Will A.I. put copywriters out of a job?
I was very curious about how well AI can write, so I used AI to write a SEO-optimised article.
Am I out of a job?
AI is getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. But how good is it? Should I hang up my copywriting boots and just binge Netflix all day – well not yet.
I am interested in what the technology can do. I have been writing a lot of content recently and I have worked with some very talented writers, so I was curious about what can be achieved with AI software. There is definitely a learning curve on how best to use the tech, and it is well worth investing time in learning how to use this software.
I decided to give it a whirl and see what it could do. I used ChatGBT to create a blog post. This is free to use, in its research phase, so have a play with it if you have time.
Adding keywords
The process is very simple, you have a dialogue box where you interact with the AI. I first went to Google Keyword Planner and found a keyword I wanted to use for the article. I then plugged that keyword into a Google Search. Scroll down to “People also ask” and you get a whole bunch of other keywords to use for that subject.
I then went back to ChatGBT, and told the AI to write an article around the keyword. I also asked if it could also include the keywords I had found in the Google Search. Basically, I briefed the AI about what I wanted. I then asked if it could deliver the article with subheadings and bullet points. You can also add style and tone notes but I didn’t this time.
Adding cross-links
Next, I went through this site and found more keywords. I wanted to create internal links for the article to make it SEO-friendly. I asked ChatGBT to include these in the article, so the writer was well briefed.
To begin with, I asked for an outline of the article. BOOM – thirty seconds later I had the bones of the article presented back to me. The next step is to type in “write” and then drop that outline back into ChatGBT and the AI churned out a 1200-word article in about 2 minutes.
The results
Was it any good? Well, actually it was. Should I be worried? Not quite yet.
The article was well-written, very informative and covered the subject in-depth. The structure was a little wonky though and the tone was quite flat – it had the personality of a robot.
Now, I could have picked up some of these issues when I asked for an outline but once I had the text I could just edit. A cut here, a copy and paste there and I had an article that flowed better. I added some human copy to add some colour and it was ready to upload.
I was very impressed. What it did show to me was the briefing of the AI was crucial to the process. The old adage – garbage in, garbage out is very true. As a copywriter, I know exactly what I want to achieve, I know the structure and the tone. My job is still safe, and if anything, I am in a better position than others to get the most out of AI.
I am biased though. I like copy that has a bit more personality. But have a look for yourself. How well do you think the AI performed? Take a look.
