Hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear someone exclaim, “Have you seen what ChatGPT can do!?”

While I don’t have the app myself, I’ve seen examples of how it writes. And while it shocks me to say, it’s pretty darn good! The quality of writing and grammar is near perfect. When given clear instructions, the relevance of response is also hard to fault.

As graphic artists across the world grapple with artificial intelligence (AI) applications capable of producing works of art, copywriters must also be asking…is this the end for me?

It doesn’t pain me to say that, for some jobs, it definitely will be. As more people learn to use ChatGPT, and the AI brain behind it grows, its ability to produce generic content will vastly improve.

What is ‘generic content’?

Generic content is content compiled from existing sources that’s essentially re-worded to say the same thing in a different way.

For example, I could write a 1,000 word article on best practice for a certain app. If the client asked me to write the article based on research, I would need to trawl various sources of existing information and collate that knowledge to write the piece.

From what I’ve seen, ChatGPT does this perfectly. It also does it for free and in a split second. Oh the power of a super brain!

As most of my clients know, I’m not a fan of writing generic content. I would even happily refer someone who asked for generic content to a bot if I was sure they’d get a reasonably similar result.

My dislike for generic content is the reason why I write almost all copy after interviewing an expert within a client’s company. The interview helps me learn all about the subject through their eyes. They are the ones who live and breathe it every day, and they’ll be the first to tell you things are very different in practice to the theory you’ll find in a textbook or most online sources.

Be it a thought leadership piece, a web page, case study or anything else – the only way to produce unique content is to share your unique thoughts and experiences.

AI cannot do this. And while my clients could always do it themselves, I find that’s why they hire a copywriter in the first place…they can’t or don’t want to!

Is this the end of all jobs?

While we’re on the subject of AI, why stop at copywriting? Pick a role, in any industry, and see if a bot could do it.

Having interviewed people in the artificial intelligence space, the future potential of AI could indeed leave very little requirement for us humans.

If AI super brains are ingesting every literary work, and every text book on every subject you could study at university, they could essentially do what any of us have been taught to do.

For example, imagine an AI veterinarian. It has all the knowledge taught in textbooks, all the data from animal studies, and the diagnostic capability of advanced tech. You take your ailing pooch to the “vet hub” and the AI bot diagnoses it before dispensing either:

• homecare advice
• medication
• a referral for surgery

While it seems impossible, time is quickly proving it’s not.

Ultimately, if artists and copywriters will eventually be rendered useless in the face of AI then we have to ask…who won’t be?

If you like the idea of working with a (human) copywriter to develop unique content for your business, please get in touch.

When I first started writing this article, I realised it’s been over a year since I posted the last one. Pretty slack, given it’s my profession!

To put it simply, 2020 was a crazy busy year for me. When COVID hit, organisations shifted their event budgets to content which meant a lot of work for copywriters.

With all industries experiencing rapid acceleration of their digital transformation strategies, content is playing a crucial role in:

• reaching potential customers
• driving customer intimacy
• enhancing company culture

With this in mind, a much higher portion of my clients are now viewing content for the strategic advantage it provides. Where they may once have done a few articles or case studies, they’re now looking to leverage and repurpose content across the board for whitepapers, lead generation pieces, videos, and more.

Where has this left me? Extremely busy to say the least! And I know this is the case for many fellow copywriters.

If you’ve been struggling to find an experienced copywriter, there are a few things you can do to maximise your chances of securing one…

Don’t wait until the last minute

Content is ever-changing, so I know it’s hard to plan for what you’ll need months in advance.

However if you have a month up your sleeve, you’ll greatly increase your chances of securing the copywriter you really want to work with.

Ask for a referral

If you can’t wait, reach out to your favourite copywriter anyway and ask for a referral. I only refer new clients to excellent writers and editors who I know will do a great job and for one reason or another are able to accept new work.

When I can’t take on a job, my first referral is to Sharon Phillips at Ginger Up Communications. Sharon has worked off referrals as a freelancer for 20 years because she is incredible at what she does, and the feedback certainly confirms it.

If Sharon is booked solid too, I can always recommend another copywriter depending on a client’s unique needs.

Build a relationship

If you have engaged a copywriter and they’ve delivered content you really like, let them know in advance that you want to work with them in the future. This may allow them to carve out time in their calendar that is reserved exclusively for you.

For example, I know my regular clients require X amount of hours from me each month so I pre-schedule time for them. If they don’t need me there’s no hard feelings – I can easily fill the spot. But if they do need me then they are already booked in, and that gives us both peace of mind.

I hate to say no and I never like to turn clients away. But I have to be honest about availability so I can meet deadlines, and I find clients appreciate this too.

Where to from here

If you need a copywriter, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. When I can’t meet the deadline, I will refer you to another copywriter you can trust. And if I can, I look forward to working with you!

As a copywriter, I often find myself fascinated by what certain words actually mean and where they come from. 

How many times have you said or thought to yourself, I just want to be happy! Or, I just want to make other people happy!

Society, in general, seems obsessed with the idea of happiness – and the pursuit of it. And I dare say, the fact that we can never seem to achieve a constant state of “happiness” actually makes us sad. After all, why can’t we be “happy” all the time?

But what does the word “happy” actually mean? And what does it mean to say I want to be happy?

Well, you may be surprised to learn that the word “happy” actually originates from the word “hap” which means “good luck”. 

Happy is from the Middle English word hap, meaning “good luck“. Many early European words for happy actually mean good luck, not joy. 

My brother, who is a psychologist, calls it a social construct. This is where we, as a society, take an idea and apply our own meaning to it. 

And I find it fascinating that we’ve managed to construct an idea that is so far removed from the original intent of the word, while being near impossible to attain because:

• we use it to describe a feeling
• feelings always change
• yet we aspire to be “happy” all of the time

We do not aspire to be “well” or “glad” because these words have a somewhat mellow connotation. They simply don’t feel powerful enough. 

We do not aspire to stay “excited” because we know excited is a transient emotion – it comes and goes as things change. 

We rarely use the word “joy” anymore, which could be a more accurate way to describe what we want to say (and is another great word to look up!). 

When we replace “happy” with “joy” we may recognise that we can’t always feel joy, and we’re OK with that. We may also think of “joy” as something we create on the inside – not something we feel because of what’s happening on the outside. 

Before I get too philosophical I’ll stop there. But with all of this in mind, what would it mean for you to take the word “happy” out of your vocabulary for a day…unless you mean good luck?

Where is your organisation in the fight for plain English?

Do you still value complex words packed like sardines into shudderingly-long paragraphs? Or have you transformed all of your content (internal and external) so it’s easy to read, follow and relate to?

Although the idea of plain English has been around for centuries (aka “Layman’s terms”), most companies were happy to ignore it in favour of technical language…until the internet changed everything.

A letter in the mail became 100 emails in the inbox. A good book branched into millions of “how to” websites and videos. 34 shop fronts at the local shopping centre morphed into countless online retailers across the globe.

As content expanded, reader attention spans plummeted. People simply got really clever at developing shortcuts to absorb maximum info in minimum time.

They’ve become experts on how to scroll, skim and scan. And they use these shortcuts when they read just about anything: internet and intranet content, policies, procedures, letters, emails, reports, brochures, and more!

Research tells us this applies to technical experts too. The general public want plain English so they understand what they read. Technical experts want it because they’re time poor and need to digest info fast. 

When you know all of this, you never ask “Do I write in Plain English?”. But “How far can I go with plain English?”.

The value in editing…twice

Every writer has their own style. Some are great at humour, others are talented story tellers.

But not every writer understands plain English, and how to apply the rules of plain English to meet the needs of scrollers, skimmers and scanners. (When I say “rules” I mean best practice conventions shared by writers across the world, backed by extensive user research.)

Even writers who understand plain English don’t always get it right. There is always benefit in editing multiple times because every edit makes content better.

The better it is, the more chance that people will read it. 

Check out this example…

I made it up, and the “not plain English” version is way more common than you might think – I’ve seen much worse!

Not plain English

Complex text is to be written by a skilled, experienced and where applicable qualified individual and that person is responsible for making it long and convoluted so it appears intelligent and confusing to the person who needs to read it. This is called “bureaucratese” and it is a widespread issue for a large number of companies that make the decision to write in this language style as they are of the opinion that it makes them sound more intelligent. They should instead be worrying about writing comprehensible content so the person who reads it understands the information that is being communicated.

Plain English version 1

Only a skilled, experienced and (if applicable) qualified person can write complex text.

They must make it long and complicated so it sounds intelligent and confuses the person who reads it.

It is called “gobbledygook” and it is a common problem for lots of companies that write this way because they believe it makes them sound more intelligent.

They should instead worry about writing clear content so the reader understands what they wish to communicate.

Plain English version 2

You can only write complex content if you are:

• skilled
• experienced
• qualified (if it applies)

You must make it long and complicated. This makes it sound clever so the reader gets confused.

We call this “gobbledygook” and it’s a common problem for many companies. They write this way because they think it makes them look smarter.

Instead, they should write clear content so the reader understands it.

My # 1 rule for plain English edits

I probably have about 30 rules in my plain English playbook, but this is my #1 rule:

People decide if they will read something at first sight. If it looks too long or complex, they won’t even give it a chance.  

With this in mind, the perfect layout + the perfect content = perfection. 

Make it real 

Plain English is not art. It’s not creative, and it’s not clever. It’s REAL. 

Leave behind almost every English class you sat in at school and write real words, for real people. Destroy anything that doesn’t add value to their experience, and your content will thrive. 

As a copywriter, I certainly don’t consider myself a “creative”. That’s your job, in your field of expertise. 

My job is to take your information and ideas, and apply what I know to your content so your customers:

• read it
• understand it
• relate to it
• act on it

Plain English follows a simple set of principles. Even your customers’ buying journey can be distilled to a simple set of principles (don’t believe me? Read anything from renowned psychologist and author Robert Cialdini). 

Combine those principles and you’ve got a recipe for success.

Last month, Google announced that BERT will be joining their team. 

Short for something long and complicated, BERT is basically artificial intelligence (AI) integrated into Google’s search algorithm.

If you’re not familiar with AI or how it works, it’s simply a term to describe the intelligence of machines. Programmed with certain algorithms, a computer system can “learn” by analysing mass amounts of data.

In Google’s case, BERT can analyse how people search and “learn” the words people use to describe a topic.

BERT is still in testing phase, but it won’t be long before it (he?) rules the search domain.  

What this change means for you

How many times have you heard the word “keyword” when it comes to content?

For years, keywords have been the primary focus of search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts, because that’s how Google’s search algorithm worked.

Let’s use a law firm in Canberra as an example. The managing partner calls me and says they’re re-doing their website and want to “rank well on search engines”.

I start by researching what words (aka keywords) people use when they search online for a law firm in Canberra. I might find:

• law firm Canberra
• Canberra law firms
• lawyers Canberra
• Canberra lawyers
• Best lawyers in Canberra
• Legal firms Canberra
• I want to find a lawyer in Canberra
• I need a lawyer in the ACT
• Who is the best lawyer in the ACT?

And probably many more. But we’d choose the keywords that give us the best value (highest number of searches relative to the amount of competition for the keyword) and then use those keywords on select pages.

Ideally each page would maximise 1-2 keywords by including them in the title tag, meta description, headings and content.

Unfortunately up till now, the choice and placement of each word mattered a lot. You may rank first for “law firm Canberra” but on page 2 for “Canberra lawyers”.

This level of specificity has been a thorn in the backside of SEO companies for years, as they attempted to get their clients to page 1 for every keyword variation – usually with keyword-specific landing pages. These are pages that may not even be visible from a website’s navigation, but hone in on specific keywords so they turn up in search.

This approach is also expensive for clients, because they need to pay for all these extra web pages (and the content to go on them).   

The list of law firm search terms is also just a drop in the ocean. When you add suburbs to target location-specific search, or people use ACT instead of Canberra, or (worse) the company has a national presence, it gets ridiculously complex.

How BERT removes keyword obsession

BERT uses machine learning to understand the intent behind a user’s search.

So if I say “law firm Canberra” I could also mean “lawyers Canberra”, “ACT lawyers”, or even “legal help Canberra”. BERT understands this. It understands synonyms.

This is a huge leap forward and a big change to how many websites should approach their digital marketing.

Gone are the days when keywords reign supreme.

It’s all about topics now.

To stay relevant and be chosen in the new AI-powered search world, you must build valuable content around topics that align with your services.

The only time we want to use the word “keyword” is when we mean “the natural words my customers use to describe my service”. There will always be value in understanding these because when you use them in your content, your audience knows they’re in the right place at the right time. They can see that you offer what they need, which is essential to keeping them on the page long enough to learn your story.

The transition to BERT will also mean the way you write web copy is incredibly important.

Want to know why?

Contact me to learn more or find out how I can help your business in a post-BERT world.

Next year marks 15 years that I’ve worked almost entirely remotely. 

As a freelance copywriter, I run my business out of my home office (grant it the home has changed a couple of times over the past decade). I have a great set up, which makes it easy to work through the variety of copywriting projects I tackle each day.

I’m a huge advocate for remote working, because technology means we no longer need bums on seats to get a job done well. In fact, remote working means a company anywhere in the world can hire a specialist, without ever having to meet the person in person.

While most of my client base is in Canberra, I’ve also worked with companies in Sydney and Melbourne, and as far afield as New Zealand and the United States.

Have I ever experienced any drawbacks? No.

Yes, my inbox is flooded with emails every day and I’m on the phone a lot, but remote working has never stopped me from building strong relationships with clients. In fact, it has enabled it.

How tech helps

While phone and email is my “go to”, I’m also a big fan of online platforms such as:

• Basecamp
• Trello
• Slack
• GatherContent
• Slickplan

These tools make it easy to keep track of projects, and work with subject matter experts or teams who are all invested in achieving the same high quality outcome.

Do I ever meet with clients?

Of course. If my clients are in Canberra, we make a point to grab a coffee at least once a year. If I’m working on a larger project, I might head into a client’s office for several meetings as it moves through various stages.

It’s always nice to meet face to face. But as someone who dedicates their day to delivering for clients, I need to be at my desk.

You’ll almost never see me at a networking event, or shopping at midday. And the same goes for many other freelancers I know. We work ridiculously hard, and often much longer hours than we would in an office.

But we love it. Why? Because flexibility and freedom come at a price, and those who get to work on their own terms are usually all too happy to pay it.

Do I ever work while I’m standing in a pool or lying on a beach?

No. Any serious freelancer knows there are 2 essentials to get a job done right:

1. A strong internet connection
2. Quiet (so you can answer the phone and speak with clients)

Don’t believe those YouTube videos where someone casually floats through a pool with their laptop perched on the edge as they try to sell you on the “enviable freelancer life”.

I don’t think my laptop would last long if I subjected it to a day in the sand, either.

Remote working is great, but it’s not all lattes and cocktails. A home office is just another place to hang your hat while you do what you do best. 

Want to know what it’s like to work with an experienced freelance copywriter? Call me on 0449 242 042.

If you’re keen to make your workplace more flexible and let your employees work remotely, there are some great articles that show how innovative companies are making it work for them.

A few years ago, I wanted to find a great business coach.

I found myself on the website of a person who touted their years of experience and great reviews from clients, and I was compelled to contact them…until I visited the “Services” section of their website.

Among a few other skills somewhat related to coaching, this person also claimed to be a copywriter. As an experienced copywriter myself, my first thought was any copywriter worth their weight doesn’t have time to be a business coach! So any business coach worth their weight shouldn’t have time to be a copywriter.

I didn’t call them.

When someone enjoys a subject matter so much they dedicate their working lives to it, it’s reasonable to expect they know their stuff. 

They do that, and only that, day in and day out. They read up on the latest trends and insights in their field, and work on projects that give them countless hours of experience.

That’s what I do as a copywriter. And that’s what I wanted from a business coach (I did find a great one, by the way).

Find your specialty

If you have your foot in a few doors and want to simplify your business, think about what you’re really great at and the type of work you want to do every day.

Then double down on it. Show your customers why you, and only you, can help with that type of work and how you do it better.

Successful businesses that offer a diverse range of services (such as a creative agency or accounting or legal firm) often do well because each service is managed by a specialist. These specialists have exceptional knowledge, do a quality job for clients, and make positive mentors for new starters in the field.

To help potential customers see this as a point of difference, find a great copywriter who can distil the true expertise of each service area, and demonstrate it clearly in web and other marketing content.

Icing on the cake

Specialising has other benefits too.

For example, it can make it easier to rank well on search engines (SEO).

When I thought the transmission in my car was playing up, I searched “transmission expert Canberra”. One came up near where I live, and their content lived and breathed transmissions. I was quick to call them.

Specialising can also make it easier to get approached for speaking engagements, get referrals from other businesses that complement yours (I’m always referring to and getting referrals from web designers!), and produce niche content that positions you as the expert in your field.

What does your business specialise in?

This is a guest post by Ellan Dineen, Marketing Associate at Design Wizard.

What is video marketing?

Video marketing is a marketing activity where you rely on a video to create engagement and sell a product or service.

The great thing about videos is that you can use them across various platforms such as blogs and social media.

It is a great alternative to traditional content writing as it allows businesses to create a more dynamic story.

How long should the ideal video be?

For maximum engagement, a video should be 2-5 minutes long.

How do you structure an engaging video?

• Present a problem
• Introduce you, your business or your product/service
• Explain how you (or it) can help solve their problem
• Have a strong call to action

Why do video marketing?

Video marketing is a trendy, new way of advertising a brand. It is especially efficient for younger viewers who prefer immersive content.

It provides another outlet and a different way of connecting with your audience. Furthermore, videos take much less time and are more memorable compared to other types of content.

The benefits of video marketing include:

• It positions you as an authority
• Provides valuable, shareable content
• Allows you to promote your brand on YouTube
• Helps with conversion and brings new customers
• Gives you a new option of promoting your brand
• It is a dynamic way of promoting your business
• Can help you get to younger internet users

If you need help with your video marketing campaign, start with some expert advice on creating a compelling video script!

What is a case study?

Case studies are a brilliant way to show what your business is capable of – rather than just saying it.

A case study is a piece of content that explains the what, why and how of a previous project you’ve worked on. It helps potential customers understand your methods and practices, and the outcomes you can help them achieve in their own business.

By comparing the challenges they face with a similar business (that you helped), they can imagine themselves working with you and reaping the same benefits you achieved for your other client/s.

How long is a case study?

The length of a case study depends on where it’s being displayed and how much depth you want to cover. I’ve written case studies a paragraph long. I have also written case studies 2-3 pages long.

What is the layout of a case study?

Regardless of the length or layout, a case study must include:

• The challenge
• The solution
• The outcome

You need to tell a story about the project – why you were needed, how you approached the problem, the actions you took, and the results you achieved.

Why do a case study?

You can say “I’m awesome at…” until you’re blue in the face. But a case study will help you prove it by demonstrating how you applied that awesomeness to a real world scenario.

It’s also a lot easier for people to relate “what you do” with “what they need” when they can see your services being applied to clients who are just like them.

A case study can help you:

• Demonstrate knowledge
• Build authority
• Add fresh content to your website
• Showcase your approach and point of difference
• Engage and convert new clients