There is no escaping the fact that AI has reshaped and will continue to reshape the marketing industry. But will copywriting be replaced by AI? We don't think so, at least not for those copywriting businesses with a dynamic approach to change.
Copywriters have learned how to use computers instead of typewriters, write for search engines as well as humans, and appeal to the short attention span of the online reader. They can thrive alongside AI-based tools, too.
At FHC, we monitor AI development, the scope for its application in our work, the threats it presents, and the consumer response to its use in professional marketing. Here is a summary of our conclusions to date.
1. AI is reducing the demand for junior and low-cost copywriters
A recent SEMRush report revealed a 50% decline in job postings containing keywords like "content writer" and "copywriting." AI will likely contribute significantly to this decline as businesses experiment with new ways to reduce costs. But we have been here before with the advent of content mills like Fiverr and People Per Hour, and the same issue applies –quality.
Yes, AI software can pump out regurgitated content into a blog post, social media post or any other form of marketing. Still, it can't say anything original, check facts or reliably generate well-structured writing. Nor can it 'write' in your brand's tone of voice or with nuance and emotion. And let's not forget about the risks of plagiarism and the spread of misinformation.
Plenty of businesses are happy to churn out content mill-like content in-house or pay a low-cost copywriting service to do it for them, but that has always been the case. Companies that recognise the shortcomings of this type of copywriting and content production will look to skilled and experienced copywriting agencies to represent their brand.
2. Human-written content performs better than AI-generated content
There is growing evidence that human-written content significantly outperforms AI-written content in terms of ranking in organic search engine results pages (SERPs).
For example, SEO guru Neil Patel and his team ran an experiment in which they took 68 websites and created 744 articles. Half of the content was written using AI, and half by humans. Both batches of content were similar in length and targeted similar difficulty keywords.
The experiment revealed that:
94.12% of the time, human-written content outranked AI-created content.
By month 5, an AI article generated 52 visitors a month, while a human-written article generated 283.
You might argue that you could pump out a higher volume of lower-quality AI content to make up the deficit, but that's also a bad idea. Your overall site rankings and traffic will dive if you take the low-quality content route.
The internet is saturated with regurgitated content. People want to read something original, and AI can't give them that. Google rewards helpful content; unoriginal AI content isn't terribly helpful.
3. AI can benefit copywriting businesses and their clients
AI tools can't write great content for your business, but they can improve the copywriter's workflow.
AI chat tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can help with idea generation, topic research, and content outline creation. Grammarly, Hemmingway Editor, and other AI-powered grammar and style-checking tools can aid the writing and editing process, and content optimisation software can guide SEO copywriters in creating SEO-optimised content.
But beware. AI tools get things wrong. Often.
If you want to write a terrible blog article, use SurferSEO and assume all its suggestions are suitable. Your post might score 99% within the tool, but it will also probably be extremely disjointed and read poorly.
The key to harnessing AI-based tools for copywriting is to use them as a starting point for human-written content informed by human decision-making.
4. Copywriters must try, test and assess AI-based writing tools
Following on from the last point, it's essential for copywriters to be aware of emerging AI technologies that affect their industry and to understand their application and limitations. The reason for this is twofold:
It allows them to plan for a future in which they will need to work with or alongside these tools.
Clients depend on copywriting businesses to provide advice and guidance on AI writing tools and to help them make informed decisions about their use.
5. Consumers care about how AI is used in marketing
In their 2024 Trends Report, SemRush reported that 72% of consumers look for transparency in AI practices before making a purchase.
Copywriting and digital marketing agencies are, therefore, under scrutiny, and rightly so. Agencies that work within an ethical framework and openly state how and why they use AI tools in their service delivery will be far more attractive to prospective clients than providers that don't declare their approach to using AI.
6. Copywriting agencies must adapt and diversify
AI technology is changing the nature of copywriting services, and that's OK. We anticipate an increase in specialist and niche copywriting services and providers that focus on content strategy and full campaign delivery.
Just as copywriters have needed to develop proficiency in search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques and data analysis, they must now widen their skills to harness the benefits of AI-driven tools.
Summary
The future of copywriting is undoubtedly changing, but for copywriting businesses that embrace this change, it can mean growth.
Critical approaches to running a thriving copywriting agency in the age of AI include the following:
Committing to writing high-quality content.
Using AI-powered tools intelligently to augment the copywriting workflow.
Being transparent about the company's use of AI tools in the copywriting process.
Adapting and diversifying service offerings.
Keeping abreast of emerging AI writing technologies, their application and their impact on the copywriting and content marketing industries.
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