Here’s a fair warning to any copywriters out there:
I just read that Chase Bank has signed a 5-year contract with Persado.
Never heard of Persado?
Neither had I.
It turns out they are a provider of AI-generated marketing copy.
In other words, instead of hiring a marketing agency or in-house talent or (gasp!) even freelance copywriters, Chase Bank will be getting their copy (at least some of it) done by tireless, uncomplaining, non-unionized software robots.
“Pff,” you might say, “good luck to them. I’m sure the copy will be terrible and they’ll just waste their money.”
Not so fast. Chase didn’t just choose Persado because AI is hip or because AI-generated copy is cheap. No. It also performs better. Here’s a test for you:
A: “Access cash from the equity in your home”
B: “It’s true—You can unlock cash from the equity in your home”
Who wrote what and which headline won?
Think about it and then read on.
The first ad headline was written by a red-blooded human copywriter. The second was written by a pale and pasty AI sprite. The AI sprite got the better response.
I think this is a sign of things to come.
Headlines might be the first to go, since they might be easier to write than entire paragraphs and sales arguments and whatever else.
But at the same time… haven’t you heard that the headline is 80% of the ad?
So if computers are writing better headlines than humans, human copywriters might not be getting so well paid in the near future.
Now at this point, maybe you are getting a little nervous. I know I am.
And so I want to tell you that this news doesn’t have to spell doom.
For one thing, in any crisis, it seems that many people suffer, while a few rise to the top and profit even more than before.
Maybe that can be you, if you can really hone your persuasion and copy skills and rise to being in the 1% of all copywriters out there.
The second thing is that copywriting, while it is a noble and profitable profession, maybe should not be your end goal.
Instead, maybe copywriting should simply be a kind of “Trojan horse” that you use to embed yourself within a successful business — AI revolution be damned.
That’s something to think about — even if you’re a rank copywriting newbie.
Anyways, if you’ve got questions about how to succeed in the business of copy, then I have something you might like. It’s a report that summarizes my experience getting well-paying clients during the first few years of my freelance copywriting career.
In case you want to know more about this report, check out the following: