordingly. That’s the kind of intuitive or creative problem-solving machines can’t do. 

You hold the storyteller card

Storytelling is a very unique human subset of skills. It is woven into our DNA. We are a moth to the flame for a good story. 

And while AI can imitate works by the greats (or when it comes to business, brand voice), it can’t create those unique voices.

Think about it like a trampoline, a tool that you can get some bounce off of and some ideas, maybe some outlines, but you’re gonna be the one that crafts something around it. 

But what if you aren’t yet sure how to use that storyteller card? The good news is that if you’re a human, you have the ability to tell a story. We all do it every single day. 

When you’re recapping what happened during your day, how your vacation went, when you’re talking about your hopes and dreams. We all know how to tell a story. 

But with copy, you need to be able to tell a good story — one without rabbit trails and tangents. One that makes sense, hooks your audience and reels ‘em in. And it’s a lot easier than you think! 

If you want to learn the #1 best way to weave storytelling into your copy, check out this video below.