Content creation and copywriting demands are growing at rocket speed. Whether it's blog posts, advertising copy, website copy, social media updates, or a ton of other content, your business does better when you've got consistently produced content keeping you relevant and capturing your customers' attention. But, meeting these needs can be a real challenge, especially when everyone is so short on staffing...and time!
Along comes AI copywriting! Does it save the day? Kinda, but not really.
AI copywriting is a powerful tool to make content creation more efficient – but it's not the end-all be-all...at least not yet. Let's take a look at three benefits of AI copywriting, as well as three reasons why it still needs a real person behind the scenes.
Benefits of AI copywriting
1. It's fast!
AI copywriting tools can generate content at lightning speed! The systems have vast amounts of information to pull from and can create basic content within seconds. Leveraging AI means that businesses can produce a large volume of content in a short amount of time. It can be useful for repetitive tasks that don't take a lot of creativity or self-expression.
2. It's consistent and efficient
While a real writer may have variations in tone, style, or vocabulary within their writing, an AI content creation tool can be programmed/queried so that it's always the same voice and style. While there are times you definitely DO NOT want that kind of bland content, there may also be times where that is really appealing. With AI, you may also be able to streamline workflows and reduce the need for extensive editing and proofreading, further enhancing overall efficiency.
3. It can target an audience using vast amounts of data
AI copywriting tools can analyze vast amounts of data about your target audience and tailor the content accordingly. By using available data on user preferences, demographics, behavior patterns, etc., AI can even generate content that targets specific smaller segments of your audience. This kind of approach may lead to higher engagement and an increase in conversion rates. AI can analyze user data at scale, identifying patterns and trends that might be challenging for a human writer to discern manually.
Despite these advantages, there are still crucial reasons why AI copywriting requires a real person!
Why you still need a real person
1. AI requires excellent prompts – from real people
AI copywriting systems rely on clear and accurate prompts to generate relevant and high-quality content. Crafting an appropriate prompt that conveys the desired message and meets your objectives requires both creativity and strategic thinking – something AI can't (yet, anyway) do on its own. Writers can provide context, outline specific requirements, and communicate the desired outcome more effectively than an AI system alone.
2. People understand people
While AI can generate content quickly, it can overlook the nuances and subtleties that writers can capture. Every industry has specific needs, each audience has precise desires, and a writer can provide insights that AI would never even consider. You also still need a real writer to research and fact check any AI created content – there is still a ton of content coming out of AI tools that is inaccurate at best – and completely made up, at worst.
Also, AI can't replace a writer's capability to pull information from subject experts during interviews and present it in clear, yet humanizing ways.
3. Maintaining the Company's Voice and Branding:
Every company has a unique voice and brand identity that should be reflected in its content. Writers understand the company's ethos, tone, and style – and how it may differ from their competitors – allowing them to infuse just the right personality into each piece of content. AI copywriting, doesn't have a personality, and no matter how carefully crafted the prompt is, it can't capture all of the subtleties of a brand's voice. Writers can inject creativity and emotion, building trust and loyalty.
There is no denying that AI can be your copywriter's best friend. Good writers can use AI to enhance their speed and efficiency. In fact, in full disclosure, I used AI while writing this blog post – but I also ended up changing about 90% percent of the content to match my own thoughts, tone, and style.
AI can help a writer come up with new ideas quickly and painlessly, avoiding the dreaded writer's block. But AI is simply not a replacement for a real copywriter. Could it be someday? It's certainly possible....but today is not that day!
