5 Valuable AI Use Cases for Freelance Copywriters.

I still hear people saying things like, “AI can never write as well as a human copywriter.”

Or, “I asked ChatGPT to write an article, and it was terrible.”

Respectfully, these people are missing the point.

Just because AI can’t entirely replace the full set of skills of a human writer doesn’t mean it can’t be valuable.

Look at this through a different lens…

Look at AI as an assistant who can help you with very specific tasks along your existing workflow as a writer.

Here are five you can try:

AI Use Case #1: Research & Analysis

Models like GPT-4, Gemini, Claude, and others have been trained on massive datasets. They’ve read and digested pretty much everything on the internet.

This means they KNOW more or less everything there is to know.

So… if nothing else, use AI as your ultimate research assistant. My go-to tool for this is Perplexity.ai, which is actually a hybrid AI/search engine.

Also, when it comes to crunching massive amounts of data… like a 200-page report, models like GPT-4 and Gemini can quickly find the information you want or create a 200-word summary of the entire report.

Using AI for research and analysis probably saves me an hour a day, pretty much every day.

AI Use Case #2: Avatar Creation

If you want AI to write good copy, you have to give it a good brief, just the same as you would with a human writer.

For me, this starts with creating a customer avatar. I want to know who I’m writing to!

So… with this use case, I turn to AI for the creation of that customer avatar.

My process is to find as many customer reviews as I can, plus client interviews and transcripts of customer service calls.

In other words, I want to get a feel for the language, emotions, desires, and fears of a typical customer.

I then copy this information into my AI briefing document. That document also includes information about the product or service I’m promoting, plus background onthe company and its brand voice.

Then I write this prompt: “Based on the briefing document attached, create an avatar for my ideal customer. Give her the name Brenda, and remember it.”

In my experience, and I’ve created many avatars like this, AI models do an excellent job.

Once you have the avatar, every time you use AI to write to that audience, start your prompt like this: “Writing to Brenda, give me a first draft of…”

Creating and using an avatar is a huge time-saver and a way to increase the quality of the output from the AI.

AI Use Case #3: Ideation

Stuck for an idea for your next promotion or campaign? Try brainstorming with your favorite AI.

This is what master copywriter Bob Bly does. He doesn’t use AI to write – which he prefers to do on his own – but he does use it to help brainstorm ideas.

For example, he might be looking for a “big idea” for a long-form sales letter he’s writing. I don’t know his exact process, but he has told me he finds AI useful to help with ideation.

Well, if it works for Bob Bly…

AI Use Case #4: First-pass Feedback

Ann Handley is currently writing a new book. In a recent issue of her newsletter, she wrote about how she uses Claude.ai as part of her workflow.

“For first-pass feedback, after I write the first draft and need perspective on what would make it stronger: Would this grab a reader immediately? Does the narrative drag anywhere?”

That’s a little next level. She’s treating AI as something akin to a co-intelligence, asking for its feedback and “opinion.”

I love this because she’s pushing the envelope here. She’s taking her use of AI way beyond simply asking it to do some research or data analysis.

Follow her example. Give it a try.

AI Use Case #5: Proofreading

This is totally unexciting. But… in spite of earning my living as a writer for over 40 years, I’m still a two-finger typist, and I’m pretty inept with those two fingers. My spelling skills are really bad too.

So, whenever I write something – this post included – I copy and paste it into GPT-4 and ask: “Please proof this text and then list any changes you make.”

It always finds things that need correcting, and then lets me know.

Wrapping It Up…

Don’t look at AI models as tools that either should or shouldn’t replace human writers.

Look at them as a resource you can turn to for particular use cases along your workflow as a professional writer.

And enjoy the ride.