AI-Generated Copy Can’t Help You Stand Out

If you’re looking for a quick way to create copy for your next newsletter or blog, an online AI tool can save you a lot of time. If you’re a coach, ask an AI tool “What is coaching?” and you’ll get a great article that you can use, to explain to potential clients what coaching is all about.

I tried it and here’s what one website created for me:

“Coaching is a process that involves working with a coach to help individuals achieve their goals and improve their performance in a specific area. The coach provides support, guidance, and accountability to the person being coached, helping them to identify and overcome obstacles, and achieve their desired outcomes.”

This sort of content is really useful for putting onto your website, for people who ask you what coaching is all about. Don’t write a brand new email – direct them to the blog or page on your website. Create it as a standard email too, that you can send to those people who don’t yet understand coaching. This sort of copy can save you a lot of time and effort.

Think of all the questions that your clients or prospective clients ask you. Then, have a play with some AI to get the ‘standard’ copy that could become part of your FAQs.

Stand Out

All good stuff, but does it make you stand out? Does it tell your potential clients why they should work with you, rather than another coach, consultant or speaker? No, it doesn’t.

Could you ask an AI system what makes you different? I tried that too.

“What makes Appletree Marketing different?” I asked.

“As a language model AI, I don’t have any specific information about a company called ‘Appletree Marketing’. If you could provide more context or details about the company, I might be able to better answer your question.”

Not much use, really.

So, while AI content is a good starting point, it can’t help you stand out from your competitors. They will probably just use whatever copy comes out of their computer. Go one step beyond what they are doing and add in specifics about who you are and how you do what you do. Think about how your clients want to feel when they’re working with you and weave some emotion into your copy.

Stamp it Out

“I help you get from where you are to where you want to be.”

This is a line I’ve heard far too many times over the past 20+ years of working with coaches when I invite them to tell me what they do. It is what coaches do, but if everyone says the same, how can anyone decide who to work with?

What makes you really different? If in doubt, start by asking your clients what they love about working with you. Why did they choose you, what keeps them with you and how do they feel when they work with you?

What type of clients do you really like working with? Look at your favourite clients and identify similarities between them. I don’t mean in terms of the size of their company (for business clients) or how much they earn (for personal clients). I mean what makes them tick, what are their beliefs and values? You should start to notice shared characteristics between you and your favourite clients. Talk about these types of clients in your marketing and you’ll attract other, similar people to come and work with you.

If you start with some AI-generated content, make sure you then weave into it specific details of who you are and who you work with. As I found out when I asked about my business, a piece of software can’t tell what makes your business different. Don’t rely on a machine to tell your potential clients what makes you stand out.