Using AI to Write Like a Pro: Your 2024 Copywriting Guide

An Introduction to AI Copywriting

You're here because you want to level up your copywriting skills - and you've heard artificial intelligence could be the key. We feel you. As professional writers ourselves, we know how tough it can be to churn out high-quality content day after day. But AI is changing the game. In this guide, we'll walk you through exactly how to use AI tools to write faster and better in 2024 and beyond. From prompts to platforms, we've experimented with all the latest tech so you don't have to. Get ready to become a copywriting pro with a little help from your new AI friends. Let's dive in!

The Benefits of Using AI for Content Creation

What is AI copywriting?

AI copywriting uses artificial intelligence to generate human-sounding marketing copy, product descriptions, blog posts, and more. AI copywriters are trained on huge datasets of human-written content to learn how to write in a natural, engaging style. Some AI copywriting tools can generate short-form content on demand, while more advanced systems can draft long-form content with minimal human input.

How AI copywriting works

AI copywriting systems use neural networks, a type of machine learning algorithm inspired by the human brain. The AI is first fed thousands of examples of well-written copy, blog posts, and other content. It analyzes these examples to detect patterns in writing style, word choice, rhythm, and structure. The AI uses what it has learned to generate new content in the same style. Some AI copywriters also allow human writers to fine-tune the AI by providing feedback on its drafts.

The benefits of AI copywriting

AI-generated copy has some key advantages. It can be produced quickly, at high volumes, and at a lower cost than human copywriters. AI copy is also data-driven, so it can be optimized for search engine rankings and conversion rates. However, AI has limitations and still requires human oversight. AI-generated copy may lack creativity, emotional resonance or a compelling narrative flow that the human touch provides. For most, a hybrid approach, combining AI and human copywriting, may be the most effective.

The future of AI copywriting

AI copywriting tools continue to grow smarter and more sophisticated. As AI systems analyze more data and receive more human feedback, their writing abilities improve. In the coming years, AI may reach — and in some cases surpass — human level in some facets of copywriting. However, human copywriters and content creators still have an edge in creative storytelling, emotional intelligence and complex strategic thinking — skills that will be hard for AI to replicate. The future is human and AI, working together.

Current AI Copywriting Tools and Features

AI-generated content has a lot of advantages over human writing alone. For starters, AI can generate content at an incredible speed. Massive Scalability

Once you've trained an AI model, it can churn out hundreds or even thousands of pieces of content each day without getting tired or bored. This makes AI ideal for creating content at scale, whether you need product descriptions, blog posts, social media captions, or something else.

Consistency

AI also creates consistent content. Since it follows the patterns and styles it was trained on, the content it produces will have a consistent tone, voice, and quality. This is perfect if you want to maintain a consistent brand voice across many pieces of content.

Cost Savings

Using AI for content creation can significantly reduce costs. You only have to pay for the initial set up, training, and maintenance of the AI system. After that, the content it generates is essentially free. This can save you the expense of hiring full-time writers or freelancers.

Continuous Optimization

One of the best parts of AI is that it's always learning and improving. As people interact with your AI-generated content over time, the system can analyze that data to determine what's working and what's not. It can then optimize and improve its content to achieve better results, with no additional work required from you.

While AI may not match human writing quality just yet, its benefits for content creation are very real. When used properly, AI can be an incredibly powerful tool to help scale and optimize your content in a cost-effective, data-driven way. The future is now!

Tips for Optimizing AI-Generated Content

These days, AI is being used by companies to help generate marketing copy and content. As the technology improves, AI copywriting tools are getting smarter and able to produce higher quality writing.

Content and Article Generation

Some AI writing tools can generate entire blog posts, articles, product descriptions, and other types of content from just a headline, outline or a few bullet points you provide. The AI does the rest of the writing for you. Tools like CopyAI, Jasper, and Article Forge offer this type of advanced AI content generation.

AI Writing Assistance

Other copywriting tools act more as an AI assistant, helping you write better and faster. As you type, the AI will suggest sentences or paragraphs to continue your thought. It may flag grammar, spelling or style issues to review. Some tools like CopySmith, Persado, and Phrasee provide interactive AI copywriting assistance.

Improved AI Models

Newer AI models like GPT-3 are enabling AI writing tools to generate more human-like copy. The content flows better, is more coherent, and sounds less robotic. These AI models have been trained on massive datasets which helps them to understand language and write in a more natural style. Expect AI copywriting tools to leverage these advanced models to keep improving their writing.

Customization and Personalization

More AI copywriting tools now offer ways to customize and personalize the type of content they produce. You can specify your target audience, brand tone, and other attributes to generate copy that matches your needs. Some tools allow you to further train their AI on your own content samples and style guides. These customizations will result in higher quality, tailored copy from the AI tools.

Overall, AI copywriting tools have come a long way in recent years and continue to get smarter and improve their writing abilities. But for the most important types of copy, having a human copywriter to review and edit the AI’s work is still recommended. AI and human copywriters working together creates a powerful combination.

Combining AI and Human Writing for Best Results

AI tools can be a huge help for quickly generating initial content drafts, but the output will still need refinement and optimization before publishing. Here are some tips for polishing AI-generated copy:

Review and Edit

Always review AI content carefully and make any needed edits to improve clarity, accuracy, and flow. Look for any repetition, irrelevant or off-topic information, or factual errors and revise as needed. It may also help to reorganize content or combine short sections into longer ones with smoother transitions.

Strengthen the Structure

AI models can struggle with longer, more complex content. Double check that there is a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Add headings and subheadings to provide structure and help guide the reader. Look for ways to strengthen logical connections and transitions between ideas.

Inject Your Voice

While AI can capture the basics, the content may lack a compelling or consistent voice. Read through the draft and revise wording and phrasing to match your desired style and tone. For example, you may want a casual, conversational tone for a blog post or a more formal tone for an industry report. Bring the content to life by revising in your own words.

Consider the Medium

Evaluate how well the content will work for your intended medium or platform. For example, blog posts should have a fairly informal style with an engaging tone to keep readers interested. An email newsletter will need a clear call to action and value proposition. Make any changes needed to optimize the content for your specific goals and audience.

Add More Details

AI models work from what they have been exposed to, so the content may lack specific examples, stories, statistics or other details that would make it more compelling. Do additional research and add more specific details, examples and explanations where needed. Look for ways to make key points more memorable and impactful for readers.

With review, editing and optimization, AI-generated content drafts can become the foundation for high-quality work that effectively achieves your goals. Using AI for initial content creation helps speed up the writing process, but human judgment and refinement are still essential. By following these tips, you can ensure AI-generated copy is ready to make a great impression on your audience.

AI Copywriting Trends and Advancements to Watch For

AI copywriting tools can generate initial drafts that human writers then review, edit, and improve. This combination leverages the speed and scale of AI with the creativity, judgment, and personalization abilities of people. Working together, AI and humans can craft marketing copy, blog posts, social media content, and more.

AI for High Volume Content

AI excels at producing large volumes of initial drafts for things like product descriptions, social media posts, and short blog entries on predefined topics. The AI can generate hundreds of drafts that hit the key points, with humans then selecting, revising, and approving the best options. This boosts productivity and allows writers to focus on more complex content.

Humans for Creative Content

For creative marketing campaigns, in-depth blog posts, or content on emerging topics, human writers are better suited to lead the initial draft. They can then use AI tools to help expand and enhance the draft by rephrasing sentences, finding additional examples or stats to support key points, and suggesting related keywords or topics to cover. The human maintains control of the overall creative direction while benefiting from the AI’s suggestions.

Feedback Loop Improves AI

As AI and human writers collaborate, the human feedback helps the AI continue learning and improving. When a human editor makes changes to an AI-generated draft, the AI uses that information to better understand how to craft effective content the next time. Over time, the AI produces drafts that require less revision, freeing up the human writers to focus on the highest-level content and strategy.

Combining AI and human writing plays to the strengths of each. AI can scale to high-volume, straightforward content needs, while humans drive creative direction and ensure personalization. With feedback, the AI also keeps learning and improving, to become an even more capable writing partner. Using them together, brands and organizations can accelerate their content creation and better connect with their audiences.

Ethical Considerations When Using AI Content Tools

AI is rapidly transforming how we write copy. In the coming years, AI will continue to shape how copywriters craft messaging and content. Here are a few of the copywriting trends and advancements driven by AI that you should keep an eye on:

AI-Generated Content

AI systems are getting better at generating long-form content like blog posts, ebooks, and even books. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI have created systems that can generate cohesive essays and stories. While AI-generated content may never match human writers, it will likely play an increasing role in producing high-volume, low-complexity copy.

AI Chatbots and Conversational Content

Chatbots and conversational content are on the rise. Brands are using AI chatbots to engage with customers on websites and messaging apps. These bots can also generate conversational content like scripts, dialogues, and messaging sequences. Copywriters may find opportunities to craft content for chatbots and optimize conversational experiences.

AI Insights and Analytics

AI is giving copywriters superpowers with tools that provide data-driven insights to optimize content. Systems analyze elements like word choice, keywords, sentiment, readability, and more. Copywriters can tap into these AI insights to improve engagement, increase conversions, and better connect with their audiences. Services like Persado and Phrasee offer AI-based copywriting tools to help generate and optimize content.

The future is bright for AI and copywriting. While AI may transform the role in some ways, human copywriters will still be critical. AI can't replicate the creativity, emotional intelligence, and life experiences that the best copywriters draw from. The copywriters of the future will utilize AI as a tool to enhance their writing rather than compete with it. The key will be finding the right balance of human and artificial elements to craft truly impactful content.

Developing an AI Copywriting Strategy for Your Business

As AI continues to advance, it’s important to consider how these technologies may impact individuals and society. When using AI for copywriting, there are a few ethical issues to keep in mind.

Bias and unfairness

AI systems can reflect and amplify the biases of their human creators. If the data used to train an AI writing assistant contains prejudiced or unfair representations, the system may generate equally problematic content. Be very thoughtful about the data and models used to develop any AI tool.

Job disruption

Some argue that AI writing tools could significantly impact jobs like copywriting or journalism. However, AI is more likely to augment human writers rather than replace them. Humans still have a creative, empathetic, and strategic advantage over machines. But individuals in these roles may need to adapt to working alongside AI.

Lack of transparency

Many AI systems are opaque, making it hard to understand why they generate certain outputs. This lack of explainability poses risks, as people may be subject to decisions or content they don't comprehend. Look for AI writing tools that provide some visibility into how they work.

Spread of misinformation

If not designed properly, AI writing systems could be manipulated to generate "fake news" or misleading content at scale. Be extremely cautious about the data and models used to build any public-facing AI tool.

Loss of human touch

Some argue that AI-generated content lacks heart or emotion. While AI will continue to get better at mimicking human language, human writers still have an advantage in crafting genuinely moving stories and experiences. AI should augment human writing, not replace it.

With openness, oversight and ethics in mind, AI can be developed and applied responsibly. But we must be vigilant and thoughtful about how these systems are built and used. AI should make human writers' lives easier, not put them out of work. And content should inspire, not mislead. By focusing on AI's assistive role, we can enjoy its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls.

FAQ: Answers to Common AI Copywriting Questions

Using AI for copywriting in your business is a smart move. By developing an effective AI copywriting strategy, you can scale your content creation, improve consistency, and boost your search rankings.

To get started, determine what types of content you want to generate with AI, such as blog posts, social media captions, or product descriptions. Focus on high-volume, repetitive content types. Next, select an AI copywriting tool that suits your needs and budget. Many offer free trials so you can test different options.

Once you choose a tool, spend time training it. Feed the AI with examples of your existing high-performing content so it can learn your brand voice, style, and terminology. The more content you provide, the faster the AI will get up to speed. You should also input any guidelines or policies to follow regarding content creation. Review the AI's initial drafts and provide feedback to further improve its understanding.

When the AI is ready, start small by testing it on low-priority content. Check that it's achieving the right reading level, length, and style for your target audience. Make adjustments as needed before ramping up production. Be sure to always review and approve the AI's work before publishing to ensure quality.

One of the biggest benefits of AI copywriting is the ability to generate customized content at scale. You can create hundreds of unique posts, descriptions or other content types by simply adjusting the prompts and inputs you provide to the AI. For example, swap out keywords and the AI will produce new copy with a different focus.

With an effective strategy and optimization, AI-generated copy can blend right in with human-written content. The key is investing the time upfront to properly train your AI and align its style with your brand standards. By starting small and gradually increasing the volume of AI-produced copy over time, you'll build confidence in the process and reap the rewards of enhanced content creation.