Will AI Kill Copywriting? Your Brand Might Need a Human Touch

Remember the last time you delved into something? How about the last time you explored a new realm? It’s probably been a while.

In 2024, there was a 400% increase in scientific papers on PubMed using the word “delve” compared to previous years. The same is true for the word “realm”. And “tapestry”.

While it’s certainly not conclusive, if you are reading an article that has these words in it, it’s probably AI-generated content.

In using ChatGPT or something like it for copywriting, brands are facing a challenge. On the one hand, they create content incredibly quickly. It’s clear and detailed. Their LLMs can handle large datasets and have a cost-effective price per word.

On the other, it is samey, stale and tone-deaf and needs to be constantly fact-checked against reality.

There’s no doubt that LLM content creation is revolutionizing the copywriting space – the big question now is how you can leverage the immense power of this new technology while retaining things like nuance and persuasion.

How can you keep your content light and compelling? How can you make your content funny?

Good writing still needs a human touch.

A good copywriter, combing their artform with Artificial Intelligence tools, will give your readers everything they need to delve right into whatever realm they are interested in, so they can enjoy its rich tapestry – rather than crinkling their nose and giving up after the first fifty words.

Can AI Do Copywriting Well?

This is not about trashing ChatGPT. Nowhere close. AI is an exceptionally powerful tool. Not just ChatGPT – Jasper, Gemini – these platforms are beasts of content burden. Need a blog post? No worries, give me 5 seconds. Need a post for social media or a description for a product? Hold my beer, they say.

AI tools offer the ability to collate and compare huge datasets from across the internet. They can seed their content with keywords and longtail phrases, optimizing for SEO at the touch of a button. They can create thousands of words in the time is takes a human to boil the kettle.

But, at present, it’s a style of content that makes most readers glaze over.

Despite the lamentations of our parents that we don’t read enough anymore, humanity is reading more than at any other point in our history. Adverts, subtitles, notifications, captions on reels, emails, spam, newsletters, instant messages…

This style of content simply does not cut through the noise.

Companies who are relying on AI-generated content alone will not only fail to engage readers, but they also run the risk of actively putting them off, while simultaneously being ranked lower on search engines who are optimizing for human content.

If you want to resonate with your readers, to compel them to keep reading and to persuade them to think, you need a spark.

AI Does Write Bad Copy, Just Not Great Copy

Tone and Voice

From the conversational coaxing of McDonald’s to the persuasive professionalism of LinkedIn learning courses, brands need to maintain their tone and voice.

It’s incredibly jarring when they miss.

Apple’s recent advert, which took a host of cultural items from watercolours and spray paint to pianos and vinyl, then crushed them into an iPad, was completely at odds with the brand’s progressive and pragmatic tone – there was a backlash as a result.

When content falls flat, it’s usually because it struggles to capture nuance and understand undertones. It throws references out there without understanding their contextual or cultural significance.

For an audience, this lack of refinement is a turn-off. Copywriters can inject authenticity and humanity into a piece, tying it to the emotional moment felt by an audience and enticing them to read more.

Context and Strategy

Brands need a narrative that is aligned not only with their top-line business goals but also with the ebb and flow of current trends and events.

This requires working closely with marketing teams who have a deep understanding of their audience – what are their problems and why do they buy?

AI is only as good as the data it’s fed and when this is out of date, it’s impossible to pivot quickly to respond to emerging trends. By this same token, AI is unable to talk to marketing teams and strategize with them. At best, this creates a disconnect with your audience and, at worst, utter disillusion.

Copywriters can tailor their messages to cultural context and can provide insight into how to best leverage these moments to help businesses reach their goals, supported by people who know your business inside out.

Integrity and Trust

Over time, copywriters will develop a deep understanding of their client’s strategy, tone and voice. Their personal and professional knowledge will complement this.

As creatives, they sit outside of the zeitgeist, bringing unique ideas to the table that might be missed in the initial stages. AI will generate an answer based on the most statistically reasonable response to your prompt (as it would if any other businesses happened to ask it the same thing).

AI needs to be trained which takes a lot of time; time in which potential prospects may have gone elsewhere.

Copywriters thrive on feedback which leads to immediate agility and refinement of the content and ideas. This means you can quickly adapt to the needs of the moment, getting your brand, services and products in front of customers and generating interest (and eventually revenue).

The Human Touch

Will AI replace copywriting? Perhaps, one day. The good news for businesses is that, for now at least, it is more likely to replace the bad copy and elevate the good.

A holistic approach that incorporates the strengths of these tools with the emotional resonance and nuance of people will provide the biggest return on investment in the near future.

Together, they provide the ability to create high volumes of exceptional content that changes minds and sells products.

Who needs Copywriting?

Are you struggling to get your content to pop? A copywriter can change dull underperforming content into a powerful lead-generation tool quickly and simply.

Whether it’s sending the perfect email, tailoring a how-to guide or boosting your SEO score; we can help.

If you would like to know more, we can send you a free sample of a message you really want to get out there. Give us some details by filling in the form below.