How to Use AI Assistants to Supercharge Your Freelance Copywriting

It’s 2023 and the future in which a dreadful Terminator-esque takeover of the human race has not come to fruition. We do however have some of the intelligence working among us in the form of AI-assisted copywriting tools like Writesonic, Copy.ai, Rytr and so many more. But does this mean writers like you and I are going to be out of business or does it mean the beginning of even greater fulfillment through our skillsets? Read on to see how AI may advance , not terminate, your career.

As a freelance copywriter, your biggest challenge is likely finding enough work to stay busy while also keeping up with the demands of your clients. AI technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, and now offers an exciting solution: using AI assistants to generate draft content and free up your time for higher-level creative tasks. Here are some pros and cons to consider as well some guidance on effectively leveraging AI to power up your freelance business.

The Good Stuff

Increased productivity

Using AI assistants to help with idea generation, headline development and initial drafts means you can take on more projects without compromising on quality. This lets you scale your business faster with less risk of writer’s block and burnout. No more getting stuck whether this headline or that one sounds better than the other! 

Consistent tone and branding

If your budget is good enough, you can use well-trained AI models that can learn your clients’ brands and maintain consistent messaging across all deliverables. This is a huge plus as you do not want generic or formulaic content that sounds like nothing you would write. Moreover an AI Assistant model that can write in distinctive ways will keep your content from getting drowned out by other similar-sounding copy.

Rapid turnarounds

A tool worth its salt saves you time. AI tools allow for lightning fast draft content generation. This is perfect for rushed projects or last-minute requests from clients. 

The Bad Stuff

Upfront costs

Unless you have a fairy godmother, you have to pay up. Many AI tools require a paid subscription and the cheaper plans are on an annual plan. Be sure to factor this into your pricing models as the investment can raise your operational costs without your realisation. 

Accuracy and veracity

AI uses existing knowledge to develop acceptable responses to your prompt. This means that I can easily aggregate an answer using incorrect or out-of-date information. On top of that, some AI such as Midjourney visual generator may develop content that contains the biases and prejudices of the datasets it used. What this means is that you have to crosscheck your content for facts and be sure it is inclusive and inoffensive to your audience.

Learning curve

Just because it can write for you does not mean it should. It takes time to learn how to effectively prompt AI assistants for the results you want. Early drafts will require human editing. You need to be ready to take time to train yourself and your AI model how to write good unique and engaging content. Also keep an eye on your content marketing as it will help with measuring performance and design future content plans.

Less human touch

AI is not a teeny tiny human brain living on the inter web. While advanced, AI still can’t match the nuance of human writing. You still have to ensure the AI generated piece feels genuinely human. So do not forget to edit the work!

To leverage AI strategically:

1. Get to know your tool’s strengths and weaknesses. Like humans certain assistants will excel as different types of content.
2. Learn how to craft detailed prompts. Specify the topic, tone, keywords, client needs and any other requirements. I like to test different phrases and check the results for the best fit.
3. Let the AI generate one or more drafts using your prompt. Review the results and refine your prompt as needed.
4. Edit the auto-generated drafts. Pay attention to flow, use “human” wording, and ensure the tone matches your client’s brand. Add or modify the content as needed. I find it best to edit, take a break then resume editing later to avoid boring edits. 
5. Submit a polished, final deliverable to your client that reflects your high-quality writing standards, now in less time thanks to AI support behind the scenes.

With practice prompting AI appropriately, you’ll get faster and better at leveraging AI’s strengths without churning out run-of-the-mill characterless content. Used strategically, AI can increase your capacity to handle more clients and simplify your workflow, all while maintaining the quality you are known for. Are you ready to take your content business to the next level?