AI is the big thing right now.
And while tools like ChatGPT are incredible in many ways, there’s one thing they’re really, really bad at.
Emotion.
Bots don’t do emotion.
They definitely don’t write with emotional intelligence.
For a start, they have no first-hand experience of emotions. Lines of code can’t fall in love, or laugh.
And they can’t feel empathy for others. Lines of code don’t care about people, and how they feel.
Emotion is at the core of great copy. This has always been the case… before AI, before the Web, before computers.
Great copy touches its readers at an emotional level.
Why? Because as consumers we buy based on our feelings. We buy the car that makes us feel good. We buy the pair of shoes that makes us smile. We buy the video game that gives us pleasure.
Every purchase is triggered by emotion. Once we have decided we want something, we will often turn to our more rational selves to justify the purchase.
By now, pretty much every writer and copywriter on the planet will have used a tool like ChatGPT as a writing assistant.
Some writers use AI just to help outline their work. Others use it to complete full drafts.
Other tasks that are really well suited to AI include things like brainstorming and market research. This takes us beyond just the task of writing, and can help us learn more about the products and services we’re writing about.
Working with an AI is like having a super-smart assistant working with you on every project.
But there’s one big downside…
If I suggested you double the fees you charge, maybe you’d tell me that none of your clients would use you.
That sounds reasonable.
After all, as freelancers we don’t set out to charge less than we can. We think we know what our clients and prospects will accept, and we write up our estimates accordingly.
Suddenly I have strange superpowers and I’m going to force you to double your fees anyway.
In common with most freelancers and entrepreneurs, I’m a risk-taker.
It’s risky to run your own business. It’s risky when you have bills to pay, but no guarantee that you will be picking up new projects next month.
But that’s the nature of being a freelance writer or copywriter.
We take risks because we like the freelance lifestyle, and because we hope to earn more than we would as an employee.
But…
Too many freelancers believe it’s enough to find a niche that seems “OK”, and just dive in.
Not so.
If you want your freelance business to be as profitable, productive and enjoyable as possible, there are five elements you need to consider.