AI Can’t Yet Replace Human Copywriters, but…

Right now, every copywriter is out to prove that AI can’t write marketing content as well as a human. Cue the Bronx cheer. Even the companies that sell AI copywriting tools say their products can’t replace humans.

So, instead of looking at what AI can’t do, I thought I’d take a look at what it can.

You see, I’ve spent the better part of my career writing B2B copy for arcane technologies with limited audiences. I don’t know how many times I went to Google for definitions, details, and benefits that marketers didn’t understand and engineers couldn’t explain.

And since?ChatGPT, a project of the OPEN AI Foundation, is getting so much press. I thought I’d give it a try. For fun, I thought I’d ask the software to help me create an ad. For the product, I chose a little bit of writing arcana called the periodic sentence.

I could have asked for the ad right off. But, like any good copywriter, I wanted to make sure I understood the product. So I asked ChatGPT...

What is a periodic sentence?

A periodic sentence is a sentence in which the main clause is held back until the end for greater emphasis. This type of sentence is called “periodic” because it is punctuated with a series of dependent clauses or phrases that create a “period” of suspense before the main clause is finally reached. For example:

“The city streets were empty and quiet, the night sky clear and full of stars, the air cold and crisp, until the sound of sirens pierced the silence and the flashing lights of police cars broke through the darkness.” In this sentence, the main clause “the flashing lights of police cars broke through the darkness” is held back until the end, creating a sense of suspense and tension.

A little more detail than I expected. A lot more. Though I thought I knew what the periodic sentence was, my definition never would have included the phrase “main clause.”

Having tested a few copywriting programs and found AI’s headline writing ability wanting, I didn’t expect much from ChatGPT. So instead of asking for a headline, I asked for something I could use to help me write one.

Can you sum up the main benefit of a periodic sentence in less than 8 words?

The main benefit of a periodic sentence is creating suspense.

Though it’s fun to say that I got ten words when I asked for less than eight, two words stood out: creating suspense. This is the key benefit, which will be the ad’s focus. Now, I’m ready to ask Chat GPT…

How might a 50-word advertisement for the periodic sentence read?

The periodic sentence is a powerful tool for writers looking to create suspense and tension in their writing. With its unique structure and emphasis on delaying the main clause, the periodic sentence can add drama and excitement to any piece of writing. Try using the periodic sentence in your next story or essay and see the difference it makes!

There you have it. A clear, information-packed, benefit-driven, 59-word ad. An ad for the periodic sentence that doesn’t use a single periodic sentence.?

Laugh all you want; I’m no longer looking at a blank page. It’s always easier to make a bad ad better than to write an ad from scratch. But Chat GPT’s output is more than just a weak competitor. It actually gave me a lot to work with:

1)????A key benefit

2)????A simple definition of the periodic sentence, one that can work in a small-space ad

3)????Words to describe the benefit: drama, tension, and suspense

4)????Use cases for the target audience (writers): story, essay?

5)????A basic outline for copy in a short, small-space ad

That’s a nice head start. All I have to bring to the table is my imagination, experience, and a kinky desire to write in an old-school, direct-response voice.

Give your writing a vice-like grip on readers

Make your stories and essays un-put-downable. Use the periodic sentence for drama, tension, and suspense. It’s easy. Simply structure your sentence so the main clause, your key point, doesn’t arrive until the end. (i.e., “The winner is…”)?Use the periodic sentence and keep readers glued to your prose.

Copywriters, you’re right. AI has a long way to go before it replaces a human. But if you want to know what it will replace, try,

“Hey, Google, How might a 50-word advertisement for the periodic sentence read?”

And the answer is…

Programs like ChatGPT will take away Google’s job long before it takes away ours. #ChatGPT #AICopywriting #ArtificialIntelligence