Should I outsource my content or copywriting to AI?

Hands up if you’d class yourself as a crap writer, or if you just don’t enjoy writing for your business. This one’s for you. I’m probably gonna get chased out of town for saying this, but...

...if you’re a crap writer, don’t use AI to help you write.

I know, I know. If you hate writing or you think you’re no good at it, it’s super tempting to call in the robots. And they just keep making it easier and easier for us. Look at LinkedIn, where the little AI prompt is right there when you sit down to stare at the blank page write a post.

And I really do get it. I’m crap at lifting weights. I’d love to outsource my weightlifting sessions to a robot. But here’s why I don’t and you shouldn’t:

1. Because if you get a robot to do it for you, you’ll be even worse at writing than you are now.

2. Because if you’re truly as clueless/disinterested around writing as you say you are, you won’t check what the robot spits out and you’ll devalue your brand with its shite.

3. Because you are not as bad a writer as AI is right now. I promise.You see, writing is like anything else in life: learning a musical instrument, picking up a new language. The more you do it, the better you get. The less you do it, the worse you get. Just like I lift heavier weights when I train consistently, you will write better if you write consistently. I promise.

They’re all saying: “The machines are getting smarter, they’re learning”. Well so can you. And much faster than any machine. It goes like this: write a post, it does well. Write more posts like it. Write a post, it bombs and only your mum sees it. Write fewer posts like that. We only learn from trying things out. And that’s true whether you’re John from Accounts or Ernest Hemingway. 

If you let AI write for you, you’ll never be a better writer than you are right now.

And if you’re still thinking ugh I really don’t want to write, is this a covert way of telling me to hire a copywriter? No, I don’t think the answer is always to bring in external support, although in many cases I recommend it, given it’s what I do. But if you’re tight for money, resources, whatever, I’d advise you to:

1. Practise writing and improve over time

2. Read more (it will help you write better)

3. Use AI to proofread and check your work (just don’t outsource the creativity, the human stuff)

4. Work with an accountability buddy to critique each other’s work

5. Use writing templates and guides

If you’d like to chat more about writing for your business, I’d love to hear from you.