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Quick answer: Do copywriters use AI?

TLDR: Do copywriters use AI? Some do, some don’t. However, they’re probably not using it in the way you think they are.

Can you guess the question people ask me more than anything nowadays?


No, it’s not ‘where did you get your hair done?’. (Is that surprising?)
It’s ‘How is AI affecting your job?’, or a variation on that theme.


And no wonder. AI is suddenly EVERYWHERE. Well, it has been for a while, but since November 2022, when ChatGPT was born, LLMs / chatbots (the type of AI that comes to mind when you think of writing) have changed the creative world somewhat.

Fight? Flight?

Lots of writers are scared. Or angry. I’ve had to unfollow a few because all they talk about on social media is the robots coming for their jobs. Although, that’s probably because they’re bleating online instead of working…


Yet there is a grain of truth behind the scaremongering. I’ve certainly seen a shift in the kind of enquiries I get and client expectations.


Here are some of the things I’ve heard out there and what I make of it:

Writers are losing work because of AI.

To an extent. If a team can update some copy using AI instead of using a professional writer, then why wouldn’t they? After all, if I wanted to translate an email from Flemish into English, I wouldn’t pay a translator. I’d use Google. Same thing.


However, if I wanted to rewrite a website from Flemish into English, would I still use Google? Debateable. A similar situation plays out with AI. People are using AI to do the odds and sods, not the big stuff. Seems sensible.

Business owners and marketing teams can now create all their content using AI.

To an extent. I won’t bang on about this, but it comes down to objectives. If you want content that’s about having ‘something’ to share on social media, AI is probably OK.
If you want content that sets you up as a thought leader, that positions you as different to your competitors or that is genuinely useful to your audience, you’ll need an experienced professional on your side, not a robot.


It also comes down to time. Using AI well (and yes, it’s a thing), takes time, training and a decent understanding of what ‘good’ looks like. Often, businesses don’t have this resource in-house. Therefore, it’s better for them to outsource to a pro who knows what they’re doing (like moi!).

I don’t want a writer who uses AI

There’s a ‘purity’ message going on around work created using AI. As if work that was written with nothing but ink, a quill and parchment is head and shoulders above the rest. The artisan writer is definitely becoming ‘A Thing’.


But here’s my hot take. AI is a tool that helps the process, a bit like a microwave. I’m not going to bake a cake or cook a lasagne in a microwave*. I will get more rewarding results if I do it the old-fashioned way with a hob and an oven. But will I use a microwave to melt my butter? Yes, I will. I will also use it to warm up the leftovers for lunch the next day. A microwave is helpful, but not the all-round-solution some folk claim it is.

Every woman of the 80s had one of these – proof that just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…


It’s a similar story with writing and AI. I like it. I’m good at it. I (and my clients) prefer the output of my own brain to that of an LLM. But do I use LLMs to help? I certainly do. Here’s how I use them in client work to melt my metaphorical butter.

I use AI to:

In short, AI makes me a better, more efficient writer. Not a lazier, worse one.

How does AI affect the work I do for my clients?


If you choose to work with me to create your websites, case studies, white papers, presentations and reports, you’ll find the same great quality of work as before. I might even be a little better thanks to the little robot coach challenging me to look at things in a slightly different way. You can be reassured however, that the writing you receive will have been generated by my very low-tech, very human brain.


If you want to hop onto one of my workshops or book some in-house training you’ll be pleased to know AI training is now included in all my sessions. I’ll teach you the techniques I use to write more effectively – and those techniques include old-school copywriting lessons as well as how to use new-fangled AI tools. I’m nice like that 🤗.


And if you want to book a 121 Inspiration Session, you’ll get whatever you want. An AI-focused session? I can do that. A tailored training call to help you write case studies? I’m all yours.


Did you find this post useful? Try this one next 👉Is Grammarly Premium Worth It?

*Although, yes, I know you can cook a full meal in a microwave. But will it be good? Probably not.

12 Copywriting Tips for Small Business Owners
A black typewriter holding a blank piece of paper. There is a text overlay which reads "12 copywriting tips for small business owners"


As a small business owner, you need to master a range of skills. As well as finance manager, CEO and pot washer, you need to be a copywriter. And the truth is that although copywriting seems simple at first, it can quickly become overwhelming. My copywriting tips for small business owners are just what you need!

Copywriting tips for small business owners.

Are you ready? Coffee in hand? Let’s go…

  1. Writing doesn’t need to be a drama. You’re just communicating with your audience. If you feel anxious as you approach your keyboard, then try some mind tricks to help you relax into it. One such trick is to pretend you’re talking to just one person – you’ll feel yourself slipping into a much more comfortable frame of mind, ready to write!
  2. Worries about your grammar? Install Grammarly – it’s what all the copywriters are using. It handily checks your grammar & gives you a little nudge if things look incorrect. Beware, the free version has a fondness for Oxford commas & American spellings, so use it with good judgement and align it with your preferences.
  3. Forget yourself. You’re not writing for yourself. You’re writing for your audience. So make sure your writing talks to them about what they’ll get. Not what you can deliver.
  4. Bad writing is better than no writing. After all, you can’t edit a blank page. So, no matter how uninspired you feel or how bad your cold, get something down on the page. Chances are it won’t look that bad when you review it. Speaking of which…
  5. Sleep on it. Leave everything you’ve written for a good few hours before you send/upload/share it. Overnight (or even longer if you have the time) is best. You’ll be amazed at how much you want to change on your final reading.
  6. If it’s not your idea, say so. After all, you’ll just get into hot water if you try to pass off an idea or passage as your own. And in any case, it’s an opportunity to link to or mention your contributor, by which you broaden your audience. Either link to your source in your writing, or mention your source by name. (A link to their website or social media profile is a nice touch here too.)
  7. Share! What’s the point of writing fine words if they just sit on your laptop or blog without seeing the light of day? Share, share and share again. And then repurpose it so you can share it even more. The world deserves to see your brilliance, wouldn’t you say?
  8. SEO is dead. Or so they keep saying. If you want your online writing to index well with search engines, you need to write naturally. Keep it relevant to your audience and use a broad range of vocabulary that refers to your “keywords” – not that anyone admits to using these anymore.
  9. Don’t rely on the robots. AI can be helpful, but please don’t rely on it to write your content. You’ll only end up with something mindnumbingly generic. That’s because AI sources its information from what’s already out there. If you write your content with AI, you’ll have something that’s essentially an internet word salad. Wondering what to do instead? Here’s a great place to start…
  10. Leave out unnecessary words. The more words you include, the more your audience needs to process, and the more likely they are to stop reading. Remove words such as “to”, “of”, “then” and “that”. This goes a long way to making your copy that little bit easier to read.
  11. Don’t fret about the beginning. It can be easier to get stuck into the meat of what you’re trying to say and then build your writing up around it. Don’t worry about finding the perfect opening paragraph – just leave it, write the rest of your document and then come back to it later on.
  12. Get help. No one is an island. If you’re really struggling, get a copywriter (shameless plug, my apologies!). Otherwise, ask willing (and capable) friends and family to proofread your work and give you feedback. A brainstorming session with your network can go a long way to giving you new ideas for your next few blog posts or emails.

Looking for more copywriting help?

As a copywriter who regularly writes for small and medium sized businesses, I can help you in a number of ways.

  1. I can write for you. Give me a call, tell me what you need and I’ll get writing!
  2. You can book a 121 inspiration call. You can use these calls in any way you like – from brainstorming ideas to coaching you to write perfect blogs.
  3. You could join one of my copywriting workshops. I run a range of free and paid workshops, they all contain copywriting tips for small business owners!
  4. You could sign up for my email. You’ll get a monthly update with advice and news to help you improve your writing. You’ll also get a free blogging basics guide to help you get started!
Case study: content writing for the CIPD’s E-Shop website relaunch

The CIPD (Chartered Institute for Professional Development) is a professional body for HR and people development. They provide training, resources and certifications to those working as HR professionals or in leadership roles. 

As part of a broader website project, their content team was updating their E-Shop to improve its SEO performance and fit an updated structure. This meant they needed to rewrite all the listings for their training catalogue. One of their team members had worked with me in the past while at a previous employer and recommended my services.

Website relaunch content writing for the CIPD

This was a highly involved website relaunch content writing project with several factors at play. Here’s a rundown of what that looked like:

A high volume of work

This was a BIG project. There were over 80 course descriptions to rewrite. Some of these were on the shorter side (around 400 words), while others were more involved and over 1000 words long. 

Compact timeframe

There was very little flexibility in this project’s timeframe. The content marketing team were very organised and had a strict project plan. They shared this with me at the outset so I had full visibility of their needs. They briefed me in good time, which meant I could organise my working plan and retainer clients around this project. As if to make things more challenging, the Christmas and New Year break fell partway through the project, reducing the available time. 

To deal with this, I created my own timing plan. I also gave the content team visibility into when they could expect work from me. I then worked through the files in an organised manner and kept the team regularly updated.

Multiple stakeholders

The CIPD is a large organisation, and several people were involved in my work’s sign-off. In addition to the digital marketing manager, I dealt with the SEO manager, the in-house head of copy, L&D experts, and the marketing lead. We held weekly status calls to share feedback, review progress and agree on the next steps.

Website relaunch content writing requirements

With all these project management aspects, it’s easy to forget the work itself! My brief involved:

I carried out all work on the CIPD’s Teams platform and had full access to their project timeline with full visibility of key milestones.

Results

I delivered all work ahead of time and helped out when additional course descriptions were needed at the last minute. The relaunched E-shop is now available online, providing leaders and HR professionals with a selection of bitesize courses, training and more involved qualifications. 

You can see the E-shop here.

Here’s what my key contact at the CIPD, Hannah Barragry, had to say about working together:

“From the offset, Laura was friendly, proactive and flexible. Despite the project having many time constraints and often involving shifting priorities (and last minute additions) Laura was professional, agile and organised at all times. Laura also worked very closely with other members of my team such as the Copywriting and TOV Lead and Marketing Manager. She was brilliant at both demonstrating her expertise whilst also ensuring the team felt heard and that their comments were incorporated into any changes.

Since the website has relaunched with the new copy we have seen in reduction in abandon basket rates and an increase in direct sales.

On a personal note, Laura was a lovely and fun person to work with. Thank you for all your support, time and expertise working on this project with us. Looking forward to working together again in the future.”

Need help with website relaunch content writing? I could be exactly who you’re looking for. Book a call to find out more about me and how I work.

An easier way to find inspiration & creativity.

Creativity is a fickle mistress. Inspiration isn’t much better.

There for you in the middle of the night. Whispering sweet temptations, teasing you with wild thoughts.

They flirt with you as you drive on empty roads.

Ideas, dreams, what ifs.

But call on them when needed? They might come. Bounding towards you so readily you have to stop and catch your breath. But other times?

Not so much.

And if you have a deadline they’re guaranteed to miss it.

Creativity is a tease. Inspiration is a flirt. Coquettish in the extreme. They’re responsible for your greatest moments and biggest breakthroughs. But will send you insane with despair when suddenly, without warning, they stop returning your calls.

 

I’m writing this as I sit in a café. It’s almost a parody of the freelance writer. Flat white? Notebook? White noise of the coffee grinder? All present and correct. Creativity and inspiration have chosen to bestow me with their company today. It means I’m working at speed – with dreadful handwriting and writer’s cramp.

Another way of looking at creativity and finding inspiration

I’m going to stop with the sensual, womanly metaphors now. Because in truth, as much as it might be fun to think of creativity as a seductive and wayward lover, creativity is more like a bottle of water. You can’t drink from it infinitely without topping it up. When you get busy, you miss those opportunities to refill and before you know it, you’re sipping at an empty bottle.
It’s little wonder that as time goes on, the creative spark that sets you apart dulls. Your work becomes vanilla. Beige. Limp.

Refuel your creativity

Refill that bottle of creativity – or if you will, tempt back your wayward lover. Take action.

1. Stop. Give yourself a break. Exhaustion stops your brain working and leaves you good for one thing only; a good night’s sleep or even better – a holiday. Listen to your body and give yourself the night off.

2. Take inspiration. Head off and soak up someone else’s creativity. Visit a gallery. Read a book. Go to a gig. Now honestly, Instagram or Pinterest don’t count. You need to physically experience something for it to truly affect you. You need your synapses to fuse together in excitement. That ain’t gonna happen on your Insta feed.

3. Work at scale. Creativity needs space. Big rooms. Large tables. Enormous pieces of paper. Visit a gallery and have your mind blown by the scale of some of the pieces of work there. Sure, there are some gorgeous miniatures too, but creativity works best without constraint – give it some space.

4. Get outside. Maybe this is why so many freelancers have dogs. Fresh air, nature, trees – it doesn’t matter what it is, but the sense of otherness you can get from being anywhere other than your desk or studio might be just what you need to tempt back creativity.

5. Exit distractions. If there’s something nearby that needs my attention, I just can’t get creative. Kids, the washing machine bleeping that its finished its cycle. Oh yeah – my phone… Put me in the corner of a room with people I don’t know and I can produce my finest work…

6.What’s your poison? OK. I know this is contentious, but the relaxing properties of a G&T or glass of red wine can’t be underestimated. Hemmingway famously said that one should “write drunk, edit sober”. I’m not suggesting you habitually get legless at 1.30pm on a Wednesday, but an evening of creative reflection can certainly be improved with a glass of the good stuff.

7. Phone a friend. Sometimes it’s a case of chatting things through. Friends, family, other freelancers. Even the barista at your café, different people have different perspectives, so chat away and replenish your creativity.

But above all, there’s one thing that NEVER helps. Beating yourself up about it. Self-flagellation – the metaphorical or actual – won’t help. Switch off your phone. Close your laptop. Step away from your desk.

And she’ll come. She’ll come running – you’ve just got to give her time.

 

Need some extra help in finding your inspiration? Book a call with me. We’ll have a quick chat and then schedule in some time to brainstorm ideas and thoughts together.