Where’s the personality gone from copywriting?
You might have noticed it too. Personality in copy is feeling a bit thin on the ground these days. No matter who’s writing, it’s all starting to feel a bit beige. My guess is that lots of brands and content creators are leaning on AI to keep up with the never-ending content churn, and it’s sapping their writing of any point of difference.
Why? Lots of brands and content creators are leaning on AI to keep up with the never-ending content churn and it’s sapping their writing of any point of difference. Those lovely little quirks we use to find humanity in the cold black and white of text on a screen.
The humble and authentic country fair
I saw a great post on LinkedIn a while back that really brought this to life in visual terms. Just how all these lovely, vintage, sepia-toned, nostalgic fair posters are UTTERLY INDISTINGUISHABLE from each other. That’s how our copy is becoming too. And it makes you wonder about the fair itself doesn’t it. Instead of beautiful, homemade Victoria sponges and unusually shaped marrows, is it going to be packet cake and supermarket veg? Will the kids’ face-painting be done by a printer and the hook-a-duck be replaced by a video games console?
The digital text disguise
Likewise, if your customer is reading copy churned out by a machine, what does that tell them about your brand, your values and how you work? How can you tell them that you offer a one-of-a-kind bespoke service when your copy sounds the same as the next brand? How can they get to know you and your business if you’re hidden behind a digital wall of text that hasn’t been touched by human hands?
Because remember, if you, Anna the plumber from Cumbria, got this web copy out of generative AI using a simple prompt, then Rob the plumber from Lancashire is going to have almost exactly the same thing written on his site, and Jenny the plumber from County Durham on hers.
In the end, the thing that makes your business magical is you. And AI simply can’t bring that magic to the table yet, even with the best prompts in the world.
If you’d like to chat more about writing for your business, I’d love to hear from you.