Most of what I do involves writing. I really enjoy it. But it’s also mentally exhausting – especially when the subject matter is complex. I can’t do it at a high level for an entire workday.

There are some things I can do to optimize my performance, like get a good night’s sleep and get out for a little fresh air and exercise. But even on my best days, I hit an output and quality ceiling surprisingly early in the day.

When I write, 80 percent of the value I provide usually occurs in the first hour or two. I process ideas, do research, and create a basic structure with section headings and rough bullets. This is the part that requires the most creativity and domain expertise. It’s also the part I enjoy the most.

But that step is followed by many more steps to get from an initial burst of ideas to a polished draft. I enjoy most of these steps too, but less so. They’re also much more time-consuming and mentally taxing.

Would a robot sidekick help?

Even though AI copywriting has come a long way, I think we’re a long way off from human copywriters being an endangered species. After all, I don’t think my clients are looking for the enterprise security equivalent of telling children to stick pennies in electrical outlets.

But I love the idea of harnessing AI to become a “bionic copywriter.” We’re very close to a place where machine learning can be applied to the writing I do every day to accelerate output, amplify my strengths, and coach me on my weaknesses.

I already do this in a few basic ways. But I plan to dig into the state of AI copywriting and see if I can be doing more. I’ll share what I learn.

-Doug

Most of what I do involves writing. I really enjoy it. But it’s also mentally exhausting – especially when the subject matter is complex. I can’t do it at a high level for an entire workday.

There are some things I can do to optimize my performance, like get a good night’s sleep and get out for a little fresh air and exercise. But even on my best days, I hit an output and quality ceiling surprisingly early in the day.

When I write, 80 percent of the value I provide usually occurs in the first hour or two. I process ideas, do research, and create a basic structure with section headings and rough bullets. This is the part that requires the most creativity and domain expertise. It’s also the part I enjoy the most.

But that step is followed by many more steps to get from an initial burst of ideas to a polished draft. I enjoy most of these steps too, but less so. They’re also much more time-consuming and mentally taxing.

Would a robot sidekick help?

Even though AI copywriting has come a long way, I think we’re a long way off from human copywriters being an endangered species. After all, I don’t think my clients are looking for the enterprise security equivalent of telling children to stick pennies in electrical outlets.

But I love the idea of harnessing AI to become a “bionic copywriter.” We’re very close to a place where machine learning can be applied to the writing I do every day to accelerate output, amplify my strengths, and coach me on my weaknesses.

I already do this in a few basic ways. But I plan to dig into the state of AI copywriting and see if I can be doing more. I’ll share what I learn.

-Doug