How Content And Copywriters Can Deal With AI
Embrace, adapt or compete.
You can fight against it as much as you want, but AI is going nowhere. And while the copy and content it churns out isn’t great, it’s good enough for a lot of people.
And those people are not going to stop using it, no matter how many copywriters and content writers complain about it.
So if you write for a living and you’re seeing a decline in business, you need to up your game.
Waiting it out won’t work because AI will keep getting better. Moaning about it won’t help because people don’t care. And refusing to acknowledge its existence won’t make it go away because it’s not just some passing fad.
In fact, the worst thing you can do as a copywriter or content writer is bury your head in the sand and pretend AI doesn’t exist.
So test it out - understand its capabilities. See for yourself what it can and can’t do. Find out what all the hype is about.
You don’t have to use it, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t do your research. You need to understand it so you can decide how to deal with it. Will you embrace it, will you adapt, or are you going to compete with it head-on?
Embrace it: learn how to use AI to your advantage
There’s no doubt AI has its advantages, and plenty of writers are embracing it. Some use it to save time on research. Some use it to generate ideas or outlines. Others use it for first drafts, which they then edit. Some use it for proofreading. Some are investing time in training it to write like them.
You don’t have to use it for every part of the process (or indeed any part of the process), but it could be used to eliminate any parts you don’t enjoy.
I don’t use AI to write my content - I actually enjoy the whole process. But I do use it for other things. For example, I use it to create the featured images for these posts because my design skills are crap.
AI is a tool. And it’s a tool you can choose to use as much or as little as you like.
Adapt: upskill yourself and offer something extra
If you aren’t sold on the idea of using AI to assist you in your writing, enhance your writing services by offering something extra or a wraparound service.
A really easy one, if you offer blog writing services, is to provide social media posts that can be used to promote those blog posts. But you could upskill yourself to offer even more.
Maybe you write blog posts, but would also quite enjoy doing all the SEO management too?
Or perhaps you could learn how to build basic websites and offer web design and copywriting as a package?
Or you could create lead magnets and nurture sequences, and set up the email automation as part of your service.
Anything that will save your clients time or help them maximise their copy or content is going to increase your appeal.
Compete: become an elite copywriter, an expert, or a specialist
Anyone can call themselves a copywriter. And that has been a problem for years. The quality of copywriters and content writers varies dramatically.
But being mediocre just won’t cut it anymore.
There’s already plenty of bland content out there, and AI is churning it out faster than ever. If your copy or content is no better than something AI can create, you’re going to struggle.
So invest in your skills. Become amazing. Be one of the best.
Failing that, become an expert or a specialist in a specific area or sector.
Learn everything you can about a specific type of copy, platform, or industry. Be the go-to writer for that thing.
There are still some things AI can’t do (or can’t do well).
It can’t interview people effectively for an in-depth article. It won’t know when the interviewee is confused and needs you to reframe the question. Or when they can be pushed a bit more. Or when a change of direction is needed. Or when a little more context is required.
It can’t set up a newsletter, write and format the content, analyse the results, and reply to readers like a human can.
And without the right prompts and information, it can’t write great sales copy. Or put a unique spin on something. Or share personal experiences. Or give bespoke examples of how new legislation will impact a specific company.
Humans can do that. You can do that.
So make yourself valuable. Give people a reason to invest in your skills, knowledge and expertise over using AI.
