After hearing from a colleague about potentially trying copywriting artificial intelligence, I was very curious. It hadn’t occurred to me that A.I. has fallen into the realm of writing already! After doing a few preliminary searches about copywriting A.I., my interest was piqued.
And then I used one (spoiler alert: I was dazzled).
Which begged the question: Is A.I. the future of copywriting?
Use & Application
Most of my current writing deals with straightforward social media copy, so I did my own research to find the best A.I. content writer for that genre of content. Using this article from Half Past Nine, a data-driven marketing company, I determined the strongest copywriting A.I. software is copy.ai. After using copy.ai for a few weeks to write my social media copy, it was easy to determine that A.I. copywriters are not going to replace human writers any time soon, despite its shocking proficiency and ability to give me tons of copy to choose from.
Like most marketing technology tools, copywriting A.I. will remain just that: a tool. Not a replacement for human writers. However, assisting a marketing writer or team, copywriting A.I programs like copy.ai can be an incredible asset, as explained by the Vice President of another copywriting A.I. company:
“Much of a marketer’s job is writing. Sometimes, writer’s block occurs, making it difficult to come up with the next sentence or an additional revision. That’s where A.I. copywriting comes in. It supplements your writing stack and process with a third-party smart assistant and can help bolster your existing copywriting skills and fill in the blanks where you might get stuck otherwise.”
— Chris Frantz, VP, Smart Copy (Snazzy.AI)
Using copywriting A.I. in tandem with one’s own writing skill is only way to fully utilize copywriting A.I. Completely replacing your own copy with that of an A.I.’s will make your copy sound disconnected, lacking in edits and you guessed it, robotic.
For example, I used copy.ai to write a short section of blog content. This free but limited program allows you to insert the main points you want to cover and writes the copy, whether it be keywords or an entire paragraph. You can also pick the tone of the copy in this program (I used the ‘professional’ tone in this example).
My input: A.I can be very robotic when writing copy. It is best to use copywriting A.I. in tandem with your own writing skill to provide the best results. Copywriting A.I. should be used as a tool when one is finding it difficult to work past their writer’s block, provide multiple options for copy, or to just fill in the blanks.
The A.I.s return copy: A.I. can be very robotic when writing copy. It is best to use copywriting A.I. in tandem with your own writing skill to provide the best results. Copywriting A.I. should be used as a tool when one is finding it difficult to work past their writer’s block, provide multiple options for copy, or to just fill in the blanks. The best way to use A.I.-generated content is to provide it with a few ideas of what you want and let it do its thing! You will be able to see the different options that it has generated and then choose which one works best for your needs! When using A.I., it is important to remember that you are still responsible for making sure that the content you create is unique and engaging for your target audience.
It sounds pretty good, I think. You’ll notice it took my already detailed copy and extrapolated on it. One thing about copy.ai I appreciated is how the detail of your input significantly enhances the quality of copy the A.I. creates. It becomes obvious that the A.I. programming likes to work as a writer’s helping hand in creating, transitioning, or enhancing certain subjects or concluding paragraphs/phrases. This is great in assisting with writer’s block or keeping the flow of your writing process.
What if you don’t have the detailed copy beforehand? In this example, I gave copy.ai far less detail:
My input: A.I. copywriting can be robotic. It needs to be a tool, not a replacement. It can provide options.
The A.I.’s return copy: A.I. copywriting can be robotic and impersonal. This is why it’s important to remember that A.I. copywriting is meant to supplement your existing efforts, not replace them entirely. It’s meant to provide options for you, not tell you what to do. For example, if you’re looking for new ways to engage with your audience on social media, A.I. copywriting might be able to help you find some fresh ideas—but it won’t actually write the posts for you! Rather than asking an algorithm to come up with witty one-liners and pithy comments, you should think about what kind of message would resonate with your target demographic and then ask the algorithm for some options along those lines so that you can choose what feels best for your brand voice and personality at any given moment in time (or even over time if needed).
Still, surprisingly good. Other than a serious run-on sentence, the A.I. still extrapolated on my far-less detailed input and made something substantial. It sounds like a human writing.
These are only two examples talking about something rather straightforward. It’s important to keep things simple when it comes to the utilization of these programs. By all means challenge the A.I. (it is the best way to learn how to use it properly), but don’t expect it to write up a true-to-you brand philosophy!
How It Works
For our purposes, let’s keep inner workings of this tech simple.
Using data, machine learning, and language & pattern processing software, copywriting A.I. can deliver the content to the user on whichever topic you chose. Not to discredit the machine, but you could consider copywriting A.I. a very proficient paraphraser. Grabbing copy and language from all over the internet to curate your content. It is worth noting as well that copywriting A.I. is considered an ‘ANI’ – artificial narrow intelligence—as it really only has one function or task that it is exceedingly good at (efficiency unmatched by a human).
A.I. Produced Content & Audiences
Knowing how your average copywriting A.I. program works and how to utilize it effectively is all well and good. The thing is- how will audiences adapt to A.I.?
Mass-produced, unchecked copywriting A.I. will certainly produce issues among audiences, as the content may be flawed in various ways; from spelling errors to unrelated copy that does not fit your usual brand or messaging. Just as it guides you, you need to guide copywriting A.I. in return. As we’ve already established, copywriting A.I. is pretty much ready to go as an excellent writer’s tool (not a replacement) and should be used when a writer needs something to lean on.
To dig a bit further into A.I. produced content, copywriting A.I. might be the only A.I. tool that is accessible and refined enough to use in a professional marketing setting. Other A.I. content creators… not so much. For example- picture or graphic content A.I. like DALL·E mini. These programs create images/graphics that seem to reside solely in the (rather terrifying) uncanny valley. It’s very, very unrefined. There, A.I. just isn’t good enough yet to ensure usability by professional marketing efforts. DALL·E mini seems to be only good for making memes on the internet, which it does well, mind you.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, when it comes to A.I. copywriters, I say use them. But don’t lose your humanity in the process! When it comes to A.I. copywriters, be sure to keep one of the most prevailing audience trends alive: brand personification! Your audience still needs to feel as if there is a living, breathing human behind the brand community you promote in your marketing. I truly believe A.I. has a place in the future of marketing content, especially when you consider how seamlessly it can insert SEO-friendly words (which most copywriting A.I. does automatically) and assist in the constant-need-for-content environment we marketers live in.
If your business is considering making the switch to A.I. technology like this, you may need help navigating the tech. That’s where we can come in. At Prophase Marketing, we are equipped for this every changing industry and are up for the challenge.
Visit our website today or give us a call at (866) 268-4959 to learn more.
