The use of artificial intelligence in marketing has gained popularity in recent years, but pioneering attempts to use AI can be traced back several decades. Data analysis, automation, personalization... Then websites became populated with chatbots, until finally, ChatGPT arrived, and many of us started to worry if it would soon replace humans in content generation.
Recently, on the Grow Poland blog, we discussed how neural networks can help in marketing development. Today, I would like to take a closer look at one application of AI: written content creation. I will explain how to incorporate ChatGPT into the daily work of a copywriter and avoid the pitfalls we might encounter.
Will ChatGPT replace copywriters?
Chat GPT is a language model. Language models are a type of artificial intelligence trained to understand and generate natural language expressions. ChatGPT, as part of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) family of models, has been trained on a vast dataset of textual information to learn context understanding and generate responses based on the input text.
So it might seem that this tool performs the exact same task as a professional copywriter—creating statements on a given topic based on available information. However, does it handle it completely?
I won't keep you in suspense: in my opinion, ChatGPT will not replace professional copywriters. It may assist us in simple tasks and eliminate the need for manually creating generic content, but it does not pose a threat to the entire industry. Instead, it opens up new possibilities. Furthermore, the associated risks, such as flooding the internet with low-quality or, worse, false content, can only be limited through intelligent human supervision.
Some entrepreneurs seeking copywriters are already specifying that they cannot utilize AI to avoid similar consequences. Is this a good direction, and does it mean it's better to refrain from AI-based technology in our work? Marketing experts generally agree—no! Tools like ChatGPT can significantly facilitate and expedite the content creation process. If we don't want to fall behind, it is worth exploring them.
It is also essential to remember that ChatGPT is not the first AI-based tool designed to assist in creating marketing texts. Applications or features built for this purpose have been on the market for some time and have not replaced living creative workers. ChatGPT gained exceptional popularity and simply drew public attention to the opportunities and risks associated with AI.
How can you use ChatGPT in your work as a copywriter? [+tips on how to do it]
Below you will find some ideas on how to incorporate ChatGPT into your daily work at different stages of text creation.
- Idea generation
ChatGPT can assist in the initial stage of gathering ideas, such as for blog posts. The more precisely we indicate the scope of topics that interest us, the greater the chance that the results won't be too generic. It is highly likely that you won't use any of the proposed topics exactly as generated by ChatGPT, but they can serve as a starting point. In an era of increasing remote work, which hampers collaborative brainstorming and coffee chats, this can be a valuable aid for breaking creative blocks, particularly for solo freelancers.
- Research
Users quickly realized that ChatGPT can serve as an alternative search engine. It handles well with answering simple questions. In fact, it performs a similar function to "snippets," which are short summaries displayed by search engines. However, it is important to remember that ChatGPT's database only goes up until 2021, and it does not guarantee the accuracy of the results. It is still necessary to verify the information, but the responses from ChatGPT can serve as a good starting point for further research.
- Creating articles [based on notes]
Yes, ChatGPT can write an article for you, but the quality of the result depends on the data you provide. It works relatively well when you input detailed notes, such as from an interview with an expert or other sources. The AI will be able to structure the information and create coherent sentences. The mandatory step of proofreading usually takes less time than writing the article from scratch.
- Generating titles and slogans
ChatGPT can propose titles or slogans. However, they often tend to be generic and formulaic. To avoid this, it's beneficial to combine our creativity with AI skills. For example, we can provide ChatGPT with three proposed titles and ask it to generate additional ones. This way, we can quickly get a list of suggestions to choose from and increase the likelihood of finding a suitable match in terms of style and content. When it comes to titles (and more), it's best to provide the entire text in the conversation that they should relate to.
- Adding emojis and hashtags
ChatGPT is quite proficient at adding emojis, such as to social media posts. This simple task can be accomplished with just a couple of clicks. It can also suggest relevant hashtags.
- Tailoring the message for different channels
We can also utilize ChatGPT to adapt our content for various communication channels, such as preparing posts for multiple social media platforms. However, simply mentioning the name of the platform usually doesn't yield satisfactory results. It's best to indicate to the AI the desired style of communication, such as a formal or casual tone. The generated text may still require editing, but it generally sets the direction for the necessary changes. ChatGPT can also shorten or lengthen texts, but they usually require substantial editing after such modifications.
What doesn't ChatGPT handle well at the moment?
As you may have noticed, there were some "buts" in each of the previous points. To effectively create texts with the help of ChatGPT, it's essential to be aware of what it currently struggles with:
- Proofreading and linguistic structure of non-English texts
Let's not hide the fact that while ChatGPT supports multiple languages, it's most proficient in English. For copywriters working in other languages, especially smaller ones like Polish, this means the need for thorough proofreading of the text. The generated responses often exhibit a tendency towards formulaic structures (repetitive sentence patterns), and there are occasional grammatical errors, usually influenced by direct translation from English. What does this mean for copywriting? Editorial skills will continue to be valuable and may even increase in demand since there will be a need for "editing after AI" and "translating into human."
- Counting characters
Surprisingly, ChatGPT is completely incapable of counting characters or words. This lack of functionality becomes apparent when we realize that it operates as a language model, predicting word sequences based on the training data it has received. It doesn't possess the ability to count in the human sense (it currently struggles with mathematics in general). Therefore, it won't be able to write a text with a specific character count, shorten or lengthen it to the desired length. We still need to ensure that our content fits within the character limits of platforms like Twitter. Moreover, ChatGPT even lies about this aspect directly:
Originality and personal perspective
In conclusion, two obvious points:
ChatGPT works based on the data it has been provided and the training it has undergone. It is unable to add completely new facts from the external world to our statements. If, for example, we want to convey valuable information about the specifics of a particular business, the services provided by our client, or user problems, an interview with a live person will be essential. In this context, it is important to remember that the results generated by ChatGPT are "original" in the sense that they do not replicate existing texts (so the risk of plagiarism is minimal), but they are not "original" in the sense that they do not present data that was not previously in the system.
ChatGPT is capable of changing the writing style to be more "personal," but it does not provide a genuine personal perspective. Only writing form oneself can guarantee that.
*When writing this article, I used ChatGPT. I personally used all the described features - we are still learning to collaborate effectively for even better text creation.
