Artificial Intelligence: Is it worth employing a copywriter?

For Taylesmith’s inaugural blog, let’s dive in the deep-end and tackle the robot in the room.

I’ve had plenty of people in my network ask me; ‘doesn’t everyone just use AI now?’

Having worked in-house for over a decade, I could write a list as long as my arm of all the communications that require the human touch. Having said that, I’m not blinkered to the sophistication of AI, it’s impressive, and, like it or not it’s part of our lives. So I thought I’d get know this bot a little better and collaborate for this question.

I asked ChatGPT, ‘what are the benefits of using a copywriter over ChatGPT?’

(p.s. – high score at the pub quiz for anyone that knows what ChatGPT even stands for?…it’s not like we have enough acronyms to contend with right?)

Anyway, first critique out of the way, here is what my new friend came up with:

1. Creativity and originality

What AI said:

While AI can generate text based on patterns it has learned from vast data, it lacks true creativity. A copywriter, however, brings fresh, original ideas to the table. Copywriters are skilled at thinking outside the box and crafting unique messaging that resonates with a target audience. They can inject personality, flair, and originality into their writing—something AI still struggles to do at the same level.

For example, a human writer can create a compelling narrative around your brand, develop a unique voice, and tailor the messaging in a way that feels authentic and relatable. AI might produce grammatically correct content, but it often falls short of the emotional connection that a human writer can create.

What I’d add:

I think AI did a great job if summarising the creative argument here, however, as far as originality goes, we are missing one major point. Most of my clients need a copywriter because what they require is an account of their original product, and as such the content doesn’t yet exist for AI to glean and rework. The majority of what Taylesmith create for customers is original content in its purest form, aside the notion for an original approach to writing.

2. Understanding context and nuance

What AI said:

A good copywriter doesn’t just write words—they understand the deeper context of what they’re writing. Copywriting involves knowing your audience, understanding the tone, style, and cultural nuances required, and adapting content accordingly. Whether you’re writing for a young, tech-savvy audience or a more traditional, professional crowd, a copywriter can adjust the tone and language to fit the context perfectly.

AI tools like ChatGPT, while highly capable, often struggle with understanding subtleties like humour, irony, or sarcasm. A human writer can read between the lines and adjust the message to ensure it lands the way it’s meant to.

What I’d add:

To some extent, AI’s ability to write ‘in the style of’ is a large part of its awe and intimidation. There’s a reason however why, as copywriters, we dwell over words and phrases; we sit with them, then we adjust them as the work develops. Humans are so sensitive to communication styles, we know when something is meant for us and when it’s generalised. So while I recognise that AI could get you part way there with a ‘style’, if you truly care about addressing your audience with care and precision, the human touch is still superior.

3. SEO expertise

What AI said:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for ensuring your content ranks well in search engines and reaches your target audience. While AI can produce SEO-friendly content by following certain rules, it doesn’t fully understand the intricacies of SEO strategies, such as keyword placement, latent semantic indexing (LSI), or the user intent behind search queries.

A professional copywriter, on the other hand, stays up to date on the latest SEO best practices and trends. They can seamlessly integrate keywords into your content without sacrificing readability, ensuring that the writing flows naturally while still being optimized for search engines. This balance is something AI can often struggle to achieve on its own.

What I’d add:

Spot on AI, can’t argue with you there. Although it did bring another point to mind that hasn’t been covered here; the golden thread. Golden thread is a bit like the humanised version of SEO. It’s those stand out words, principles and values that create the heartbeat of your communications, and ultimately your call to action. Golden thread embeds what you stand for and addresses what your customers need from the beginning of a written journey to the end. For the same reasons as listed above, this would be too much of a challenge for AI in most circumstances.

4. Personalized content

What AI said:

A copywriter can dive deep into the specific needs of your brand, understanding the essence of your business, your target audience, and your goals. They can tailor content that not only speaks to your audience’s pain points but also drives conversions. For example, they can write sales pages that compel visitors to take action or create email campaigns that build a sense of urgency.

ChatGPT can certainly generate content based on the input you provide, but it lacks the ability to understand your specific business goals in-depth. It doesn’t have the context of your past marketing campaigns or the ability to craft a personalized strategy for your brand. Human writers can adjust their approach based on client feedback and market performance, something AI can’t replicate as effectively.

What I’d add:

How personal do you want to get?...really personal! You’ve heard of the phrase, ‘people do business with people they know, like and trust’. Particularly when I’m working with SME’s, you’re not just selling your product or service, you’re selling your people too. There is often so much unique personality that my clients need to get across to ensure that they come life in the eyes of their customers. This often comes into play when directly pitching for work, my clients like to prove their investment, whether that be linking to a location or an ethos, and that’s best achieved through sharing personalised facts and stories.

5. Consistency and brand voice

What AI said:

A key benefit of using a copywriter is that they can maintain a consistent brand voice across all of your content. Over time, a skilled copywriter becomes familiar with your tone and style, ensuring that every piece of content you publish aligns with your brand identity. Whether your brand voice is friendly and approachable or formal and authoritative, a human copywriter can match that tone and maintain it throughout various content types.

AI-generated content, however, can sometimes lack consistency, especially when it comes to the more subtle aspects of a brand's voice. It may produce content that’s technically correct but doesn’t always sound like it’s coming from the same company or personality. A copywriter can fine-tune the voice to ensure your brand feels cohesive across all touchpoints.

What I’d add:

I’d say this is probably one of the lowest scoring aspects of AI. As any brand manager will know, keeping your brand on point and within guidelines is challenging because of interpretation. AI may be able to get a shallow feel for you brand guidelines if you are a large sized company with lots of available content, but for most of the companies I work with, it’s not going to come close.

6. Human touch in customer engagement

What AI said:

At the end of the day, people connect with people. While AI can generate generic responses or content that mimics human interaction, it often lacks the emotional intelligence that a human writer can bring to the table. Copywriters have the ability to tap into the emotional undercurrents of a message—whether it's crafting an empathetic customer service reply or writing a persuasive product description that sparks desire.

Humans also excel at understanding emotional appeals, which are crucial in persuasive writing. Copywriters know how to speak to their audience's pain points, desires, and aspirations, and they can weave these elements into compelling narratives that truly resonate.

What I’d add:

This is really similar to point two for me and if I had of come up with the structure of this essay, (not AI!), I would have applied some brevity and formatted this argument as one.

I think one clear distinction between humans and AI are the five senses. When we write, we are potentially appealing to any number of these as priority, but I don’t believe this would be a principle approach for AI. Artificial intelligence is a bit like an artificial Christmas tree in that sense. It looks a bit like the real thing but it doesn’t smell the same and it lacks authenticity.

“Artificial intelligence is a bit like an artificial Christmas tree. It looks a bit like the real thing but it doesn’t smell the same and it lacks authenticity.”

7. Editing and refining content

What AI said:

Writing is just part of the process. Editing is where the magic happens, and human writers excel at this phase. They can review their work for clarity, readability, structure, and flow, making sure that the content communicates the intended message effectively. A good copywriter can also spot potential errors, awkward phrasing, or areas for improvement that AI may miss.

AI tools, while helpful, do not have the same editorial expertise or instinct for refining content to make it shine. They can generate a first draft, but they won’t catch all the subtleties that a human editor would notice.

What I’d add:

Okay, so AI does create structurally sound, grammatically perfect prose, and if you aren’t a natural writer and you are using this tool to scrape by, you’re probably bowled over by that ability. However, having played with the tool enough now, the patten of how AI creates text is also it’s biggest give-away.

I’d also add that if you are attempting to edit AI content in order to make it more personalised to your company…step away from the key board! Bastardising already generic AI text to bend to your bespoke needs iery much like bad DIY, it’s a bodged job!

“Bastardising already generic AI text to bend to your bespoke needs is like bad DIY; it’s a bodged job!”

8. Adapting to feedback

What AI said:

A great benefit of working with a copywriter is their ability to take constructive feedback and adapt their work accordingly. Whether it's changing the tone, emphasizing different aspects of a message, or tweaking content for a different platform, a copywriter can adjust based on feedback to get the results you're looking for. ChatGPT, on the other hand, can generate content based on your prompts, but it doesn’t have the same level of responsiveness and adaptability when it comes to fine-tuning content after a draft is produced.

What I’d add:

Yes, yes, yes AI! …I think we are becoming friends?! The longevity of this is so important as well, if you work consistently with the same copywriter, the feedback is realised over future projects and your service becomes even more high value.

Conclusion: when AI isn’t enough

So I just deleted the summary AI gave here because, like the introduction (which I also deleted) it was truly boring…note to AI, intros and summaries meant to be your hero text!

I just wanted to finish here with a couple of significant points that I didn’t feel were made;

Major pro: Research

What is genuinely brilliant about AI for copywriters is helping to ground the writer in enough subject context to get moving efficiently and effectively with the task in hand. For example, rocket science isn’t my mastermind pick, but I’d hate to turn a rocket scientist down if they needed my help. Through AI, I could quickly understand enough about specific aspects of a foreign industry to write in a coordinated style. With AI, I can spend a fraction of my time researching and most of my time producing the content you require, win-win.

Major con: AI – It’s not making the cut

I won’t ever use AI script in copy for my clients. Not because I’m resisting technology, but because the truth is, it is never what clients need it to be…so far not even close. If you care about what you are projecting into the universe, you need to start from first principles and make sure your foundations are strong.

The future?

Finally, I do question where AI leaves us in terms of producing future writers, will it be a dying craft? Will copywriters be even more sort after? My journey into copywriting was born from a love of reading, and I think that despite the many distractions the world has to offer, lot’s of people continue to love reading and sharing stories. For that reason, I’m hopeful that future generations will continue to write as a craft, however I do believe it will become a more coveted skill.