You type in your prompt, you wait for the response, paste the text into your website administrative panel, and call it a day. Easy-peasy! This is how simple copywriting has become for numerous small and medium-sized brands from across the globe.

No human copywriter can compete with the speed and the predictability of the output.

But is that a good thing?

AI copywriting could give you a solid foundation that you can easily elevate. Relying entirely on AI to produce your copy, however, will eventually tank your brand.

Is that a bold statement? Absolutely! Is it grounded in reality? Even more so!

If you feel these claims are exaggerated and based on the type of relationship I have with AI, here are some numbers for you. Fully automated AI copy tends to convert 40 to 60 percent worse than human-written copy. Direct ad copy tests show that human copywriters drive 60 percent more clicks and achieve a higher click-through rate than AI texts.

Do you need some more? Copywriters outperform AI writing by 20 to 40 percent in A/B direct sales page tests. Over 50 percent of readers will actively disengage from content that lacks quality or seems to be AI-generated.

What does AI miss about copywriting and why does excessive reliance on a machine immediately deteriorate marketing campaign outcomes? Here are my two cents on the topic.

What AI Can Do (That a Copywriter Can’t?)

Let’s start on a positive note.

AI can do a couple of amazing things that an individual copywriter will almost never be capable of producing.

Mass production and variation testing are two obvious examples. Ask an AI engine to give you 100 headlines for an article, and you’ll get an immediate result. While many of these headlines would be derivative and lacking in originality, you’ll still get numerous potential directions to explore when creating content.

A few additional things that AI does beautifully include:

• Quick and effortless data processing, especially when dealing with major reports and lots of pieces to compare before writing
• Incredible speed, especially when you’re facing tight deadlines
• Effortless adaptation of a single piece of copy to different formats and media
• Following explicit instructions, including very complex and specific style guides

And one more thing – AI doesn’t have any idea about writer’s block. It doesn’t exist in the world of machines. You can come up with any obscure topic right now, and you’ll have a fairly well-written article in a matter of minutes.

These are some of the reasons why so many small businesses prioritize the use of AI-generated content. Some of them have abandoned partnerships with copywriters altogether. Still, I believe this is a major mistake. Its effects may be difficult to detect right now, but they’ll become more obvious and tangible in the near future.

The Biggest AI Copy Problem

The biggest problem isn’t the AI-isms. It isn’t the fairly predictable sentence structure or the lack of linguistic nuance.

I believe that AI gets one thing very, very wrong about copywriting.

That happens because of the way AI generates content.

Machine-generated texts deliver no originality and no thought leadership. There simply isn’t thought put into them. Engines like ChatGPT use mathematical models and database analysis to produce the type of article you’re looking for. AI has an extensive set of information to draw from. It will regurgitate the texts already available to give you a “new” piece.

So, let’s say I want to write about the importance of copy for reputation establishment. If I ask ChatGPT to convince a potential client about just how important it is, the engine will produce the following piece of copy:

For years, businesses have treated content as a marketing task. In reality, it is a reputation-building exercise.

Every article you publish, every landing page you write, every LinkedIn post you share, and every email you send contributes to the story your audience tells themselves about your business. Long before someone becomes a customer, they are evaluating your expertise, professionalism, credibility, and attention to detail through your content. It is often your first conversation with a prospective client—and sometimes your only opportunity to make a lasting impression.

This is precisely why quality matters. Mediocre content doesn’t simply fail to generate traffic; it quietly erodes trust. Generic AI-generated articles, inconsistent messaging, weak arguments, and superficial insights communicate something far more powerful than most businesses realise: that the company behind them has little original thinking to offer. In today’s marketplace, where audiences are exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day, people are no longer impressed by the sheer volume of content. They are drawn to businesses that consistently demonstrate expertise, clarity, and genuine insight.

After more than two decades working in journalism, digital marketing, SEO, and strategic copywriting, I’ve seen one principle remain remarkably consistent: authority cannot be manufactured overnight. It is earned through the steady publication of valuable ideas that educate, challenge assumptions, solve problems, and offer perspectives competitors haven’t considered. Search rankings may fluctuate, social media algorithms may change, and AI may make content production faster than ever before, but reputation continues to be built the same way it always has—by consistently delivering something worth reading.

Do you see what I mean? Not a single original idea in sight.

If I were to write the same convincing exposé, I’d approach the task from a completely different angle.

I’d tell the story of a high-end tea company that wanted to build its brand in Bulgaria. I’d focus on how we worked to differentiate the offering from local brands, as well as the biggest premium competitors on the market. We achieved that by selling a lifestyle, a dynamic and fulfilling existence for the person on the go who still wants to enjoy those little moments in the most exquisite way. We featured the little moments, the pure pleasure, the way time slows down and enjoyment takes over. While the approach is far from ground breaking, it’s something that a potential customer can instantly relate with.

I can make that choice because I have the experience and the stories to tell. These stories aren’t available in a database, they’re in my memory. The library is extensive after 20 years of copywriting work. I can draw from it to tell the most convincing story, to inform, excite, entertain. I also know how to structure and offer the information in a way a certain reader will find convincing.

A Few Other Noteworthy Issues

Don’t forget the fact that AI tends to make things up.

If you’re trying to build your reputation and establish authority, that’s a fatal flaw.

Content that can’t be trusted will immediately ruin your credibility. If you’re using AI for copy generation, you’ll always have to double-check facts and verify sources to ensure authenticity and accuracy.

Also, there will always be some inherent bias.

AI algorithms use the content they’ve been trained with to generate copy. Depending on that database, there may be some bias, even if it’s unintentional on behalf of the engine.

And don’t get me started on sarcasm and humor. We’re talking about a machine here. Writing humorously or sarcastically is difficult even for experienced human writers. It takes a lot of skill and finesse to weave humor into a text. And if you ask ChatGPT to do that, you’re going to get something like:

Artificial intelligence is a remarkable achievement. It can write a thousand words in under a minute, summarise a 200-page report, and explain quantum physics to your grandmother.

It can also confidently describe a neighbourhood café as “revolutionising the coffee experience through innovative beverage solutions.”

Progress isn’t always linear.

If you’ve ever asked AI to write some marketing copy, you’ve probably witnessed the transformation firsthand. A perfectly ordinary business suddenly becomes “a leading provider,” every service is “tailored,” every solution is “comprehensive,” and every sentence is somehow both enthusiastic and completely forgettable.

It’s a little like watching someone put a tuxedo on a potato.

The copy isn’t technically wrong. It just isn’t saying anything that anyone would remember.

Bless its soulless integrated circuits, “put a tuxedo on a potato” is the best it could come up with. I rest my case.

The Human-Machine Symbiosis: A Copywriting Sweet Spot

Yes, I’m taking the piss out of AI. When working with it, I’ve come across various hilarious linguistic masterpieces that no human would ever come up with. At the same time, I do recognize its vast potential, especially when AI tools happen to be in the right hands.

AI copywriting can work, but you can’t just generate a text and call it a day.

Human involvement will be required to fact-check, proofread, get rid of redundancies/AI-isms, and polish.

AI engines can’t give your texts soul and character. That’s where an experienced copywriter comes in. Someone who understands the passion behind a project and who’s a skilled wordsmith can build upon the “skeleton” that ChatGPT has provided. Very often, AI copy is a nice first draft. It’s a perfect brainstorming tool. The human copywriter or editor is the person who elevates the content and turns it into something worthy of vital shares.

Should you embrace AI in your marketing and copywriting campaigns? You most definitely should. At the same time, it’s important to figure out which tasks AI can perform well and which ones should be left to skilled human professionals.

Even if you already rely on generic AI copy within your content marketing, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. Someone who knows what they’re doing can humanize the content to make it more readable, sophisticated, and meaningful.

Choosing the right AI workflows and enhancing processes with human controls makes sense for all businesses, regardless of industry or size of operation.

I can guide you, do a comprehensive content audit, build a new strategy, or suggest the improvements that will give you better results and more visibility. Let’s chat today about your business, your goals, and your future growth dreams.

The post Who Wrote That? The Missing Ingredient in AI Copywriting appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

It’s a flood, an avalanche, a tidal wave of content we’re experiencing on a daily basis.

Digital copy has never been easier to produce. That’s why so many businesses have become a lot more prolific than they’ve ever been in the past.

Anywhere between 7.5 and 10 million new articles pop up in the digital space every single day, research suggests.That adds up to the incredible 2.7 billion pieces of new content generated on an annual basis.

Nearly 50 percent of these new articles rely heavily on AI for their creation. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to quality deterioration. AI in untrained hands has the capacity to produce some of the most mediocre texts you’ve ever come across.

The AI-isms that give away bad AI copy have become incredibly easy to identify. Seeing “in today’s world” in the intro immediately tells the reader what they’re in for. The same applies to “delve into,” “it’s crucial to note,” and let’s break it down.”

So what’s happening?

Businesses are publishing more than they’ve ever published in the past. At the same time, they’re not saying anything. Why is that, and what can be done about it? Here’s my non-AI-assisted take on the topic.

Cheaper & Faster: A World of Fast Manufactured Content

Digital content has very much become comparable to fast food: it costs almost nothing to create, it gets the job done somehow, and it’s the blandest version in existence.

The reason why so many businesses are publishing more than ever is easy to understand: copy has become incredibly cheap and incredibly fast to put together. This new reality doesn’t apply to written content alone. The same is true for infographics, visuals, even videos. With the right prompt, you can have any digital asset created for your brand in a manner of seconds.

In the past, there was some degree of exclusivity and gatekeeping.

Many smaller brands simply couldn’t afford to hire a copywriting or marketing agency to draft and execute a content marketing strategy. Their efforts remained somewhat amateurish, and the absence of quality was obvious.

AI has eliminated these obstacles. It can quickly produce decent-looking pieces. Many small business owners are drawn to the affordability and the pretense of quality. Digging a little deeper and looking beneath the surface, however, quickly reveals the lack of substance underneath the seeming polish.

How Does AI Write Content

To understand why AI content isn’t the Holy Grail of copywriting, we have to take a deeper look at what artificial intelligence does whenever a text generation prompt is input.

Models like ChatGPT have been “trained” through the provision of a large database of articles, books, web materials, and other texts. Whenever a prompt arrives, AI breaks it down into manageable “instructions” to understand the information requirements, tone, style, and voice preferences.

AI doesn’t think like a human. It also doesn’t employ creativity. Rather, the algorithm calculates mathematical probabilities to create the text output.

There isn’t an original thought or concept. ChatGPT regurgitates the information in its database and spits out an outcome that’s aligned with the specifics of the prompt.

Here’s a quick illustration of how that works. I asked ChatGPT to write a humorous, engaging introduction for this article. Here’s what it managed to produce:

Imagine walking into a networking event where everyone is talking at the same time. One person is enthusiastically explaining how they’re “passionate about innovation.” Another is “committed to excellence.” A third is proudly announcing they’re “redefining the future.” After ten minutes, you realise you haven’t learned a single thing about any of them.

Welcome to the internet in 2026.

As a copywriter who’s been writing for businesses for more than two decades, I’ve never seen companies publish so much content—or communicate so little. Every day, websites gain new blog posts, LinkedIn feeds overflow with AI-generated wisdom, newsletters land in inboxes with clockwork precision, and social media algorithms are fed their daily sacrifice.

Yet somehow, the more businesses say, the harder it becomes to remember what any of them actually stand for.

We’ve entered an era where content is abundant, but meaning is scarce. Quantity has become confused with authority, automation with expertise, and publishing with communication.

So, how did we get here? More importantly, how can businesses break free from the endless cycle of producing content that fills space but leaves no impression?

On the surface, it sounds just about right. Yet, it lacks personality and charm. The very same AI-isms we already talked abour are scattered throughout. There are tons of buzzwords (automation, expertise, clockwork precision). There are examples that are somewhat off. Lots of paragraphs, most of them repetitive. Can AI try to produce humor and engagement? Absolutely! Will it produce a result that most people find enjoyable? That’s questionable at best.

It’s Not About Quantity, It’s About Your Point of View

The content creation process has been cheapened. We’ve now entered the realm of mass manufacturing. This only means one thing for businesses.

Publishing more often doesn’t get the job done. In fact, poor quality can harm your reputation beyond repair.

Rather, having a unique point of view and sharing your expertise become vital. Today, building authority is the key to standing out. You have to establish yourself as the expert. You have to offer the reader something valuable and insightful, something that AI has no way of putting together.

“Boutique” content is the way to go. For you to impress, you have to offer a unique perspective, a deeper view, an original concept, even thought leadership that the audience wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.

Your ideas matter more than the writing and the technical execution. Texts can be edited and polished. In the absence of a bright, standout concept, however, even the most flawless pieces will sound empty and superficial.

Types of Content to Prioritize if You Want to Make a Difference

So, you want your business and your content to be noticed for the right reasons. I recommend prioritizing the following:

• In-depth guides and articles
• Unique takes on professional topics
• Interviews with experts
• Thought leadership articles that focus on your experience and your ideas
• Personal stories, behind-the-scenes accounts
• Investigative pieces
• eBooks, whitepapers, and case studies

These types of content take longer to produce. They’re not the quick and easy articles ChatGPT can spit out on an ongoing basis. Often, you’ll need days and even weeks to make sure the outcome has enough substance before publishing.

That’s ok.

Sticking to a rigid editorial calendar is no longer that very important. Prioritizing quality rather than a schedule is the approach that builds a brand and sets you apart. Good ideas aren’t that easy to come by. Good execution also necessitates time. Once you make the switch from fast to boutique content, however, you’ll quickly notice the difference and the reputation establishment benefits.

The Starting Point: Know Who You Are

All of this sounds great, but you may be feeling somewhat confused. Where do you get started? How do you ensure consistency?

My main recommendation is to sit down and think about who you are and what you (or your business) stand for.

What’s the core message?

I’ll give you an example with my personal brand.

I am a copywriter who’s been in business almost 20 years now. I know how old-school content creation works, and I know what’s happening right now. My core message is that ideas matter. Creativity matters. AI tools can be amazing, but the human brain should power their work. I want to help businesses optimize content strategies and processes. I want to help them embrace new opportunities without eliminating the evergreen principles that ensure quality and sophistication.

I’m a wordsmith. I’m passionate about stories and storytelling. It’s not just copywriting, and it’s not just content creation. It’s a lot more comprehensive, artistic, and creativity-based.

While these are far from revolutionary concepts, they describe what I stand for. This foundation is employed each time I sit down to write a piece of content.

Forget about Formulas and Just Do You

If you go through a few online content creation guides, you’ll come across steps and principles like come up with an anchor asset, use it to turn that into additional content assets, continue producing content that enforces your message for a period of X days.

Blah, blah, blah.

These formulas don’t work.

Every business is unique. Its audience is unique. Being formulaic only kills authenticity.

I’d recommend just doing you. If you feel that a goofy tone is most representative of your brand, stick to that.

If you feel like your audience needs a detailed how-to ebook, take some time to put a quality piece together.

Don’t try to employ all the formulas, forget about a templated approach towards content creation.

Being authentic is vital. You can’t be authentic when you’re using shortcuts and formulas. Digital gurus promise solutions and roadmaps, as well as guarantees. All of that sounds lucrative until you buy the product. Most of them lack the deep understanding of your business to offer a tailored approach or to help you produce the strongest digital assets.

Get Some Assistance

Now that you have a strong concept, you can start looking for some assistance.

Using AI to brainstorm or come up with a tight structure makes sense. As a tool, it can save a lot of time and focus your efforts.

Deciding to partner with a professional is another rational approach that will elevate your strategy. Your ideas, paired with expertise and linguistic skill, will result in the wonderfully, deliciously different content that your audience will crave and engage with.

I can help you, guide you, write content for you. Would you like to chat? Contact me directly or drop a message on LinkedIn. I’d love to learn a bit more about you, about your business, and the wonderful content marketing opportunities we could explore together in the future.

The post Businesses Are Publishing More, Yet Saying Less: Here’s Why appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

Who knows a company better than its founder or the people who have made the business the exceptional entity that it is today?

This knowledge definitely translates into copy that engages and converts in the blink of an eye, right?

If only it were that easy!

Intimate knowledge of a business or a product is only the first step.

Copywriting can’t be self-absorbed and complacent. It has to be purposeful and strategic. After all, a business is most often addressing people who are just getting acquainted with its philosophy, products, and accomplishments.

Some business owners make copywriting work because they have a good sense of what the audience wants and they create content with a purpose.

Most of the time, however, I’ve noticed copy that sounds good in theory but that fails impacting the audience in the desired way.

If your content isn’t delivering the anticipated conversions, you could be making one (or more) of the following mistakes.

The Self-Centered Approach Doesn’t Work. Here’s Why

You care about your business, as you should. The problem is that you assume everyone else feels the same way.

Newsflash: they don’t.

Consumers today have choices. Tens (sometimes even hundreds) of them.

Why should they care about your brand? Why should they think what you have to offer is special and so much different from all the other options?

It is your responsibility to build that kind of understanding. By assuming that people already care and think your brand is great, you’re missing out on an opportunity to educate and establish an emotional connection.

Self-absorbed copy has the tendency to sound arrogant and pompous. Even if you’re just sharing your pride, there is still a risk of making the tone anything but the friendly and approachable one people will connect with.

Professional copywriters know that readers don’t really care about brands they’re just getting to know. Rather, they’re looking for useful information, entertainment, and emotional connection. Focusing on those free, rather than hyping up the brand, is the way to get a reader curious and eager to find out more.

Assuming the Audience Is as Emotionally Connected with the Brand as You Are

The very same rule applies to an established emotional connection.

Unless someone is a loyal buyer who spends 5,000 dollars per month on your products, consider them emotionally disengaged.

Ehrenberg-Bass Institute research suggests that as many as 82 percent of consumers don’t care about brand commitment. They will often purchase out of habit or convenience rather than emotion. Obviously, these figures vary from one sector to another, but you get the idea.

As many as 43 percent of consumers report they have no emotional connection to any brand whatsoever. Purchase decisions are typically driven by utility, familiarity, and a prior good experience. Half of all consumers have no favorite brand, and for 62 percent, brand connection means practical value in everyday life.

While an emotional component can be a powerful marketing tool, it will be challenging to instill. You’ll need time, consistent work, and an excessive focus on service and product quality.

When writing copy, don’t assume people feel something about your brand or products. Rather, inform, inspire, and entertain. Good content adds value to the reader’s experience. The emotional response emerges later on, and it’s not something you can take for granted.

Existing in a Vacuum (Having No Clue What the Competition Is Doing)

Good content takes into account the ecosystem that your business exists in.

You have competition. These competitors are working hard on their own marketing campaigns.

To be successful in terms of positioning, you have to know what they’re doing. You need a very precise idea of what makes you different and how you can establish your reputation within the industry.

If you’re doing competition research, on the other hand, you risk getting affected by the campaigns others are doing. We tend to emulate what we enjoy and consider valuable. Hence, your copy could start lacking originality. Having your campaigns resemble those of competitors too closely is in no way beneficial.

Neglecting the Importance of Key Elements Readers Notice

The way people read online is very specific. You need a good understanding of their habits and the hooks that trigger a response in order to optimize your marketing content.

Do you feel your headlines get people immediately curious? How about sub-headings, lists, pull quotes?

Even the way you format content can impact readers.

Bold text is something readers notice immediately. Everything else fades in the background. See what I did here?

People who specialize in marketing copy understand the importance of these elements. They have the experience and the background knowledge to optimize every aspect of content creation, tweaking words and phrases for maximum impact in ways that people who aren’t writers can’t fathom.

Too Much Jargon, Too Many Clichés

You live and breathe your business. The rest of the world doesn’t. It may seem that I’m making the point for the hundredth time, and I probably am. That’s because it’s an incredibly important point you need to understand really well.

Your knowledge of the field will often lead to the creation of specialized content filled with way too much jargon and technical specifics.

I’ve had to work with such texts. A client in the construction field wanted me to edit their articles and make them more approachable. While the texts contained a ton of useful information, they were so complex and specialized that most readers would have given up on the second paragraph.

Even if you’re operating in the B2B realm, you can’t assume your clients are as familiar with the specifics of your operations or products as you are. Good texts keep it simple. They explain complex ideas in a way that an 85-year-old granny can understand. This is where value comes from. The jargon may look professional and fancy to you, but it only serves as an annoyance.

An alternative approach may be to keep it too simple and adhere to easily-recognized clichés within your realm.

In that case, however, you aren’t sharing anything valuable or worthy of attention. The quality of information matters. The way you present this information is equally important. A winning strategy would be to turn a complex or very original idea into an approachable piece of content that will give the reader something beneficial and help you build your reputation as an authority in the niche.

A Failure to Address a Reader’s Problem or Need

Stating information for the sake of stating information isn’t enough.

Sure, useful and insightful content can build your authority. If you’re using it to generate leads and conversions, however, merely stating the facts or demonstrating your expertise isn’t going to be enough.

Good copy understands and validates pain points or frustrations that an audience is dealing with. Recognizing these and suggesting a viable solution (that your business is capable of providing) is the most meaningful way to establish a connection and ensure brand recognition in the long run.

Studies suggest that 62 percent of customers prioritize marketing content that specifically addresses their needs. Furthermore, content that recognizes and maps out the struggles and pain points of customers generates three times more leads at a reduced cost in comparison to traditional outbound marketing.

This means you have to turn the narrative around.

It isn’t about you. It’s about a prospective client. What do they want? What do they struggle with? Can you offer a solution that the potential consumer will find reliable every single time? If you can answer these questions before you get down to content creation, you’ll be on the path to marketing success.

Attempting to Directly Sell Through Copy

This point is somewhat related to the previous one, but it expands the concept even further.

Apart from recognizing audience struggles, you also have to understand what these people are looking for and what they consider valuable in terms of content.

One thing that nobody wants anymore is direct, heavy, and aggressive promotion.

Copy that oversells is never going to get the results you’re hoping for.

Rather, the goal of content marketing is a lot subtler.

It aims to build authority and recognition. It aims to establish a connection. That way, people will remember your brand or service whenever they start looking for a product or a particular solution.

“Buy now” calls to action don’t get the job done. Articles that scream “we are the best” will rather paint your business in a different light than the one you’re aiming for.

Use this opportunity to introduce yourself, what you do, what your business is all about. Share your expertise and your know-how. Add value through content creation, and these efforts will pay off in the long run.

Prioritizing Originality for the Sake of Originality

Cool, super original copy is awesome. I am impressed each time I see a well-executed content campaign that’s based on a distinctive angle, that has a point of view that only a few will ever consider.

Originality for the sake of originality, however, doesn’t get the job done.

You have to keep the goal of your campaign in mind first and foremost.

Are you trying to educate an audience about your niche and your products? Are you trying to establish yourself in a field of popular players? Are you currently in a campaign aimed at boosting sales?

Coming up with an original concept is great, but it’s not enough. Unless you’re strategic and you have a very specific reason to do what you want to do, chances are that your incredibly creative campaign will underperform.

The Elephant in the Room: The AI Shortcuts You’ll Be Shooting Yourself in the Foot With

Now that everyone has access to AI, everyone can label themselves a copywriter and call it a day.

After all, a brand new article for a website is one prompt away.

AI can be an incredibly powerful tool. At the same time, its misuse will make you lose your voice.

Excessive reliance on AI strips your content of substance and originality. Sure, you’ll have dozens of texts. Sure, you’ll feel good about it. How will an audience respond to AI slop, however? Will people engage, or will they go through the first few paragraphs and never look back?

Even if you use AI (I encourage you to, it’s a wonderful productivity tool), there still needs to be human creativity and input. AI copy lacks a distinctive point of view. It sounds generic. There is no depth and no valuable information. Your experience and knowledge are a lot more precious. Don’t sacrifice quality for the sake of quick turnaround time or reduced marketing expenses.

So, What’s the “Right” Approach?

There isn’t one.

Some business owners will become amazing copywriters who are their company’s strongest advocate.

Others will lack the time, knowledge, and experience to make a content marketing strategy deliver.

Outsourcing copywriting to a professional or hiring someone to handle content creation within your team tends to be the two approaches that deliver the best results.

An experienced freelance copywriter will quickly understand your needs, delivering the type of copy meant to optimize results. They’ll also be familiar with the latest marketing trends, helping you sharpen and update your approach.

In-house copywriting professionals will eventually gain deep knowledge of your brand. Such understanding is the key to producing impactful content your audience will want to engage with.

Sometimes, a hybrid approach will also make sense.

You could handle certain copywriting and marketing tasks on your own, while outsourcing bigger projects and campaigns. With so many professionals to choose from, you’ll easily discover the copywriter who “gets” your business and who delivers the best value.

Are you looking for ways to build your niche? Do you want to be noticed for all the right reasons? Let me help you! Copywriting is my passion, not just my career. As someone who’s been doing it close to 20 years, I know what businesses have to do in order to stand out. I also understand the evolving nature of content marketing and the ways to maintain appeal, regardless of new trends.

Let’s get in touch and discuss your marketing needs! Improved brand recognition doesn’t have to be challenging or costly if you have the right professional on your team.

The post 9 Things that (Most) Businesses Get Wrong When Writing Their Own Content appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

I’ve had a hate-hate relationship with AI ever since it emerged.

A productivity boost, you say? Sure. Mediocre content fully embraced? Absolutely.

Don’t get me wrong, AI can be a useful tool. Its adoption and widespread propagation are also something we have to accept. Fighting against it isn’t going to make it disappear. Using it for all types of creative tasks, however, contributes to a steep decline in originality and effective self-expression. So, what’s the best way to use AI without drowning in a sea of generic content and becoming a mere drop in this ocean?

While I have fought hard against using AI in my copywriting work, I know that it’s here to stay.

So, I started experimenting. It can be a great partner during brainstorming sessions. It can also do a decent proofreading job, especially if you’re one of those people likely to miss tiny typos and sneaky commas.

To make content great, however, you simply can’t count on AI to handle the entire process. Here’s my recipe for streamlining content creation while still having a point of view and personality that shines through.

Pushing Against AI Isn’t the Answer

That statement is weird coming from me. I pushed against AI for a very long time. Eventually, I lost all of my copywriting clients in the summer of 2024, and I knew that denying the existence of new technology isn’t the way forward.

AI is fast. It’s cheap. It does a decent job when it comes to putting together generic pieces of content. Obviously, many businesses are going to prioritize such a solution and eliminate expenses.

I kept on writing 100 percent human texts. I had a point of view. I did my research. Still, that wasn’t enough to remain competitive.

The pool of clients dwindled, and I knew I had to embrace a different approach.

I started thinking about AI integration into basic processes. So I came up with a few prompts. I read and I learned. They helped me in getting a better understanding of the way it writes. Familiarizing myself with its strengths and shortcomings. Employing those strengths allowed me to optimize processes without losing my identity as a writer and a journalist in the process.

Today, I do use AI for some parts of content creation. It is great when trying to come up with ideas. It can help polish the structure and the outline of a text. Proofreading also becomes much easier with its assistance. I’ve even used it to make sure that all content SEO steps have been completed successfully.

Knowing when to use AI and when to push myself to deliver human-generated content has given me perspective. I’ve accepted the fact that copywriting will never be the same. Still, I can’t accept the excessive reliance on content that’s been fully AI-generated, and that misses the human touch. Such content is easy to spot, and it doesn’t do a business any good.

Why AI Copywriting Fails

To use AI as an effective copywriting partner without losing uniqueness or personality, you have to understand what it does wrong.

A few characteristics make it super easy to spot AI texts, even if you’re not a professional in the realm.

Generic Structure, Repetitive Construction

AI content structure can be described as formulaic at best.

Every sentence follows a similar pattern. The same applies to paragraphs and the overall construction of the text. There’s no variety, no spice. Sometimes, human writers will break the rules and experiment with linguistic tools to achieve a certain effect. Incomplete sentences. Chunky structure on purpose. AI is never going to be so bold. It will stick to a polished formula that makes the content sound boring and repetitive.

AI has its favorite buzzwords and filler phrases. The moment I see “In today’s fast-paced world” is the moment I feel like screaming. Sometimes, I even get the urge to start pulling my hair out.

It also tries to build suspense and anticipation in a rather amateurish way. Trying to pose questions, labeling something as a plot twist (spoiler: it’s not), or identifying a “game-changer” often makes the whole thing sound forced and fake.

Finally, AI is absolutely terrible at showing rather than telling. AI can’t experience human emotions. It regurgitates texts that it has extracted from a database. It can’t describe what surprise or love feels like. It would much rather make the content safe and generic, telling you that the sky is blue instead of trying to describe its depth, nuance, and dynamic shifts in appearance.

Factual Errors and AI Hallucinations

This one is very important and very, very bad.

AI draws information from the internet. This means it has access to sources that aren’t factually correct. Some of them are even misleading on purpose, but a machine can’t question data in a way a human can.

Made-up statistics, questionable studies, citations that can’t be verified – these are just a few of the authenticity problems AI copy is known for.

Outdated information could also be featured as something still relevant when, in fact, the landscape has changed significantly since the time the respective piece of data came to light.

If anyone leaves such errors in a text, they can quickly lose credibility and even ruin their overall reputation. That’s why AI content needs to always be double-checked. Verifying sources and making sure numbers are accurate is non-negotiable if you want to maintain your authority.

No Originality

Do you want to feature content that always has a point of view and a unique take?

AI isn’t your strongest weapon. It’s a killer of originality, critical thinking, and distinctiveness.

An AI engine can’t come up with a unique concept. That’s potentially its biggest failure. It will use bits and pieces people have seen elsewhere to give you a “brand new” text. While this kind of filler will make you feel good about keeping up with a content calendar, it’s not going to engage, impress, or inspire your audience.

Poor Conclusions and Summaries

The conclusions AI makes are just as generic as the rest of the content it just generated.

You will get a vague summary and a bland call-to-action. There will be no synthesis of thoughts and ideas, no actionable steps for readers to follow if they’d like to solve a problem or learn more.

AI summaries and conclusions sound indecisive and meek. Readers wouldn’t be pushed or motivated to undertake additional steps, to act in a way that aligns with your marketing goals and priorities.

Lack of Personalization

You always want to be talking to your target audience in a way that makes people feel seen and understood.

When the structure, ideas, and concepts in a piece of text are generic, you’ll never introduce the kind of personalization your audience deserves.

The same applies to content personalization for a certain channel or medium.

Can AI point you in the right direction when it comes to topics and story ideas? Absolutely! But the execution will be lacking. That’s where you’ll have to step in and make sure the way readers are addressed is the way that you want to have associated with your brand.

Authentic Content: The First Steps (Forget about AI at This Point)

Right now, we’ve drawn two important conclusions:

1. AI is here to stay
2. AI can’t produce incredible content, but it can be used as a productivity tool

To overcome its limitations, you need to come up with a strong foundational process that gives you clarity and a good concept that will enable better prompts.

So, sit down… preferably away from your computer or phone.

Take a notebook. Write a few things. What do you want to say? How do you want your audience to perceive you?

Draft ideas as they come. Don’t try to edit yourself or limit the scope of possibilities. Brainstorming that involves pen and paper allows you to dig deeper than the computer screen does. While writing one idea, you will potentially come up with something else. That new direction will prompt you to explore concepts you wouldn’t have come up with originally. Many of these ideas will suck. A few will be brilliant. To uncover those, you’ll have to comb through the mental layers on your own.

Brainstorming can also involve reading books or turning to the content sources that inspire you. Not only will you discover unique points of view, you’ll also come across writing styles that break boundaries and provide examples of just how much originality can accomplish (even if the writing itself isn’t fully polished).

Now that you have this type of background, you can begin employing AI to strengthen the concepts you fancy.

Specific Prompts and Human Involvement

You’re now ready to bring AI into the writing process.

Getting good output from a machine is all about brutally specific prompts. Know what you want and communicate that in detail. This is the first step towards escaping from generic content.

The outcome you get will still lack personality and credibility. Still, getting AI to “understand” who you are and what you want to accomplish will result in a solid foundation that will minimize the amount of work you’ll have to do after AI is done.

Effective prompting is about:

• Provide background information and context: What’s your business, who’s your reader, what’s the persona you want to adopt while writing? What are the unique features of your product? What actions do you want the audience to undertake? If you’re targeting moms in their 30s who want to stay away from mass-manufactured products and lead a more sustainable, healthier life, let ChatGPT (or the other AI engine you’re using for copywriting) know about these facts.

• Always give examples: Sharing examples of the content types you like and want to emulate delivers another level of specificity to counter the generic nature of AI content.

• Get an outline first: Asking ChatGPT to give you an outline before moving on to the writing phase will give you even more control over the content and the style. At this stage, you can request edits and modifications that will let the machine learn a bit more about you and the specifics of the request you’re making. It may also be a good idea to get two or three outlines. Having such material to work with will speed up the learning process and ensure a better outcome.

• Provide information about SEO and marketing goals: Now that you’ve narrowed it down in terms of content and structure, provide some information on your marketing and SEO goals. What KPIs matter the most? How would you like the audience to engage with your content further? Are there particular keywords you want to target? All that information is important and should be provided to get an optimal result.

• Let AI ask you questions: Here’s a simple prompt that can improve the outcome even further: Is there any additional information you want from me to write an in-depth article about XYZ? Try it, and you’ll probably be surprised by the relevant additional questions that ChatGPT will ask before moving on to the writing stage.

While these steps will improve the quality of the output, you’ll still get a text that lacks soul and personality. That’s inevitable. Even if you become a prompting Yoda, you’ll still face the language and style issues that AI has. The aim of this step is to optimize the quality of the information and the relevance of the article. Once you get your text, you’ll have to move on to the next step for a fully polished and impactful outcome.

Share Your Perspective and Experience

You have a draft that you can work with, congratulations! It’s now time to put your writing hat on and give the text substance.

You should have personal and professional anecdotes, as well as examples stemming from experience, to sprinkle throughout the text. These are the elements that add depth and value to content. These are the things that AI can’t produce. As a result, the personal touch is the one thing that will immediately humanize texts and set them apart from a sea of generic, repetitive, copycat articles.

One more thing you have to focus on: emotion! Channel your passion for the project in the introduction and the conclusion of the article. Make the reader care by showing them how much this whole thing means to you.  Get real and be specific. Honesty and passion sell. Good information is just the first step that you can build upon.

Edit the Heck Out of the Draft

Regardless of the fact you’ve done a ton of work already, the article isn’t done yet.

Sit down and start editing:

• Strengthen the introduction and the conclusion (or rewrite them altogether). These are usually the weakest pieces of content AI generates, and they almost always have to be revamped
• Look for inconsistencies, fluff, and empty phrases – get rid of those
• Change sentence length and structure, especially when it seems to get repetitive and monotonous
• Double-check and verify facts, numbers, case studies
• Restructure anything that isn’t logical or that doesn’t flow well
• Make sure the search engine elements are properly incorporated in the text
• Read it out loud to make sure the transitions are good and the structure is logical

Trust your gut. If you don’t like a sentence, or paragraph, or even an entire section, there’s a reason for those sentiments. Review, rewrite or get rid of the pieces that don’t add anything to your text.

Sometimes, Writing from Scratch Makes More Sense Than Going Through the Whole AI Process

Following the steps outlined here will produce significant improvements in the quality of the content you put out there.

Sometimes, however, you wouldn’t be happy with the outcome, no matter how hard you work on idea generation, prompting, and editing.

Writing from scratch can prove to be more effective and satisfying in various situations.

Are you dealing with a topic that you’re particularly passionate about? In those instances, writing the text on your own will be a much better approach.

It’s also a good idea to consider a partnership with an experienced copywriter. A human being will find it much easier to get you and your business than an AI agent. Copywriting services still deliver an excellent return on investment, especially if you’re trying to build and maintain the reputation of your brand in a highly competitive niche.

AI has its place in the world of content creation, but it shouldn’t dominate and kill creativity.

You can tell your own stories. You can get human assistance to improve outcomes. I’d love to be a part of your marketing journey. Let’s get in touch and discuss who you are, what you’re trying to accomplish, and what message you’d like to deliver.

The post Using AI for Copywriting Without Sounding Like Everyone Else appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

Would you like to build trust, engage your audience, and dominate search rankings (boy, did that resemble the cheesiest sales pitch on the planet!)? If so, topical authority is the approach to start acquainting yourself with right now.

Gone are the days of traditional SEO that targets a keyword, gets you ranked for that keyword, drives an audience – mission accomplished!

Now, you have to establish yourself as an expert, digging deep into a topic and producing insightful content that even an encyclopedia would be envious of.

That’s precisely what topical authority is all about. The approach delivers great results in terms of search engine optimization, and it’s also the right choice if you want to be considered the go-to source of information in a particular field.

The steps of achieving topical authority are numerous. It all starts with extensive knowledge of a field or a concept. Once you have that, you can move on to the other elements that have to be incorporated in your content marketing/optimization strategy for maximum impact.

What Is Topical Authority in Content Marketing and SEO

High-quality content is the number one tool that digital creators and businesses can employ to establish and reinforce their topical authority.

The term refers to expert reputation within a niche or a topic. Topical authority is based on deep, niche content that establishes credibility and makes the audience trust the respective entity (be it a business or an individual who’s reinforcing a personal brand).

In the past, dominating a niche online was all about selecting the right keywords. The approach delivered quick and sustainable search engine optimization benefits. Today, however, Google is changing the rules.

AI tools have made it possible for websites to pump out mediocre content at the speed of light. Needless to say, audiences have been turned off by the approach because they’re not getting anything unique or useful when they click on a link. All of the information is regurgitated, and chances are that readers have already come across it in the past.

As a result, search engines are now prioritizing deep and niche content that gives readers useful information and unique points of view.

Major search engine algorithm updates occurred both in 2025 and 2026. The February 2026 Discover Core Update and March 2026 Core Update both reduce the visibility of mass-produced, generic content.

E-E-A-T has started setting the standard in the field of content creation. The acronym stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a defining element in the Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines. To put it in simple terms, expertise and a distinctive point of view build credibility. They impact the audience’s perception of a piece of content, which in turn contributes to better search engine positioning.

The Benefits of Embracing the Topical Authority Approach

Using topical authority as a content creation standard benefits you immensely in more than one way.

The first and most obvious benefit has already been mentioned. Topical authority builds trust. It increases your authority. The audience perceives you as an expert in a field. It starts engaging more with your content. Search engines follow suit. People are happy, they spend time on your pages. Google likes that, it pats you on the back, and improves your overall search engine standing.

A few additional but equally important benefits of topical authority content creation include:

• Such content is often picked up and quoted by others, improving both networking and your reach
• It contributes to natural link building
• Excellent performance and one of the most cost-efficient types of digital marketing
• Long-term sustainability of your brand establishment efforts
• Increased conversion rates and sales
• Good performance in both regular and AI searches

It’s All Fun and Games Until You Start Doing It (Wrong)

The concept of topical authority sounds clear, but it’s still a rather vague term.

How is authority established, how is it measured?

Because the set of criteria isn’t as strict as guidelines pertaining to other SEO strategies, many fail at establishing topical authority.

Even seasoned copywriters get the concept wrong. Some of the most common mistakes include the following:

• No uniqueness: True topical authority necessitates expertise and depth. Covering a theme comprehensively and having a unique perspective aren’t easy to do. Shallow content, even if it gets published often, wouldn’t cut it. It provides no opportunities for thorough and thoughtful topic exploration. Long-form content can also fail if it says nothing new or fails adding value to the conversation. Let’s face it – coming up with a unique take or spin is difficult. You need to have an intimate understanding of the topic, and you also have to be a writing master to get the kind of result we’re envisioning here.
• Scattered writing: Trying to cover too many topics and going in too many directions can both be problems. Topical authority requires focus. It requires consistency. The content you produce should be related, each piece building upon the previous one, further elaborating and enlightening. Search engines and readers alike need clarity. If you’re trying to be a Jack of all trades, you’re simply going to get everyone confused about what it is that you do really well.
• A failure to utilize content clusters: Content clusters are organizational tools that structure website content cohesively. You typically start with a broad overview of a topic, eventually digging deeper and adding nuance/topics of conversation to the main theme. Content clusters usually consist of a pillar page and supporting pages. They’re connected to each other via internal links, giving the site structure and the reader direction during their exploration journey.
• Lacking human direction: AI is great. It can become addictive. Once you try it to generate some content, you’ll probably feel exhilarated about its speed and ability to produce thousands of words within minutes. While all of this is amazing for research and giving your content some initial direction, overusing AI will instantly kill your topical authority. That’s because AI tools add nothing new to the conversation. They don’t have expertise or experience. Going back to E-E-A-T, you can easily understand how being dependent on AI is going to make you miss the mark and reduce the effectiveness of your reputation establishment efforts.
• Missing brand values and a distinctive style: To be an authority within a niche, you need to have a voice. That voice should be loud and clear. If people can mistake you for someone else, you’re not doing a good job. Topical authority starts with knowing who you are, what you want to say, and how you want to say it. When this framework is in place, you’ll find it so much easier to produce unique and truly valuable content that will deliver the most unique and beneficial of audience experiences.
• Being a trend follower and not a trend setter: If you don’t have a lot of content creation experience, you may approach the task by doing some research and discovering the pieces of content that perform optimally within your niche. Attempting to replicate someone else’s success, however, isn’t the way to build your credibility. You have to be a trend setter and not a follower. To do so, you should be coming up with topics and approaches that others haven’t capitalized on yet.

Making Topical Authority Happen: The Most Effective Steps

Now that you know what you shouldn’t do, let’s discuss the steps that will build your topical authority over time.

Disclaimer: topical authority isn’t something you can achieve in five days. You need consistent content creation efforts over time to build your niche and dominate it.

So, start today and continue working without worrying about immediate results. A few of the best things you can do include:

• Do your research: While trying to replicate what others aren’t doing isn’t a winning approach, you still need a good understanding of what’s going on in the niche. Read. When you’re done, read some more. See how each topic is approached. See how the big players structure their content clusters to dive deep and uncover hidden aspects of the concept nobody is talking about. Take some notes. While doing so, you’ll probably immediately start coming up with your own approach and a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
• Make your personal experience a starting point: The biggest differentiator, the most valuable asset you have, is your own personal experience. Nobody has it. Nobody can use it. Make the most of that asset by turning it into the shining star of your content creation efforts. What do you know? What have you done? Start at this point and carry out a brainstorming session about the topics you can cover and the stories you can tell on the basis of the professional or topical experience you’ve accumulated through the years.
• Build your biography: Google links content to a source. A source that has authority immediately transfers that reputation to newly published content pieces. Apart from coming up with a good strategy, you also need to have certain credentials linked to your name. Make sure your website has a comprehensive bio page. List your credentials, certifications, awards, and anything else that could contribute to an overall good standing in a field. The same applies to your social media pages, especially LinkedIn. The next step would be to participate in discussions and eventually – get quoted by others. This type of social proof will get picked up easily, contributing to the growing importance and popularity of your profile. You can also employ offline reputation establishment to add to your online status. Participation in seminars, talks, and conferences of relevance will add powerful credibility to your profile.
• Continue digging and having fun exploring once you identify core topics: Building topical authority can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re truly passionate about a topic. The opportunities to dig deeper and continue adding to the value of a content cluster are endless. Most fields evolve all the time. Once you cover evergreen sub-topics, you can continue working on enriching the respective cluster. Adding your opinion, doing interviews, or discussing new trends (and sharing your view on those) can enhance the cluster, make it richer, more nuanced, and valuable.

Content Cluster Example

If all of this still seems a bit too abstract, let’s go through a quick example of how a content cluster can be set up.

I’ll base the example on my experience as a copywriter.

Currently, I am very passionate about AI and its role in copywriting.

Let’s make that the focus. My pillar page would probably be something like The Most Comprehensive AI Copywriting Guide.

Under it, we can explore supportive and secondary topics that will produce a well-rounded cluster. Some of these topics can be:

• Using AI for copywriting effectiveness without falling into the over-dependence trap
• Writing AI prompts for better copywriting results
• Ways to maintain creativity in the age of AI copywriting
• Case studies that demonstrate some of the claims already made
• Personal story of how AI has impacted my copywriting journey
• How to edit AI content
• How to create different types of AI content (for social media, press releases, ebooks, etc.)
• SEO and AI content
• How authorship is changing in an AI world
• The ethics of AI copywriting

And these are just a few of the sub-topics that give the cluster structure and direction. Once you cover these essentials, you can continue digging even deeper, presenting more layers and shaping the distinctiveness of each cluster.

The cool thing about all this is that you can do numerous clusters within your area of expertise. They can be connected to each other and used for cross-promotion. The more you elaborate, the more your content will be working towards reputation establishment. Additionally, you’ll find the inspiration to continue exploring the topic and presenting your point of view.

Bonus tip: The main elements within your content cluster can be updated periodically to maintain relevance. This way, you’ll be getting fresh content without having to come up with additional ideas all the time.

Be an Expert and Dominate Your Niche (Online and in the Real World)

Content marketing’s very essence has been changed.

Today, articles can be produced in a matter of minutes using ChatGPT and specialized content creation tools.

One thing, however, can never be replaced. Genuine human experiences still matter. They add depth and nuance to content in a way that AI cannot and will never learn how to. Prioritizing your knowledge and point of view is a winning approach, regardless of your industry or the size of your business.

Developing topical authority is a powerful approach that will help you stand out. I can help you fine-tune your content strategy and execute in a way that yields tangible, sustainable branding results. Get in touch to discuss your digital marketing needs and come up with the right approach together.

The post A Complete Guide to SEO Topical Authority in 2026 (And Beyond) appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

Do you own a computer or a smartphone? If so, you’ve come across AI-generated content at least once (if you’re lucky). Most of us have had to navigate a mass explosion of mediocre, emoji-filled texts that say little and are as bland as cottage cheese.

Welcome to the world of contemporary content creation. Everyone can do it in a matter of minutes. Equipped with ChatGPT and minimal prompt writing abilities, most people can now call themselves copywriters.

While this new opportunity makes processes faster, more streamlined, and efficient, it also shapes a landscape of mediocrity as the norm.

Let’s face it – ChatGPT isn’t the most skilled copywriter. It lacks personality, it can’t convey emotions, and don’t get me started on its ability to insert jokes or a fine sense of irony. It’s a machine, for God’s sake, and we simply can’t expect brilliant penmanship from it.

The proliferation of AI content has contributed to a massive shift. Most texts that we come across online suck. They follow the same generic structure, they add very little in terms of reader experience, and they simply regurgitate information and claims most of us have already seen online.

The rise in AI is fueling the death of generic content, making it obsolete while at the same time contributing to its mediocrity.

Written text and thoughtful communication, however, are still as important as they’ve ever been. People want to connect to brands and content creators in a meaningful way. They generally lack trust in all of the available information. So, how do you change the narrative as a business owner or a marketer? Here are a few things you can do to make sure your content isn’t bound to completely destroy your credibility.

The Death of Generic Content: Why

Gone are the days when a simple 500-word blog post did the trick both in terms of search engine optimization (SEO) and online positioning.

ChatGPT and other AI tools can put out 500 words faster than you can say “digital revolution.” Blogs and websites are constantly pumping out new texts, which decreases their effectiveness and gets people to keep their distance from traditional blogs.

Statistics suggest that more than seven million blog posts are published every single day. Nearly 80 percent of bloggers report using AI to some extent, and that was back in 2024. Today, the percentage is probably even higher.

Organic search traffic is declining in some niches, and it’s getting restructured with AI answers and snippets that don’t direct readers to a particular website. These new dynamics are making it more and more difficult to get results with generic content (especially when it’s 100 percent AI-generated).

Optimizing for AI so that the information appears in ChatGPT search results can negate some of these effects, but this new mechanism can’t contribute to a complete recovery. And if you focus predominantly on AI text optimization, you’re once again going to be missing the human element that readers need and are consciously looking for.

Studies suggest that while AI has become a mass phenomenon, readers still largely prefer human-generated content.

Human-generated content outperforms AI texts both in terms of engagement and search metrics. While over 50 percent of the new articles published in late 2025 are AI-generated, nearly three in four readers prefer human content.

These statistics paint an interesting picture, and they clearly demonstrate a disconnect between what marketers use and what audiences want. Trust and authenticity can’t be prompted. They take more to produce, but in the long run, they are the attributes that deliver the best results.

We Live in a Click-Free World

With all of the information people can now find directly via a search page or through ChatGPT, online behaviors are changing drastically.

Internet searches produce click-free responses for the most part.

The trend started way back in 2024. That’s when nearly 60 percent of all Google searches ended without clicks. This means users found the answer to their question without leaving the search engine results page and going to a website.

Data pertaining to 2025 searches shows that the number of click-free experiences has grown to reach anywhere between 60 and 70 percent of all searches. On mobile devices, zero-click searches are even more common, reaching up to 75 percent.

What’s the lesson here?

While getting your blog filled with generic content may help you appear in a results snippet, it’s not going to drive direct traffic. People will get the piece of information they want and move on. Nobody will bother checking where this information came from or digging a bit deeper to discover the other “insightful” content that ChatGPT generated on your behalf.

The Flaws of Generic Content

Generic content is free and quick to produce today, and that’s about it.

Performance-wise, it misses the mark in numerous important ways.

Whenever AI is used to produce content, it doesn’t deliver uniqueness or a point of view. It relies on information that readers can easily find across dozens of pages. The user experience is “meh” at best.

A user experience that is “meh” at best also leads to issues in terms of search engine optimization.

In January 2025, Google launched its Search Quality Rater Guidelines update that focuses on scaled content abuse.

Scaled content abuse is the mass production of new text (usually with the help of AI) to target keywords and ensure good standing across all relevant search phrases. When this approach is employed, however, the quality of the content is poor. It gives the audience almost nothing, which is why Google has undertaken measures to counter the phenomenon.

Such content strategies are now considered an SEO manipulation attempt. So, while having a ton of content may seem like a good idea, it’s going to change your audience’s perception, and it may also lead to negative consequences in terms of optimization.

The bottom line here is this: do you want to have your brand linked to the lack of originality and low effort? I believe the answer is no. Every reader dedicates some time to going through your content. No effort content will leave a sour taste sooner or later. Creating something thoughtful and original requires a lot more effort. In the end, however, this is the approach that yields the biggest returns.

Experience, Emotion, Expertise: Your Recipe for Success

Have you heard of the E-E-A-T formula?

It stands for:

• Experience
• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness

This is a Google quality framework that pushes against generic, run-of-the-mill content. The good news is that the framework also reflects accurately what human readers are looking for.

Your experience as an expert in a field matters. First-person accounts and original ideas instantly turn you into THE authority within the respective field. Being seen as an authority establishes your credibility. Credibility becomes a brand attribute, and it positions you in a way that 500 AI generic blog posts will never be capable of.

Content that presents new ideas while being trustworthy sets you apart.

AI content on its own isn’t a bad thing. In fact, AI tools can be great helpers. I use them as a part of brainstorming sessions, sharing ideas, elaborating on them, coming up with new takes, and ways to structure articles.

When it comes to actual information and writing, however, the effort is 100 percent human. I have a point of view. I have stories. I like to feature gentle humor to give each text a bit of personality. No matter how advanced AI is, it can’t draw on these sources.

Winning Content Strategies: Do the Following

What do you do when you see an article intro like this one:

For most people, the answer is simple: they’ll close the tab.

This is an intro I asked ChatGPT to write for the guide you’re currently reading. Now, you can go to the beginning and compare this paragraph to the intro I did on my own.

I’m not saying mine is an example of exemplary prose. The difference, however, is that my intro captures my personality and attempts to immediately grab and interest the reader.

To stay away from the generic content trap, you can rely on the following approaches:

• Write in your own words: That’s a difficult thing to do. You worry whether you sound competent and original enough. Nobody wants to be judged, which is why we often turn to clichés and generic phrases. Guess what, however? Even in those instances, you’re being judged for the lack of originality and the safe approach. Be yourself and be authentic when writing. You can always tone it down during the editing phase. What you can’t do is inject spirit and personality into a piece of blah text once it is finalized and structured.
• Focus heavily on your experience and knowledge: AI doesn’t have experiences and memories to base anecdotes on. This is your biggest strength as a human writer, marketer, or business owner. Lean heavily in the direction of telling people what has happened to you, what inspires you, and what gives your business direction. Not only will such an approach ensure the originality of your content, it will also deliver layers of authenticity that can’t be created in any other way.
• Don’t be afraid of being humorous or emotional when writing: Being silly when writing is fine. A little bit of humor always increases the enjoyment factor when people are reading. The same applies to getting emotional. Getting emotional means you’re passionate about something. That passionate predisposition is going to impact your audience’s perception. Your brand will no longer be a sterile corporation. It will be seen as someone’s dream and passion.
• Know your audience and your brand’s voice: Always think about the people you’re talking to. Always remember what your brand stands for and how you want to communicate that message. Keeping things relevant and niche, rather than attempting to appeal to a generic audience, will make things interesting and enjoyable.
• Storytelling is more important than it’s ever been: Always, always, always (and I mean ALWAYS) tell stories. Storytelling focuses on the human experience. It puts the human experience in context. It’s relatable and deep at the same time. A story can inspire people or get them curious to learn more. It also aligns with your identity and spins a traditional truth in a new way.
• Go deep (or choose some unexpected direction): It’s ok to dig deep, even if your audience doesn’t consist of experts. Complex topics can be explained in simple ways, helping people make sense of issues and subjects that seem abstract. The chance to go deep or express the most unusual point of view is your biggest strength in an ocean of generic content. Instead of drowning your audience in the very same mediocrity, surprise them by revealing expertise or sharing an opinion that’s completely different from the general consensus.
• If you use AI, always do human revisions and editing: AI can be a beneficial tool. It boosts productivity, and you can effortlessly bounce ideas off of it. Becoming overly reliant on AI, however, will make your content lose its soul. If you do AI writing, make sure that the text is “humanized” before it goes live. An editor can do an excellent job, tweaking passages and inserting anecdotes or little snippets that give the content more substance and appeal.

Lazy Content Hurts Your Business, Embrace Originality Now

Lazy content is easy and cheap. As such, it does nothing to make your brand stand out.

Are you trying to position yourself in a highly competitive niche? Do you want to have expertise and spirit linked to your brand? If so, the time has come to detach yourself from generic content and embrace a bolder approach.

I can help you conceptualize a content strategy that shows exactly who you are and what you’re capable of. Let’s talk and make the most of this promotion opportunity for your business.

The post The Death of Generic Content: RIP Run-of-the-Mill Blogs appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

My self-publishing journey looks slightly different. It has been a rewarding and fulfilling one. At times, however, it has also been connected to struggles, disappointment, and tons of doubt.

As someone who has dedicated their entire life to writing, it was only a matter of time before self-publishing came on the radar. I published a book about freelancing a few years ago. I’ve also published several books on dating and relationships under a pseudonym.

Here are some truths I learned while going through the experience and trying to navigate self-publishing on my own.

Writing a Good Book Is Only the Beginning

The first time around, I felt super excited by the fact I had managed to produce an amazing book. After all, a wonderful product is meant to quickly get appreciation and traction, right?

Some consider ebook writing as a form of passive income. You write the text, you wait for the money to start pouring in. That’s not how it works.

A book, even if it’s an incredible one, is a product. As such, it’s competing for the attention of a limited audience. Dozens, sometimes even hundreds of other titles, are getting promoted at the same time. In order to make self-publishing work, you have to be a strategist apart from a good writer.

Once you’re done writing, you have to keep track of trends and audience preferences. You have to market. Constant exposure is needed to get the word out, especially if you’re just getting started.

If you’re writing non-fiction, the content you feature in your book will eventually become outdated. That’s when you’ll have to edit and come up with some fresh new text to stay relevant.

What I suggest here is having a plan and understanding the fact you’ll have to do a lot of work after the book is ready for publishing. Seeing what other authors are doing and how they’re approaching their career will be a wonderful source of inspiration, helping you stay afloat in the long run.

Cover Art and a Good Book Description Matter

How do people make book-buying decisions?

Some will go for the authors they know and love.

Some will look for a topic of interest, researching the titles within it before buying.

People will read reviews, they’ll explore cover art, and go through book descriptions to make up their mind.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a catchy blurb and some original cover art. As difficult as this may seem to believe, 2024 studies suggest that 57 percent of people make book-buying decisions based on the cover alone. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they’d avoid a book because of poor cover design.

Everything you do when creating and promoting a book is indicative of professionalism (or its lack). If the cover art and the book description are poorly put together, potential readers will come to a certain conclusion about the quality of the book. Itself.

If you’re not good at design, hire someone to create a book cover on your behalf. Many freelance graphic designers can put together amazing visuals and their assistance isn’t going to cost you a fortune. Self-publishing is probably one of the most inexpensive business/side gig ideas you can get into. Dedicating some money to making this project work will be worth it in the long run.

Series Work Really Well

While we’re on the topic of marketing, let’s discuss the power of publishing series.

Sometimes, a standalone novel will be enough to tell a story and to give the reader a good experience.

Series, however, create opportunities for the ongoing engagement of your readers. If they like what you give them the first time around, they’ll come back for more.

It’s up to you to decide whether your work will be better in the form of a standalone piece or a series. There isn’t a universal formula that will work for everyone.

As someone who focuses on non-fiction, I find series especially beneficial for cross-promotion and the generation of some additional buzz.

Each part of the series can be used to market other books. Obviously, you shouldn’t be drawing out one story in order to get people buying a bigger number of books. If a topic, however, warrants several sub-themes that can be explored independently of each other, go for it!

Ongoing Marketing Is the Key to Consistent Income Generation

If you think that you can write one book and call it a day, think again!

Passive income is a myth. It sounds amazing — accomplishing something once and monetizing it for years to come. My experience, however, suggests that ongoing work is required to make that income more than a few sporadic purchases.

Self-publishing in the absence of marketing doesn’t work.

Unless you’re Stephen King, you have to remind people of your existence.

You have to build a brand, even if you’re a self-published author who’s doing it for the pleasure of tackling a favorite topic.

Being active on social media, maintaining your website, partnerships with other authors, asking your readers for genuine book reviews — all of these elements can work in your favor.

Marketing isn’t that difficult to do if you’re already good with words.

Content creation pays off, whether you’re doing TikTok videos or you’re writing articles on a topic of relevance.

Keep on building your brand and your portfolio if you’re keen on increasing the evergreen potential of your books. Otherwise, the sales will go down and they’ll eventually disappear altogether.

Shortcuts Don’t Work

Do you want to AI the heck out of your newest book? Don’t!

Shortcuts don’t work, especially if you’re serious about building a long-term income stream and maintaining your reputation.

Sure, AI can be a wonderful brainstorming tool. You can use it to test your ideas, refine concepts, even to get something written in a way you’d never envision it.

Relying on shortcuts and tools to do the creative work on your behalf, however, is not the way to make big things happen for you in the writing world.

The number of low-effort self-published AI books has gone up significantly in a couple of years. Readers are getting more discerning and more capable of recognizing such titles. Sure, you may trick someone into buying a book you created this way once or twice. Eventually, however, you’ll get a pile of negative reviews and the kind of reputation you wouldn’t want to have associated with your name.

So, take the time. Do the work. Making things happen the old-school way requires effort, creativity, a strong concept. At the time, you may feel completely exhausted and lacking in original ideas. Don’t rush it for the sake of putting something out there. You’ll hurt yourself and your chances of reaching the right audience and leaving those people with a positive impression.

Consider Options Other Than Kindle Direct Publishing

Kindle Direct Publishing is the market leader when it comes to self-publishing but it’s not the only option you have.

Explore other ways to connect with an audience. I’ve generated quite a few sales on Hoopla, iTunes, and Everand.

Audio books can also be a wonderful choice. On-demand publishing, while not really the most ideal option because of the rather high fees, can also help you reach an audience you may be incapable of capturing with an ebook.

Learn from Reader Feedback

Nobody likes and enjoys negative feedback.

It can be soul-crushing, especially when you put your heart and soul into a product.

We all want some form of appreciation.

That’s why many authors shut down when they get criticism.

I’ve been there. It hurts.

Justified negative feedback, however, can provide wonderful learning opportunities if you’re receptive to it.

Sometimes, readers will share important information on what’s missing. They will give you ideas and good concepts to implement in your future work.

Accepting criticism is far from easy. It can be hurtful, especially if you’re emotionally attached to your creation.

Even if you find it impossible to distance yourself from your work right now, try to keep an open mind. Go through the reader reviews and identify areas for potential improvement. You don’t have to introduce those changes right now. Still, keeping those bits for the moment when you feel ready can help you out and give you the growth you deserve as an author.

Always Have a Backup Plan

I like being prepared. I like having backups. That mindset has kept me afloat even in moments when things had gotten really tough.

Making writing a full-time career sounds amazing.

So far, however, I’ve found it impossible to earn enough, quit my day job, and call myself a full-time self-published author.

That’s why I count on a few backups that give me the financial security and the chance to continue writing without worrying about paying the bills.

You can go viral with the very first book that you self-publish. I hope this happens for you right now. Still, being realistic about what lies ahead can save you from serious trouble.

Make sure you have a stable income generation opportunity before you jump into self-publishing. If being an author works well, you can easily quit your day job or the freelance gigs that are making you unhappy.

Self-publishing can be an amazing form of creative expression. It can also turn into a profitable career. I believe, however, that building your reputation and your portfolio both take time.

Shortcuts are far from reliable and luck is only a small part of the equation. You have to work towards your goals and you have to be intentional about it.

What has your self-publishing experience been so far? Let me know which strategies worked best and helped you monetize your work.

The post 8 Lessons Learned Through Self-Publishing: Can You Really Make Money This Way (Easily) in 2025? appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

This kind of change is often linked to a life-defining, cathartic moment. For me, that moment was my son’s approaching third birthday. That event prompted a change I never anticipated.

Freelance writing became my full-time thing in 2010. I worked hard, I constantly built my reputation. The early years of my career were so busy that I had to put together a team of writers in order to fulfill all projects.

Fast-forward to 2024.

ChatGPT rose to fame. Many non-native freelancers got offensive offers from clients, some were ghosted and abandoned by their customers altogether.

I lost multiple long-term gigs.

My son’s birthday is in June.

The beginning of June 2024 was the time when I had to apply for a credit card for the first time in my life. My income had dwindled so significantly that I worried I wouldn’t be capable of getting my kid cake and a present for his special celebration.

That’s when it clicked — I had to seek regular employment after 14 years of being a freelance writer. Having the most amazing little being financially dependent on me made it impossible to continue withstanding the highs and lows of being a self-employed writer in a rapidly changing world.

It’s been one year since I went back to an office job. While this one year produced multiple stressful moments, it also gave me the financial security and even the social contacts that I’d been missing as a freelancer.

When is it time to say “enough” and start looking for another option? How do you tell that your freelance career is dead? Here are a few of the most important signals that solidified the decision for me.

Being More Stressed Than Fulfilled

I have had an amazing time as a freelance writer.

Quitting a day job that had me feeling exhausted and depleted felt like the most liberating decision ever.

I enjoyed being my own boss, making creative and executive decisions. The freedom of choosing projects and the positive interactions with clients all gave me the good vibes we all need in our daily lives.

In the beginning of 2024, I started losing clients. One client suggested cutting my pay by 50 percent since he was going to use ChatGPT for content production anyway. I felt sad, offended, and completely helpless.

The moment the fulfilment goes away is the moment you have to make some difficult decisions.

A freelance career that stresses you out, drains you, and makes you feel incredibly financially volatile cannot be sustained in the long run. Having negative emotions and worries taking over was the biggest thing that contributed to me seeking change.

A Shift in Priorities

As fulfilling as they are, freelance careers also happen to be incredibly demanding.

For me, freelance writing was a 365-day-per-year gig.

I don’t remember taking many vacations in the first years of my freelance career. With so many projects to complete, I worked each weekend. I worked odd hours, I worked during the night. I was motivated and really excited about the prospect of earning a solid income on my own.

Having my son contributed to a significant shift in my mindset.

I no longer wanted to dedicate every minute of every day to writing.

I needed those weekend breaks. I wanted to see my child growing up, hitting milestones, and becoming his own little person.

The need for a better work-life balance was the second thing that prompted me to explore alternatives to freelance writing. Having a job now gives me both the financial security and the opportunity to dedicate all of my free time to my family.

More Time Spent on Project Applications Than on Writing

This one hit hard and hurt a lot.

My income went down significantly in early 2024. I lost multiple long-term clients, which meant having to look for additional gigs to ensure a consistent revenue stream.

I started applying. And applying. And applying. I pitched on Upwork, on LinkedIn, on various job boards. I reached out to marketing agencies. Hundreds of pitches each month. A few sporadic gigs here and there. A complete shift in my career.

Dedicating more time to crafting pitches than to actual writing made me feel helpless. I did my best, yet it wasn’t good enough.

It had never been this hard before. I easily got new gigs. People contacted me after getting a recommendation from one of my clients. Very often, work came my way and I didn’t even have to try.

I knew that having to push so hard was simply not sustainable in the long run. That’s why I decided to go back to a regular nine-to-five job.

Having this kind of job returned the sense of stability and control I’d been missing. It also gave me the opportunity to continue learning and thinking about the acquisition of new skills that would help me redirect my freelance career and ensure competitiveness in the future.

The New Way of Doing Things Isn’t My Way (Yes, I Hate AI with a Passion)

That’s a bit of an overstatement but AI content is definitively my nemesis.

I’d much rather research and write content from scratch than edit and “humanize” the generic and super bland texts ChatGPT produces.

Before quitting, I did a couple of AI editing jobs.

Each time I saw the repetitive, clichéd phrases, I wanted to gouge my eyes out. It took me a lot more time to give those pieces of content personality than it would have to write a completely original text.

This is a job I don’t enjoy. That’s an understatement. I hate it with a passion.

I’m a firm believer in seeking change whenever the things you’re doing no longer bring enjoyment. Writing has been my passion since an early age. I entered my first poetry competition in first grade and I won a fiction award in college. I love words, I love the subtlety and delicate meaning a writer can weave into those characters.

Hating the content work that needs to be done is simply not an option. I could never dedicate so much time to feeling miserable while earning an income. Now, as an employee, I have a lot more creative freedom and the types of projects I do allow me to utilize my strengths in a way I feel content with.

The Bottom Line: I Quit When Freelance Writing Started Making Me Miserable

The processes described in the previous sections had been unfolding for more than a year before I finally accepted reality and accepted the shift.

I’m not going to lie — returning to a full-time job felt like defeat. I wasn’t good enough to continue working on my own. I lacked the flexibility to accept changing times and continue being competitive.

Eventually, however, I found a lot of freedom in my decision.

Now, I have the financial stability and the opportunity to work on side freelance gigs that bring me fulfilment.

I have more time to spend with my family. I continue writing articles and ebooks in a way I enjoy and without being pressured to employ tools or shortcuts that simply don’t work for me.

Is the decision to quit freelancing defeat? I don’t think so. Life circumstances change. The decisions that used to work no longer deliver the same outcome. It simply doesn’t make sense to stick with something that appears to be doomed out of stubbornness. Accepting change takes time — I needed more than a year to realize I had to try something new. The moment I made that change happen, however, is the moment I felt immense relief.

Do you have to quit your freelance gig if you’re struggling right now? Not necessarily. It’s really up to you, your priorities, and the amount of stress you’re capable of handling.

The one thing I’d suggest is being aware and knowing when you’ve hit rock bottom. If that’s the case, you should look for an alternative. Yes, change is scary but it can also produce opportunities you’re missing right now. After all, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Even if you’re unhappy with the new decision you made, you can easily go back to the way things were (or consider some type of upgrade that will help you thrive and evolve as a professional).

Are you a freelance professional? Have you had a similar experience and how did you move forward? I’d enjoy a discussion about the difficulties, the opportunities, and the best ways to handle challenging scenarios.

I’d also like to suggest some content and tools I’ve worked on to make the transition smoother. Check out the following resource that will help you make the most of AI without losing your voice. My AI-assisted workflows for copywriters (and freelancers in general) aim to optimize the use of AI during research, client acquisition, brainstorming, and quality control.

The post When Is It Time to Quit Your Freelance Career? (& Reasons Why That May Be a Good Thing) appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

It was all fun and games at the beginning of my freelance journey in the Dark Ages or shortly after their onset.

Back in 2010, I couldn’t keep up with the amount of work available. I had the freedom to try different content styles, experiment, learn, have fun, and get paid along the way. I was so busy that remembering when was the last time I took a weekend off became a mission impossible.

Today, the situation has changed in a way I couldn’t have anticipated.

Simple web copy creation is almost entirely dead as a niche. AI has taken over forcefully and rather effectively, wiping away tons of projects for freelance writers.

A do-it-all approach no longer delivers, and it’s far from effective, especially if you want to continue having freelance writing as your main source of income.

Finding a writing niche has become non-negotiable. There are various reasons why getting a lot more focused makes a lot of sense and is a significantly better approach than attempting to cast a wide net.

Here’s Why a Niche Is Non-Negotiable

Have you gone through a job board recently?

If you haven’t, go for this experiment.

You’ll find out that things are quite different from what they used to be even one year ago.

Gone are the general writing and copywriting tasks.

Instead, clients who still insist on paying for content written by a human being prioritize experience, expert knowledge, and a distinctive point of view.

The demand for finance, medical, and legal writers is significant. Clients are also looking for people who can do in-depth content or content that has a specific point of view (especially when it comes to effective marketing).

If you lack these niche skills and you’re just promoting yourself as a content creator, you will be missing out on most opportunities.

General knowledge and generic writing no longer cut it. AI can do that effectively. In order to maintain competitiveness, you have to find your niche.

Dealing with the Fear of Choosing the Wrong Niche

Comfort zones are good; they make us feel cozy and secure.

At the same time, being too stuck within that zone is a recipe for missed opportunities.

Freelance work is evolving rapidly. The things we were doing as writers five years ago are no longer applicable and effective.

Finding your niche takes some courage, but it’s something you need to explore if you’re interested in your career’s longevity.

Niche selection comes with the fear of making the wrong choice. What if you pick a field that’s incredibly profitable right now but becomes obsolete in one or two years? What if you go for the kind of specialized content that can be monetized effortlessly but is very challenging to master?

I can’t tell you that you’ll hit the bullseye the first time around. Yes, a mistake is likely, especially if you’ve never done niche writing in the past. Still, sticking to what you know and what you’ve been doing so far isn’t likely to sustain you in the long run.

One more thing affects the choices you make — the illusion of having choice if you stick to general writing and attempt to cover all bases.

Having more options doesn’t necessarily lead to more opportunities.

When you continue insisting on doing the stuff everyone else is comfortable with, you’ll have to overcome stiff competition. In the good old days, there were probably 20 to 50 people pitching and applying. Today, a single job on Upwork can get more than 200 to 300 candidates.

Consistently finding success in such settings has become nearly impossible. A narrow focus will help you carve out a new niche that features significantly less noise and clutter. At the same time, the concept is scary at first, especially if you haven’t worked this way before. Once you start seeing opportunities this way, however, you will quickly adjust.

Making a Choice Without Feeling Trapped

Committing to a niche should inspire you and make you feel confident rather than trapped.

To make that happen, you have to select a niche you enjoy and are passionate about.

Sit down and write about the things you feel good about and the topics you have knowledge of. Such a brainstorming session will start giving you clarity in a time when you feel somewhat confused and uncertain.

Once you have your list of multiple topics, you can start testing out those niches. An intersection of the things you enjoy and sufficient client demand is what you’re looking for.

Yes, finding those golden spots will take some time (unless you’re very lucky and get it right the first time around). Still, a focus on the right area will pay off in the long run, helping you put less effort into the process of acquiring clients and potentially negotiating a better fee due to your niche skills.

Give Yourself Enough Time to Test the Potential of a New Niche

How much time should you dedicate to this new endeavor before reevaluating and looking for a new opportunity?

I’d say that you’ll need at least four to six months in order to understand the intricacies, the potential, and the challenges. Giving up at the sign of a first hurdle may seem natural, but chances are you wouldn’t have a realistic and comprehensive understanding of the niche yet.

Put some effort into marketing, outreach, networking, and establishing your overall presence. Utilize multiple channels. Your LinkedIn is a good starting point. Your website is equally important. If you haven’t taken the time to develop those channels yet, make use of the opportunity and give yourself a fresh start as far as reputation establishment is concerned.

Remember That Niches Evolve

As freelancers, we are constantly pushed to evolve.

Niches change. Clients change. Technological leaps move us light-years ahead.

You can’t become too content with the things you’ve achieved, the ones that bring you success and stability at the time being.

We all experienced the dramatic shift that resulted from the introduction of free, readily available artificial intelligence. Many of the people who refused to accept this new reality have already given up on their careers.

It’s up to you to remain vigilant and informed.

Maintain your interest in new trends and new opportunities. Sure, some of them will be fads. Others, however, will shake entire sectors, eliminating the need for certain professionals and growing the demand for others.

Continue looking for new opportunities and keep track of the changes within the field you’ve chosen. These will provide hints of what’s to come, what you should be prioritizing in order to remain relevant and in demand as a professional service provider.

The post When a Writing Niche Is Non-Negotiable: Why You Need a Narrow Focus (Even If You Fear Missing Out as a Freelancer) appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.

Having the ability to produce website content in a matter of minutes and for free – who wouldn’t want that? Small business owners rejoice in the idea, many of them ending long-lasting relationships with the copywriters who previously made their online presence outstanding.

As a freelance copywriter, I’ve had to face the harsh reality of a transforming digital landscape.

Numerous business partnerships I dedicated years to ended abruptly at the beginning of 2024.

The reduction in project volume was so significant that I had to get a credit card issued for the first time in my life. Otherwise, I feared lacking enough funds to celebrate my son’s third birthday.

Artificial intelligence has had a profound impact on copywriting and writing in general. Some troubling surveys suggest that a third of translators and 20 percent of writers lost their jobs because of AI.

It’s a reality we have to face. Statistics suggest that nearly 300 million jobs could be lost to AI. Approximately 14 percent of professionals may be forced to seek a career change, and nearly 60 percent of the jobs in advanced economies are at risk of being replaced.

Such dynamic shifts can be scary, but it’s not all doom and gloom.

Going back to copywriting, I believe many have been impacted (yours truly included). Will human copywriters become obsolete, however? The answer is a definitive no. Regardless of its learning capabilities, AI will never replace human creativity.

Whether you’re a freelance professional or a business owner interested in optimizing marketing, here’s what I have to share with you on the topic of AI replacing content written by humans.

Can AI Do Good Copywriting?

The diplomatic thing to say here is that the quality of copy that AI produces depends on the quality of the input. A detailed, specific prompt is more likely to produce well-written, cohesive texts.

What I believe in, however, is that AI cannot do good copywriting.

I asked ChatGPT to answer the question that this section’s title poses. Here’s what it produced:

AI can certainly generate copy that is clear, structured, and even engaging to a point. It’s excellent at producing large volumes of content quickly, making it useful for things like product descriptions, social media captions, or SEO-driven articles. However, “good copywriting” isn’t just about stringing words together — it’s about understanding psychology, weaving in emotion, and adapting tone to a brand’s unique voice. These are areas where AI still falls short. While it can mimic patterns of persuasive writing, it often lacks the subtlety, originality, and strategic intent that human copywriters bring to the table. In other words, AI can deliver functional copy, but truly effective copywriting — the kind that builds trust and moves people to act — still requires a human touch.

That’s a perfectly fine response… but it’s bland and generic.

The copy lacks personality, direction, and attitude.

If you’re just looking for ways to produce quick content for your website, ChatGPT is an excellent tool.

Drafting copy that engages and converts, however, is a completely different ball game.

People aren’t moved by chunks of text that are factually correct (which can also be an issue for ChatGPT, but more on that later). They want texts that share the human experience or expertise. They want to be enlightened or entertained. Good luck accomplishing either of those via ChatGPT or another AI-powered content creation tool.

Will Copywriting Be Replaced by AI?

To some extent, human writing will be replaced by AI.

Traditional SEO texts and pieces of content created for the purpose of having enough pages on a website are already non-existent as freelance copywriting project niches.

High-end copywriting, however, will always necessitate human creativity and input.

Even if AI is used to streamline and speed up some aspects of content production, a human mastermind will still need to be behind the crafting and execution of a content-based campaign.

Reasons Why Human Copywriters Will Never Become Obsolete

Let’s list some of the most important reasons why human copywriters will never become obsolete, no matter how much AI improves over the years.

• Original point of view: AI regurgitates information available in its vast database. It’s not capable of original thought or an original creative approach. Sure, you can ask it to replicate the style of Hemingway, but the outcome will lack substance and depth. It will be an empty copy that few readers will feel inspired by.

• Fact-checking: I’ve already mentioned the vast database that fuels AI content generation. A lot of the texts that ChatGPT uses to answer questions and produce copy aren’t fact-checked. As a result, AI content tools can produce copy that isn’t factually correct. This is a massive problem, especially in sensitive fields like finance, law, and medicine.

• AI has no understanding of brand tone and voice: Each company wants to present itself in a certain way. AI has no understanding of those specifics. A good prompt can lead to the generation of decent copy, but that’s what it’s going to be at best.

• AI is disastrous for reputation establishment: Do you want to be seen as an expert and authority within your business field? Good luck using AI to accomplish that goal. Readers are becoming increasingly good at recognizing AI content. The fact you rely on such a tool rather than human expertise to produce content can have a negative impact on your brand.

• Creativity with purpose: Creativity for the sake of creativity is good, but when you’re trying to sell or you have a specific marketing goal, it’s simply not enough. Only a human understands marketing purpose and can employ the right type of creativity to accomplish something specific.

• Storytelling and the human perspective: I asked ChatGPT whether AI can tell stories. Its response is expected: AI can generate stories by piecing together patterns from the vast amount of text it’s trained on. So, the answer is no. AI can’t tell stories and it doesn’t have the human perspective… because it’s not human. All these things matter when you’re trying to attract the attention of an audience already exposed to dozens of different messages.

AI Tools Are Still Incredibly Beneficial for Copywriters and Their Clients

In those early days, I was radically opposed to adopting AI.

After all, I work in a creative field. My clients pay for human input. Using ChatGPT during any stage of the process felt like cheating.

Today, I’ve become a bit more open to new realities. AI is here to stay. It has already changed the way we do copywriting work, and it will continue doing so.

I find ChatGPT incredibly beneficial during the ideation process. It’s a wonderful tool as far as brainstorming goes. I’ve also used it to understand clients better, sharpen my pitches, and eliminate repetitive or tedious processes like proofreading (obviously, to an extent).

AI tools can make copywriters better, faster, and more prolific. The adoption of such tools will ultimately benefit both professionals and their clients, as long as ChatGPT and its derivatives are used the right way.

Final Verdict

Are you wondering whether you should hire a human copywriter for an upcoming campaign?

I suggest doing so if you can afford the expense.

Original copywriting, especially when strategic and done by a professional, delivers an excellent return on investment. Building such a partnership will give your brand a strong, recognizable voice. You can still employ AI for basic writing tasks, but when it comes to consistent marketing, choosing a copywriter will be the better approach.

Do you have questions about copywriting and the role AI plays in it? Contact me and I’d be more than happy to have your questions answered.

Are you a freelancer struggling with today’s reality? My latest book can help you understand the role of AI in copywriting, helping you make the most of the tool. The ebook is available on Amazon, Apple Books, Rakuten Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

FAQ

Q. What can AI do better than human copywriters?

AI is faster, so much faster than a human copywriter! It can also scale up effortlessly, addressing a client’s need for a large volume of content being produced immediately. ChatGPT and paid AI copywriting tools have also become really good at doing SEO, as long as a human provides sufficiently clear input about the scope and specifics of the project.

Q. What can a human copywriter do that AI can’t?

A human copywriter can get creative, even experimental, with content creation. Humans can also weave humor or personality into the text – something that artificial intelligence will never be capable of.

Q. Is hiring a copywriter still worth it in 2025 and beyond?

Yes, especially if you’re focused on quality and giving your brand the most distinctive voice.

Q. What are the risks of using solely AI-generated copy?

AI-generated copy sounds bland and generic. There’s also the risk of publishing texts that feature factual errors – a mistake that can easily destroy your reputation. Statistics suggest that more than 54 percent of people can already easily identify AI content. Consumers remain hesitant about such copy, and some research even suggests they’re turned off by it.

Q. Do readers notice when content is written by AI rather than by a human?

Yes, readers are becoming increasingly good at recognizing AI content. Millennials are the demographic group most skilled at recognizing AI texts. Studies also suggest that AI content can affect the attitude and perception of readers. In a poll, 52 percent of respondents reported that AI copy is likely to make them less engaged. Consumers find brands using AI impersonal and lazy.

The post AI Stole My Job (Or Did it?): Will Human Copywriters Become Obsolete? appeared first on Phoenix Digital Solutions.