Impactful Copywriting – Who Does It Better, Humans or AI?

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining ground on human abilities in a wide range of areas. But one task where humans still reign supreme is creating impactful copywriting. Although AI writers can provide some interesting and helpful writing, they have yet to match the creativity, nuance and subtlety of human writing.

That said, AI does have its advantages when it comes to copywriting. It can quickly analyze data and conduct market research, enabling it to generate targeted messaging and optimize for search engines. AI can also handle repetitive tasks like email marketing and social media scheduling with ease.

But ultimately, the true power of copywriting lies in understanding human emotions and motivations, something that AI is not yet capable of. It takes a human touch to craft a compelling narrative, evokes an emotional response, and truly connect with an audience.

In this post,  we’ll explore why hiring human copywriters remains the best option for effective and impactful copywriting, and highlight some of the key skills that only humans can provide. We’ll also discuss where it may be appropriate to rely on AI for certain tasks.

When should you NOT use AI in Copywriting (& hire humans)

Only 7% of human communication is through spoken words.

When you hear that Jasper AI or any has read over 10% of all of the internet – it simply means that Jasper has scanned 10% of all written text on the internet.

AI writers have no clue about the other 93% of communication – feelings, experiences, emotions or other things that are not spoken (or written on the internet).

How would you train an AI to read between the lines when there is no line to read?

Using an AI writing assistant may be tempting when you’re under a tight deadline or dealing with complicated content. However, it’s not always the best option.

Let’s look at a few examples where hiring a human copywriter would be a better choice than using AI.

1. When your audience is highly technical

AI has progressed a lot in the last few years, but it cannot replace humans when it comes to expertise in specific topics. Consequently, if you want to appeal to a technical audience (people with deep knowledge on the topic), your content must be correct and free of errors.

Devil is in the details, they say, when you’re writing on a difficult topic for an informed audience. With touchy subjects like money, for example, it’s wiser to go with a human copywriter who can suggest payment options/products for your new website or e-commerce store. Or maybe you are a freelancer and want to learn about Code snippets or Google Tag Manager (GTM) to improve your site’s discoverability.

On topics like these, you want to read from the experts themselves and not AI engines that learned about the topic secondhand from other sources.

Furthermore, if your target readers are knowledgeable in the topic you’re discussing, they will be able to detect whether or not your content was written by an expert in the first few seconds!

2. When you need to build trust

AI can write a lot of words. But it may not be a ‘lot of words’ that build rapport and trust with your readers. This is where humans have the advantage over machines – we can easily tap into our intuition, empathize with our readers, and connect with other humans on a deeper level without needing as many words.

If you’re selling a product or service that requires a great deal of trust between you and the customer, it’s best to use human copywriters. This is because people are more likely to trust companies that they feel are personal and relatable, rather than those that seem cold and impersonal.

AI can get a lot of people to click – that doesn’t need so much skill. But to convert that click into a sale – that is an art! People don’t buy when they don’t trust!

Knowing where to add statistics, an image, a quote, a blank space or a CTA is a human thing.

3. When you want to be Personal

Most companies would give anything to get very personal with their messaging and connect with their audience on a deeper level. It’s difficult for AI to replicate that personal touch and build trust with your audience.

Let’s look at a few examples.

Copy for a T-shirt for sports is very different from a T-shirt for sleeping. The emotions, feelings and customer actions connected to buying a sports T-shirt or sleeping T-shirt are very different.

Copy for a T-shirt for a small kid cannot be the same as a T-shirt for a teenager. The age range of each group are different. Moreover, what they are interested in and what they expect from a product is very different. In this case, who are you trying to convince – the kid or the parent?

AI writing assistants may be able to generate basic content. However, if you’re trying to create more nuanced or personalized content that speaks directly to your audience, it’s best to hire a human copywriter.

4. If you’re selling a high-end product

To sell luxury items, your content must look and sound luxurious. This can be difficult when using AI-written pieces, which often come across as simplistic.

AI can write more words. But it is inadequate at saying more with fewer words!

If you are trying to sell diamond rings, for example, customers want to feel like they are investing in something special and unique. AI-generated copy may not be able to capture the elegance and sophistication that is required for a high-end product.

To create high-end content that resonates with the right audience, it’s best to work with a talented copywriter who has experience in this space.

5. If you’re writing for a new product / new market / new niche

The algorithms behind the AI products need a lot of data to train themselves. Thus, AI writers inherently depend on the words already written by humans- it limits them to writing only about what has already been written (repeating the same bias & errors).

If you’re introducing a new product or service, your target audience (& the internet) is likely unfamiliar with it and has questions that need to be answered. This is where human copywriters really shine, as they can use their expertise and creativity to craft content that resonates with your audience and helps them understand the benefits of your product.

When can you use AI in Copywriting

1. Creativity/Trust/Personalization is NOT a requirement

When you need to generate a large volume of content quickly based on existing material, AI may be a good option.

For example, if you are a content marketing agency that specializes in writing product descriptions or Amazon listings, using AI to generate these pieces based on existing content can be useful (eg: there is a new Blue model in addition to the Black & Red)!

Another good example of a use case here is to build a copy in one language and translate it into multiple languages using AI. But always remember to have a human review and edit before publishing. AI can do the initial draft, but publishing without a human reviewing it might make it scary/laughable/dangerous and kill your business quickly.

The devil is in the detail/subtlety/nuance/context & common sense – AI doesn’t care about these as much as humans do!

2. When you need insights from large data volume

Copywriters can use AI to help gather data-driven insights quickly and easily. AI-powered SEO tools are always scrutinizing performance data to give you recommendations for what’s already working and where you can make improvements.

For example, if you are running a marketing campaign, using AI to analyze data about which pieces of content are driving the most traffic and conversions can be a great way to optimize your strategy and drive results.

While the algorithms powering these tools may be complex, learning SEO isn’t as difficult and can be very helpful. While all copywriters should have a basic understanding of SEO copywriting principles, the best ones write with their audience in mind first and foremost. Only then do they tailor their content to also meet search engine standards. This way, they kill two birds with one stone by creating material that is both informative and appealing.

Even though Google is one of the biggest users of AI, they still ask content creators to write for humans first. This should give you a clue about what search engines are really looking for: The human element.

3. When dealing with repetitive tasks like email marketing or social media scheduling

AI can easily manage tasks that are repetitive, such as email marketing and social media scheduling. This way, human copywriters will have more time to focus on creative tasks.

Even though AI is managing these campaigns’ preset automated tasks, it’s still important for a human to review them so accuracy and error-free content can be guaranteed.

Continue Reading: AI Writers Are Here: What Happens Next?

Conclusion

Whether you’re a large corporation or a small business, copywriting is vital for your success. Great copy can influence customers to purchase your goods or services. But it also strengthens the bond between the customer and the company.

AI is excellent with data and words, but it hasn’t quite mastered human emotion and experiences yet. The ability to understand what isn’t said or written, the little intonations and extensions in language. Not to mention having empathy towards customers and understanding their needs. These are all complexities that AI can’t (fully) comprehend and use in their copywriting just yet.

So while AI can assist with some aspects of the writing process, it’s still best to hire a human copywriter. In the end, connecting with your audience and making a personal connection is what matters most. And for that, AI just can’t compete with the human touch.

About the author

Ilam lives in Denmark and has two decades of experience in technology/financial services. He’s also a keen AI enthusiast. He’s not as popular as Elon Musk (yet), but thinks of humanity’s future & AI as much as Musk does without the media attention and the money to buy companies!