It’s been a bit of a year for copywriters, as the arrival of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini had people concerned for the future of the industry.

And rightly so.

AI tools have closed the gap for people who previously struggled to write copy.
We’re now in a world of “Chat GPT helped me”, or “I asked Claude to help me.”

Rather than, do you know a copywriter who can help?

But there is hope yet for us OG copywriters. Fear not wordsmiths!  
In today’s blog, I’m going to share some of the ways I’ve been using AI to my advantage when working on copy.

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‍Key takeaways:

• Why AI won’t replace skilled copywriters (and how to use it to your advantage)
• How to use AI tools to brainstorm, edit, and improve your workflow.
• Ways AI can support you without diluting your creative voice.

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Why us copywriters shouldn’t be scared of AI

🧠 Most of us are still better at writing content.  
Happy to be proven wrong here but I’m yet to see any AI copy that outperforms actual copywriters. Between the factual inaccuracies, originality concerns, and the nauseating blandness of it all, it’s not a patch on properly thought out wordery.

From this perspective. It’s full of limitations.
People can spot it a mile off. It’s commonly referred to as “AI slop.”
And frankly, it's becoming a key symbol of laziness (very uncool when you are trying to offer copy as part of a service)

🤖Generating copy with AI still needs time and editing skills.
Yes, you can ask AI to generate a 1000-word article in minutes, but you need to be able to brief the AI properly and then edit any factual mistakes and tone issues. Most people still struggle to brief the AI correctly for the first go and will lack the editing and proofreading skills required to turn the slop into converting content.

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How can we copywriters use AI as a tool?

Ok, that’s the core AI bashing out of the way.

I’m fortunate in the sense that new tech excites me, rather than scares me.
I believe in embracing new tools. Using them to help us.
Not running away from them, hoping that they’ll go away.

Because newsflash. They won’t.

For us copy lovers, AI should be part of our toolkit.
Here’s a few of my favourite ways to use my dear robot friend, Claude.

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Use AI to generate ideas

I run an agency. On an average day, I’m bouncing between content for 3-6 of our clients.
Multiple content styles, voice changes, technical terms, audiences…  

And yup, sometimes my brain draws a blank.

An email comes in at 5.00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon.
Subject: Urgent help needed on brand slogan for new product!!! Launching tomorrow.

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point 😉

It gets to certain points in the week and the dreaded writers block strikes.
Because, despite what people believe, creativity isn’t an all you can eat buffet.
Sometimes the grub runs out 😅

These are the moments where my dear friend Claude helps me out.

With a detailed prompt, an appropriate amount of context, and some of my initial thoughts. I’ll use Claude to help me get going with some ideas. I don’t want the writing done for me, I just need a steer for my tired brain.

This is where AI can be a true gift.

Here’s an example of a prompt I’ll use specifically for social media content:

“You're my content ideas partner, not my ghostwriter. I've got writer's block and I need help generating social media ideas for one of our clients — not finished posts. Do NOT write captions or full posts. I want angles, hooks, themes and concepts I can run with myself.

Here's the client context:

• Client & what they do: [name + one-liner on the business + website link]
• Platform(s): [LinkedIn / Instagram / etc.]
• Strategy & objectives: [what the content is actually meant to achieve i.e enquiries, awareness, authority, etc.]
• Brand style & tone of voice: [how they sound — dry, playful, expert, warm, etc.]
• Target audience: [who we're talking to, their pains, what they care about]
• Anything to avoid: [topics, competitors, no-go phrases

I’ve attached some content examples that have worked really well for the client, which should help you see their tone and style in situ.

Give me 10–15 distinct content ideas. For each one, include:

The angle/concept in a sentence
A rough hook or opening line idea (just a spark, not the full post)
The format that'd suit it (carousel, talking-head video, single image, poll, story, etc.)
Which objective it serves
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Group them loosely by theme if patterns emerge. Lean into ideas with personality. I’m looking for bold, scroll-stopping concepts, nothing generic. If something in the brief feels off-strategy or like it won't land with the audience, say so. Have an opinion.

Please ask any qualifying questions if you need to before you start.”

Haven't tried this yet?
Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

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AI can help you add different tones to your content

You’ve just spent hours writing a blog post for a client and their feedback is that it is too “casual in style.” Now, if you’ve been writing copy for a long time, you should be able to tackle the edit without the help of Ai, but again, on those days where things aren’t firing on all cylinders, or you’ve proofread one piece too many, Ai can be your friend here.

Here’s another example of a prompt you could use in that scenario.

“You're my editing advisor, not my editor.
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I've written a blog for a client, and they've said it reads as too casual. They want it to feel a bit more formal. I do NOT want you to rewrite it or hand me edited copy. I want you to show me where I'd want to make changes and why, so I can do the actual editing myself.

Here's the context:
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• Client & what they do: [name + one-liner]
• Who the blog is for: [target audience + where they'll read it]
• How formal they actually want it: [a notch more professional, or properly buttoned-up corporate? Give me your read if I'm vague]
• What I want to protect: [the personality/clarity I don't want to lose in the name of "formal"]
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The blog is below.

For each part you'd recommend changing, give me:
The exact line or phrase as it currently reads (quote it so I can find it)
Why it reads as too casual for the target tone
A pointer, not a rewrite — e.g. "this contraction could be opened out," or "this slangy verb has a more neutral cousin."
Nudge me in a direction; don't do it for me.

Group your suggestions into themes if you spot patterns (e.g. contractions, slang, sentence openers, exclamation marks, overly chatty asides). At the end, give me a quick overall read: is this a light polish or a bigger tonal shift, and are there any bits that are actually fine as they are?

I'd rather make it more professional than sterile, so flag anywhere you think "formal" would tip into lifeless.
[PASTE BLOG HERE]”

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AI can help you write more SEO friendly copy

Most copywriters will have some knowledge of how to write good SEO copy but that landscape is tough to keep up with unless you are in it 24/7.

So, for those times when you are writing web copy, or long-form article pieces, this is how I like to use Claude as my SEO sidekick. And yes, I’ve had the results validated by an SEO that we work with.

Lastly, AI tools can be really effective at summarising the text you share with them, meaning they are great for creating the meta descriptions you'll need to optimise a blog post for search engines.

Equally, you can share a piece of copy and ask AI to add in your chosen search terms; it might not be flawless every time, but it’ll certainly save time in the long run.

“You're my search-optimisation advisor.

I'm a copywriter, not an SEO, and I struggle to keep up with what SEO, GEO, and AEO actually want from web copy these days. I'm writing pages and long-form articles for a client and I need you to review what I've got, tell me how search-friendly it is, and, crucially, teach me what to think about going forward. I do NOT want you to rewrite my copy. Just diagnose and guide; I'll do the writing.
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Here's the context:
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• Client & what they do: [name + one-liner]
• Who we're trying to reach: [target audience + what they'd be searching for]
• What each page is meant to do: [rank for X, win the AI overview answer, convert, build authority, etc.]
• Target keywords/topics (if you have them): [list, or tell me to infer them from the copy]
• Any known constraints: [house style, word-count limits, things the client won't budge on]
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I've attached 3 pages as examples below.

For each page, I'd like:
A quick verdict. How search-friendly is this as it stands? (A simple strong/okay/needs work is fine, with a sentence on why.)
Specific spots to improve, quoting the line or section so I can find it, with a pointer on what to change and why it matters for search. NOT a rewrite. Cover the usual suspects: headings/structure, how well it answers a clear question, keyword presence without stuffing, meta title/description, internal linking opportunities, scannability, and whether it gives AI engines a clean, quotable answer to lift.

What's already working, so I don't accidentally "fix" the good bits.

Then, across all three pages, give me:
The patterns. Recurring strengths and weaknesses in how I write.
A "going forward" cheat sheet. The handful of habits I should build into every future page so my copy is SEO/GEO/AEO-friendly by default, without losing the personality our copy's known for.
A few things to bear in mind: I write with character on purpose, so flag anywhere SEO advice would flatten the voice and help me find the balance. And since GEO/AEO move fast, tell me where your guidance is settled best-practice versus where it's a newer, still-shifting area I should keep an eye on.


[PASTE THE 3 PAGES HERE]”

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And there you have it.
A handful of ways that AI can help is in the world of copy, without taking over and “stealing” our thunder. Even though we know it’s not anyway 😉

So, instead of moaning and worrying about how AI could come for your job, use it to make you even better than you were before, and quicker.

When using it the right way, AI can help you produce better work first time round, and more of it in the same amount of time.

That’s the power of Ai for copywriters.

Embrace it, don’t fear it.

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