Will AI make copywriting jobs redundant? That’s a common concern that’s been doing the rounds in the months since ChatGPT and many other similar tools have launched. But before we dive in there is a little anecdote on photography. In the 1800s, there was Daguerreotype photography, and while you can investigate it, you will see that photography evolved over the last 150 years.
From being film based, on polaroids, Kodak was a leader in this category, until 2001, when phone cameras were just about seeing the day of light. The one job that kept evolving was that of the photographer. The tools of the trade changed, but the need for the craftsperson didn’t. Even today, whether it’s a wedding or any special occasion, you hire a professional [and not your friends] to take photos. Because of the output and quality matter. You want someone who understands the nuance, composition, lighting, and much more.
The same change is true of AI tools helping with copywriting and other use cases, too. The reason the art is always different is because of the artiste. Not because the tools change. But because the way they visualise and render something is different.
What AI is doing to jobs?
That brings me to how AI tools can be used effectively for SEO. If you’re concerned about AI swallowing your jobs, I want you to think about tools such as Canva, Adobe Suite, and others. They’re all tools but the output people are able to generate is vastly different.
While many in the content creation space feel AI is disrupting their jobs and roles, the reality is that if you use AI tools well they can work as a great supplement to your skill sets. By giving the right prompts you minimise the time needed to develop content from scratch. However, the objective is only to use it as a guideline for your content, and not plagiarise text produced by AI tools for writing.
Over the years, many tools have gained popularity. While each tool has its own shortcomings, and advantages, we will list here 5 tools which you can use to write content quickly. Now, bear in mind, we’re not suggesting pulling content from these tools, en masse. What you do with it is left to the individual, and Google can detect AI-written content. The tools outlined below have different uses.
Grammarly:
Refine your writing, and use it to improve sentence construction. You will however need the paid version to get meaningful insights on your writing and improvements. Make no mistakes; if you integrate the browser extension to your emails, you will receive tips. However, some of the more common errors tend to get missed with the free version, which goes beyond sentence construction and is more about stylistic errors and some grammar nuances. If you’re someone who’s writing for a client and just getting started, this is a handy tool to invest in.
QuillBot:
Positioned very clearly as a way to paraphrase content, this tool is useful if English is not your primary language. It helps with language fluency, by suggesting synonyms and expanded vocabulary. However, relying solely on Quillbot for paraphrasing will lead to lack of originality and creativity. Use this tool only as a supplement rather than a replacement for creative writings.
Small SEO tools:
Well known in the SEO community, for its multipurpose suite of tools, this one stop solution helps with a number of simple tasks. This includes keyword research, backlink analysis, and plagiarism checking. Being a free tool, it has limitations compared to paid SEO tools in terms of advanced features and data accuracy. If you’re fine with dealing with ads, for your work, while you enjoy the freebies, this is good option for simple SEO tasks which need to be done.
ChimpWriter:
On the plus side, ChimpWriter helps to create content quickly and effortlessly by providing effective and speedy writing support. It is a helpful tool for writers and content producers since it offers comments, grammar fixes, and even assists with idea generation. The not so great downside is that it lacks originality. What do I mean? It uses existing data, and so you might find the options a bit limiting when trying to come up with some phrases or are trying to come up with copy for specific use cases. As a writer, it’s a good idea to use the tool more as a guide, than actually copywriting from scratch since we know that no one writes better than anyone with real lived experience. Much of the suggestions you may find are regurgitated examples of content that’s already existing.
Copy.ai:
Sometimes when we need to find fresh ideas for the same subject, it can be a bit of a chore. Copy.ai positions itself as a great prompt tool for writing marketing content and definitely delivers there. It lives up to the name when it comes to marketing content. Much like other tools, it has templates, and tools, so you can use it to create all forms of written content for blog posts, marketing copy, and social media content. The interface is nice, and easy to use with initiative navigation. But, if you want to truly unlock its potential, you have to be willing to cough up the subscription price. Much like other freemium tools in the market, this one has limited usage available for free users.
Each of these tools has different usages, and value for a copywriter, or content creator. The downside to adopting these tools full-time is the lack of original voice, authenticity, and nuance in the content that’s produced. The human mind tends to choose different words for emphasis and will often string together a permutation that’s rooted in pop culture, lingo, and much more to deliver copy and content which is not only unique but filled with a lot of personalities which is at the heart and soul of any piece of content. That unique voice is something that most AI tools cannot yet mimic. Despite the best, and most nuanced prompts one might imagine, you can always tell AI content [especially if it’s not meant to be informative in nature, and therefore just factual], from the copy which is written by a person.
Prompt engineering –the new phase in AI product development
This then brings us to the next chapter of AI evolution and everyone’s favourite topic: prompt engineering
There is an entire industry cropping up around the concept of prompt engineering and getting different outcomes from it. Among them, is content.
It’s even easy to assume that the content being generated in swathes is exciting but the reality is that nothing beats content that comes from experience, or insight. Most tools using AI need training data, and when it comes to content, while there are trillions of terabytes of data available, not all tools are able to do justice to create the poetic or lyricism that comes with each brand. Can you ever imagine an AI tool coming up with “Open Happiness”, or “Just Do It”? No, because these were ideas crafted in the context of human emotions. Many tools today are useful at getting rid of iterative work and some of it is helpful even but prompt engineering to a level where your copywriter skills can be matched is still a far cry away.
Of course, what these tools do is bring a universal playing field for everyone, where writing is not their forte. This could be for things such as resume writing, or writing pithy sentences which are informational for users. In the case of SEO, however, knowing what type of content is needed for the top of the funnel, and what long tail keywords will help convert supersedes writing abilities. Understanding the emotional context of a subject is just as important as using words to translate and convey information. Many of these tools use synonyms quite frequently which alter the meaning, and nuance of the subject matter. Today, more than ever before, it is necessary to understand how to work with human emotion and its nuances. Knowing your customer becomes even more important since anyone can string words together—but knowing which order of words
Use the tools wisely to give you a guideline of the kind of content to use. Rely on your mind to formulate connections between topics, and minimise your time in creating drafts.
