Two years ago, AI writing tools took over the scene, sending writers, creatives and marketers alike into a spiral. At the same time, I was hired at Sweeney and preparing for my first day on the job. I began to spiral, alongside long-time practitioners, thinking I’d be replaced before I’d even gotten started. Had I chosen the wrong profession?! I was hired for my writing! But if I could be outwitted by a robot with a thesaurus, then what good was I? What good were any of us writers (and creatives and marketers) if content generation could all be automated?
Fast Forward: Two(ish) Years Later
Plot twist… I still have a job. At the same agency. Still writing, still being creative, still a PR professional and marketer. The secret? I became friends with the robot.
Here’s What I Use AI For:
- Creating SEO optimized meta-descriptors for blogs
- Asking for suggestions for clever subject line ideas
- Enhancing my tone on emails when I’m in a rush
- Searching for journalists who might cover a topic I’m writing a pitch on
- Final proofing for grammar mistakes & typos
- Thought starters for pitches, blogs, etc.
- Drafts to work from for blogs or social media copy
- Breaking down jargon-heavy topics that are difficult to understand by asking AI to explain it to a 5th grader
Here’s what I DON’T Use AI For:
- “One and done” content creation
- A total replacement for creativity
- A first resort option for a thought starter or first draft
Why Do I Use AI?
We all get stuck. I get stuck a lot. I dreamed of being a writer, and while I might not be the next Emily Henry penning the next contemporary romance novel, I do write every day. My creative muscle gets fatigued – and sometimes I’m just flat out in a rush and need help.
AI has saved the day on more than one occasion. Maybe it’s the quippy subject line that I couldn’t come up with alone but got a higher-than-average open rate. Or it caught a typo I 100% would have sent to a client – we’ve all been there. Or it found just the right journalist to send a pitch to when I didn’t have time to waste. The thing I used to be scared of is the secret weapon I keep on hand every day.
My Personal AI Philosophy
So, what’s my philosophy? Talk to AI as if you were having a conversation with a friend. If you ask the right questions, you will get the answer you’re looking for. My one caveat is this: I never ever copy and paste an AI-generated ANYthing and turn it is as final. Not social media copy, not blogs, not even a subject line. The copy might have been fine. But the human touch makes it great. People connect with humans, after all. I’ve never met anyone who was actually best friends with a robot.
Disclaimer: No AI was used in the writing of this blog post – except Grammarly… the free version. I like playing games with the different colored lines, trying to crack the code and make them go away.
