I know, I know. It’s a topic that’s been covered to death by many ‘marketing gurus’ already… but after over a year of using ChatGPT within my business, I finally feel like I’ve worked out the best ways it can be helpful to my work as a copywriter.
When ChatGPT first came on the scene, it was the first time AI was taken seriously. It was a scary time in the content marketing industry, as many companies who had been using freelance writers like myself immediately cut their spend for blog posts – and even website copy. It felt like almost overnight, content writing and copywriting were devalued.
But with time comes the natural realisation for many people that although ChatGPT is a ‘revolutionary’ tool, it’s not the silver bullet once thought. It’s now easy to spot ChatGPT’s writing at work; writing with no real personality, filled with buzzwords. Fortunately, people are wising up to the fact that using AI to entirely write something for you offers regurgiated, unoriginal content that’s not doing your business any justice.
Google’s Helpful Content Update February 2024
Google’s most recent Helpful Content Update has helped push the idea that AI-generated content isn’t cutting it even further, as they’re now actively de-ranking sites. Although Google recognises the importance and usefulness of AI, they state that using AI “to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies.”
So, if you are prompting ChatGPT to write you ‘10 tips on website copywriting’ and using it verbatim, without adding any of your own expertise or research, there’s a fat chance you’ll be considered spam by Google.
Instead, you should focus on Google’s core principles of E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. To be truly helpful, you need to add something valuable to the reader based on your personal knowledge in a way nobody else has already done. Learn more about Google’s advice on creating helpful content here.
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No, I still don’t use AI to write copy
Before going into my tips for using ChatGPT, I want to say: Even after trying hundreds of different prompts, I’ve still never used anything it’s written directly. I’ve always edited in some way. And to achieve something that’s even remotely close to a good output, strategy is still essential.
Rather than shy away from new technology, I’ve been testing which applications I think it’s the most useful for in my copywriting business. So, I wanted to share them with you here…
By the way, I didn’t come up with many of these AI uses alone – they came from a combination of reading resources, following people online, and tweaking things myself. Some of the best tips I can credit to Martin and Lyndsay at Jammy Digital and Shlomo the Creative Marketer.
1. For initial research into a new topic
ChatGPT is brilliant at summarising a new topic for you in seconds. As a copywriter, this is such a time-saving method for me, as I work between a wide range of topics and industries… and I need to get my head into the ins and outs of everything quickly.
Before ChatGPT, I would scout Google, reading numerous blog posts and resources, sifting through the clearly promotional ones, and taking ages to get a clear understanding of the topic. Now. I ask ChatGPT to summarise and explain a topic using simple language, which gives me that initial knowledge so much faster and means I can dig deeper quicker.
ChatGPT prompt
*Please explain X topic to me in simple language, using no more than two paragraphs.
Tip: If you are researching a highly complex topic, ask it to explain it to you as if you’re a child. This usually means ChatGPT throws in a LEGO-related analogy, which can be fun and also makes it easier to grasp.
*Yes, I’m polite to the robots.
2. Finding out the most commonly asked questions
After getting an initial understanding, I need to know what questions potential buyers have about this topic. For me to write effective copy for a business, these FAQs are essential research that’s made much faster by ChatGPT. Traditionally, it would have taken a while to visit various websites and filter out these things.
In only a few seconds, I can get a summary of the audience and their needs, including:
- Potential objections to buying
- What’s important to their decision
- The main problem people want solving
- What transformation they dream about
- Things they have already tried before
- And much more…
ChatGPT prompt
Please tell me the most commonly asked questions about X topic, including any hesitations, problems, and motivations from potential buyers.
ChatGPT will usually create a summary to this prompt, like the screenshot of this prompt about copywriting below. Each point gives me more to look into and research, so I can address these in my clients’ copy.
3. For learning the pros and cons
Just like finding out what people want to know about a topic, quickly learning the pros and cons of different situations is incredibly useful for me as a copywriter. It helps to form a less bias view – and readers generally prefer to see both sides of the story to make their own judgement.
ChatGPT prompt
Please tell me the pros and cons of X topic.
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4. Finding relevant statistics
I ask ChatGPT if there are any studies relating to my question or topic, and it shows the key findings and links where it came from. You need the latest version of ChatGPT 4 for this one, but it’s a great way to quickly find statistics.
ChatGPT prompt
Please tell me if there are any studies about X topic.
Warning: you should fact-check everything to ensure the reference isn’t outdated or incorrect. Often, ChatGPT shows a source from 2022, but that’s not the original source – it’s another article referencing it. So if you want up-to-date, correct information, double-check everything first.
5. Looking for any potentially confusing or weak copy
Right at the end of my first draft, whether I’m working on website copy, a blog post, an email, or something else words-related, I paste it into ChatGPT and ask to spot any potential areas for confusion, repetition, and improvements.
When you do this, it pinpoints sections that may need more elaboration or ways you could reinforce the point, such as adding case studies to illustrate real-life examples. ChatGPT also highlights any redundant or repeated areas (which is a great tool for a copywriter who’s gone almost ‘blind’ to what they’re writing).
ChatGPT prompt
Please point out any areas in this post can be improved, giving me insights into things to add to make it more informative, highlight any confusing terms, and pinpoint any unnecessary repetition –
(paste copy)
When using this prompt, I don’t ask it to make the changes for me, but I manually use the results to improve the writing. You could play around with this, but as mentioned above, I don’t use any full writing prompts because I always spend longer editing it myself.
6. To find alternative phrases or words
Yes, I could use an online thesaurus, but it’s often easier to ask ChatGPT for alternative words and phrases as it displays in a simple list. When I’m writing for clients, unfortunately words stop making sense sometimes or I overuse one phrase: this is a great quick and easy fix.
ChatGPT prompt
Please give me alternative phrase/word options for X to be used in this sentence – (paste copy)
Using AI to write better website copy for my clients
Whether you’re a copywriter being nosey at my process or a potential client wanting to know how I use AI in my business, this blog post gives you a great insight into some useful ways ChatGPT helps me to plan and write great copy for my clients.
Speeding up this process and using AI gives me more creative brain power for the things that matter, like asking the important questions, analysing research, and tweaking the copy to be the best it can be.
So if you want to partner with a copywriter who specialises in articulating the awesome work you do as a creative, quirky, or hard-to-explain service provider, I’m your gal. I offer full website copywriting packages, copy polish consultations, and bespoke regular copy retainers.
Get in touch if you have any questions!
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