There’s no easy way to say it, so I’m just going to say it: I’m not a fan of AI words. I don’t hate them, but I’m incredibly wary of their abilities to really connect with audiences in a meaningful way. Now, I’m a busy solo entrepreneur, I’d be absolutely lying if I told you that I didn’t use AI at all during my day. Honestly, it’s inescapable!
And – even more truthfully – AI is super handy! It can write content in a flash (no, I’m still not at this point in my life), create code, and images (except people), chat with customers while I’m out, call my bestie while I’m driving… Seriously, outside of making me dinner and washing my laundry (where are we with this?) AI does it all, right?
Nope, still skeptical.
What’s this I’m calling AI words?
Alright, so I’m officially dubbing AI copy as AI words. Why? Because it’s fun and it serves to prove my point …
I’m a writer. And I can’t deny feeling on the verge of extinction when measured up against the likes of ChatGPT, Copilot, Google AI, and whoever else. But it’s because I’m a writer – someone who is more of a people watcher, introvert, and student of the human condition – that the tiny hairs on the back of my neck get all tingly when someone says they create all their copy with AI. All my life, I’ve been so curious about what makes people do their peopley things (yes, that’s the phrase I’m sticking to!) and what makes them tick that I am intrigued that AI words click with so many businesses.
You see, when it comes to content writing, the point has always been to attract humans to businesses with words. The goal is to be so captivating in your storytelling or informative that the reader says HECK YES! Well, AI words don’t have that je ne sais quoi. It doesn’t have that human spark that fosters connections.
Now this is the part where I can almost feel you rolling your eyes through time and space. I know you’re thinking I’m bonkers because AI words aren’t real. I just made that up. AI words are just fine. And I am really just a copywriter on the verge of extinction willing to disparage AI and its capabilities.
Ok, you got me. Sorta. But only sorta.
Here’s why
What makes AI copy actually good?
If you could see me now, you’d see your girl waving a white flag. I surrender!
I already said I don’t hate AI. But I do hate low-quality content. So let’s fix that for you!
AI doesn’t actually understand what people love or want. But it can learn if you give it the right information. AI uses a series of data points to generate responses. And the really cool thing is that it can adapt its output based on the inputs you provide. The more specific the request, the more details you give for the tone, intention, word choice, and context, and the better the response will be.
That’s because with every characteristic you’re adding to make your words sound less like AI, the more they start sounding like a human.
If I could divert your attention for a personal note: If everyone spent massaging prompts and fine-tuning words as much as I have (to see what works), we’d all be amazing writers and there would actually be no need for copywriters like! (Shhh! Don’t tell anyone I said that!) But who am I kidding, not everyone gets excited about stringing words together, some of us like numbers or technical designs.
What I’m saying is that the key to making AI words sound less robotic and mechanical is to teach the AI how to incorporate the nuances of human language into their outputs.
AI doesn’t have feelings – but people do. And with good copy, you use those feelings to draw in your audience. This means that to get your AI words working, you need to make sure the prompts you use play on the feelings that your audience may be experiencing.
Adding a human touch to AI words
As I’m writing this, I have Grammarly humming away in the background. I’m telling you this because it keeps underlining words that it wants me to remove.
There are little squiggles under every emphatic word in this copy. Why? Because AI doesn’t understand that human connection is enigmatic. And emphasis is a no-fly zone with Grammarly.
I’ve purposely kept these words in content. I’ve purposefully kept my sentences a little long. I’ve purposefully chopped up how I write to match how I speak.
Why? Because I want my content to be informative, but I also want it to be reflective of me and the personality that comes with me.
One of the big limitations of AI is simple: AI isn’t playful. It can be playful, but it takes work.
AI words are mechanical and rigid. You can see them from a mile away.
But if you take the time to properly revise the copy that is generated, you can create something that works. Just make sure to consider:
- the purpose
- the audience,
- the emotion you want to evoke
- the information you need to convey
There are definitely more that you need to put in there, but in the homework, I’ve been doing, I’ve found touching on at least these four items helps create a reasonable output.
Wait… Will AI make me a better writer?
This is one of those ridiculously high-volume searches that pop up when I Google AI. I gave you my opinion, but let’s explore why…
AI will make you a better writer because to teach AI to be a better content generator, you need to guide it. When you guide AI, you are forcing yourself to think of all the reasons, the words, and the goals you have in mind for your content. Then you have to read it and regenerate sections 1000 times to get it right.
If done correctly, the process of guiding your AI tools in their content writing takes almost as long as writing it yourself. Without the actual writing. But a lot of people learn by osmosis, so the more exposure you have to content and what it’s doing, knowing if it’s working, and where you want it to take you, the better you will be at writing.
What do you need to know about making AI sound good?
I’m completely biased here, but if you aren’t writing-incline work with someone who understands how to connect your business goals to your content marketing.
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it yourself – by all means, we all gotta do what works. I’m just saying that there are two types of jobs the ones done right, and the ones done right the… fourth time.
If you’re going down the DIY route, my big, gigantic, imperative-that-you-follow piece of advice is to make sure that when you review your AI-generated copy, you add personality.
Don’t rely on the words from a collection of data points to give you the human connection your audience needs. Add it in there yourself.
It’s the fun part. Trust me.
