CHATGPT REQUIRES EFFORT

So, you’ve got ChatGPT in your toolkit. It’s like having your own personal writing pal who’s ready to churn out text at your command. Blogs, emails, reports— , ChatGPT can have a bash. But even with AI as advanced as ChatGPT at your fingertips, you’re going to need to check content, edit and brush up on what it’s written.

Give credit where credit is due. ChatGPT is a game-changer. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of writing tools. Need a poem about cheese? Done. A detailed explanation of quantum physics in layman's terms? No problem. An epic saga of a space-faring octopus? Oddly specific, but yes it can! However, even with all this capability, AI obviously is not and will never be human. Just like if you worked with a copywriter, you’d be checking content before publishing - it’s no different with ChatGPT, so it doesn’t entirely take away that effort. Rather than getting rid of the need for writers, getting them to work with AI is a much more realistic solution.

Personality and Voice

Your voice, your brand’s personality, those quirky little nuances that make your writing distinctly you—ChatGPT can mimic styles, but infusing that genuine, authentic vibe? That’s a human job. A skilled editor can tweak and twist those sentences to make sure the text sounds like it came from you, not from a robot who thinks it knows what Friday feels like.

Context Is King

ChatGPT is smart, but it doesn’t always get the context. It can produce content that’s technically accurate but might miss the mark on relevance. Ever asked someone a question, and their answer, while correct, felt like it came from left field? That’s what we’re talking about. A human editor can ensure that the content not only answers the question but does so in a way that makes sense to your audience.

The Devil’s in the Details

Grammar, spelling, punctuation—the trifecta of writing that even seasoned writers can slip up on. ChatGPT is pretty good with these, but it’s not infallible. It might miss that comma that changes the entire meaning of your sentence or use a word that’s almost right but not quite. Human editors are like detectives for these kinds of things, sniffing out errors that could make your text less polished.

Tone and Sensitivity

This is a biggie. ChatGPT doesn’t always grasp the subtleties of tone or the complexities of sensitive topics. What's intended as light-hearted could come off as flippant, or an attempt at neutrality could seem biased. Human editors can read between the lines, ensuring the tone is just right and that content is respectful and inclusive.

Creativity and Innovation

While ChatGPT can generate ideas, humans are the masters of creativity and innovation. An editor can take the seeds of an idea and grow them into something truly original and engaging. They can add those sparks of creativity that AI might not come up with on its own, transforming good content into great content.

So, where does that leave us? Yes, ChatGPT is an incredible tool that’s changing the game for writers, businesses, and content creators across the globe. But it’s not a solo act and copywriters can turn AI-generated content into something that resonates on a human level.

In the end, combining the efficiency and capability of ChatGPT with the insight, creativity, and expertise of a human editor is like having the best of both worlds. You get content that’s not only quick and accurate but also polished, personal, and genuinely engaging. So, before you consider your next piece of AI-generated content finished, remember: a quick once-over by a human editor can make all the difference. It’s the secret sauce to making sure your content isn’t just read but felt, remembered, and acted upon.

Get in touch for a healthy combo of cynical human and superpowered AI.

BRAND

TL;DR: I can help give your brand a voice but I can't create your brand rootswriting@gmail.com

It’s difficult to avoid the word ‘brand’ these days…look, I just said it. I get it, you don’t want to start sounding like an awful Apprentice candidate or a corporate drone. BUT the truth is that your brand IS your business and consolidating a healthy brand is essential when you want to reach out to potential customers, be successful and take over the world. If you don’t know what your brand is then you need to do some soul searching and think about the types of values and personality that drive your business. If you don’t want to stare wistfully out onto a tumultuous ocean then just grab a pen and paper and jot down some ideas instead. Essentially, if you don’t know what your brand is then you can guarantee that no-one will have a clue and good luck when you try to communicate it.

Everyone wants to be ‘innovative’, ‘creative’ and ‘forward-thinking’ but the proof is in the pudding, so you better make a tasty, delicious pudding of joy. Building a brand based on gestures and idealistic language is ineffective, especially if you can’t back up your claims. Maximise your features by backing them up with your benefits. Claiming to be innovative without having any evidence of business practises and services that actually demonstrate your innovation means that customers won’t have anything to anchor them to a brand; all they’re hearing is language that’s postulated by every other business…and their dog.

If your features don’t match up with your benefits then you should go back to basics and concentrate on the way your business behaves at the moment and what your services show about you. Repackage your brand in a more genuine way and start to communicate the values it actually offers, instead of what buzzwords you think customers want to hear. A confused brand leads to confused customers and clients and we spend enough time being confused in life, so make this part simple.

A brand voice that doesn’t fit in with the rest of your business isn’t going to make sense to anyone. It’s important that everything matches, like most fabulous outfits; from the tone of copy on your website to the types of adverts that you run, mismatched messages look unprofessional and really bad. People are looking authenticity in a world of companies that are just trying to grab any and all customers, so if the character of yours is attractive and easy to distinguish at every turn then it’ll become easier for people to engage with you.

It’s not just confusing for customers to grasp what your business is all about. If you want to expand and improve your business with the help of agencies and creatives (like ME) and you’re unable to give them a brief that makes sense, then what they create won’t make sense to customers. By being able to summarise your brand to creative agencies, this means that we can help you to communicate your brand effectively to customers. You can’t rely on little old me to build your brand for you.

Asking anyone else to help you decide what your business should be about is a sure sign that you need to revisit the origins of your business and refocus your efforts on highlighting its core principles. By supplying agencies with a solid idea of your brand, we can concentrate on creating campaigns or designing a framework that represents your values and can function across various platforms.

Having a distinctive voice that flows through your business, means that your employees won’t struggle to communicate your brand to customers and clients. Every level of your business should encompass the character of your brand, whether it’s a more professional or laid-back attitude, it should be understood in your output and the experiences your customers have with your business. Basically, brand is best. Working on polishing your brand and putting your core benefits and ethos at the heart of everything you do is paramount to an attractive business that knows who it is and what it does.

WHY INVESTING IN GOOD COPY IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Shock horror, a content writer is telling you to invest in good copy. So I may or may not have an ulterior motive (HIRE ME, HIRE ME, HIRE ME) but good copy really is something that will attract people towards your business and it's so easy to get wrong. 

You might have an in-house copywriter already, in which case high 5, you've noted the importance of quality content. But hang on, I wouldn't rest on my laurels if I were you, even though they are really quite comfy. Having the same authorial tone can get boring after a while and I'm not saying it's impossible for your copywriters to switch and adapt, but what I would say is that outsourcing to freelance content writers (HEY!) every once in a while can provide some snappy, sharp and funky fresh content.

I'd go as far as saying that excellent copywriters are actually INTEGRAL to your business, some of your most important colleagues and they often get overlooked...after reading this, go and hug the nearest copywriter to you, they deserve it! 

Compelling copy will make you stand out and if people find value in what you write then they will decide you're worth their time. I can't emphasise enough the amount of times I've visited digital marketing agency websites and been horrified at the reams of drivel before me. Noone wants a monologue and people won't visit your site and read everything, so make it clear and concise.