Humans vs Robots: A Comparison of 3 AI Copywriting Services Against a Human Copywriter

Will artificial intelligence take over the work of copywriting?

Could copywriters use AI to save time and effort?

Could businesses deploy AI tools to save them time, effort and money?

We reviewed three AI copywriting services: copy.ai, Copy Shark, and Funnel Scripts to determine whether they would be valuable tools for copywriters, and possibly whether they may one day in fact replace them.

Now, given that we are a direct response copywriting agency, we really did give these tools a run for their money however we intentionally assessed them on two factors: the user experience they providedl; and the quality of output that the average business user would find acceptable.

Copy.ai

Copy.ai generates a range of captions, headlines, ad content and sales copy based on a human input description.?It creates 10 variations, with the idea that the human user can choose and edit the best option.

While the results mostly made sense, we found the outcome generic and superficial. It lacked the flow and personal touch that comes from a real human actually writing.?

In one case, the AI misunderstood the product name and created something completely unrelated.

The time it would take to read through and edit each automatically generated option just isn’t worth it.

Copy Shark

Copy Shark charges for use, and when we filled out the form to trial the app, we discovered it was still $7 for a 14 day trial.

This app offers the same tools as copy.ai, but with a more intuitive user interface, and a clearer layout.?

You can choose from Facebook and Google ads, headline generators, email intros, product descriptions, and sales content.

What makes Copy Shark interesting is a slider that changes the creative level of the content generated. The site recommends setting the slide at minimum 85%… and that raises an important question: why would you want anything less than 100% for decent copy?

For the sake of experimentation, we played around with the slider, going from 85% to 100% to see the difference.?What we found was that while the quality of copy didn’t improve significantly, the length did increase.

In some cases, sentences were left unfinished, punctuation was inconsistent, and content just didn’t make a lot of sense.?

We also tried changing the information we provided, adding more detail in the hope that it would produce a better result.

It didn’t.

Further, the input is limited to 28 words, which makes sense given that the AI is meant to create the copy, not us!?

Except that to us, the content appeared as generic and monotone as the free versions we’d obtained from Copy.ai.

What stands out, like a giant copywriting elephant, is the lack of personalisation.?

We believe that the key to creating good copy isn’t so much in the writing.?

It’s actually the hours of research, briefing, and insights into the customer mind that allow us to create copy that’s specific to your business, and your clientele. It’s the interviews and questionnaires that give us a deep understanding of who you’re selling to - and why they need your services.

Only then, once we understand your uniqueness and your clientele, do we start to write.

Good copy is effective and it converts.

Because it speaks directly to the heart and mind of your ideal audience.?

Because your service and product is perfectly aligned with the person reading your copy - and you become a logical solution for them.

Copy Shark wasn’t able to do that at all.

Funnel Scripts

Funnel Scripts was a different trial experience.?The landing page linked us directly to a free web class.?Time was, of course, “limited”, and the claim was that we would learn how to get sales letters, scripts, webinar slides, emails, and ads written… in as little as 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, there was no further information.?Two “dudes” (as they referred to themselves) were listed - a copy “dude” and a funnel “dude”, but no further background or details were given.

There was a list of three “secrets” we needed to know about getting all our copy written, but it wasn’t enticing enough for us to immediately want to trial the app.?Even the video play button was a stagnant feature, linking to the same webinar application form as the call to action buttons.

However, they mentioned that “people” had been talking about this great app, so we signed up for the webinar… and discovered the training was around two hours long!?

Now, if we want to save time by using an AI copy system, we’re unlikely to spend two full hours learning about it unless we have more information first.

Given that we had deadlines to meet, we closed the webinar and hoped there would be an email link to access it later.

There wasn’t.?

What arrived instead, was an email telling us that bad copy can cause a funnel to flop… and the solution is to spend $797 on an app that can provide scripts, rather than having to write them.

At this point, we hadn’t seen any examples.?

No testimonials.

No explanation.

Just a link to a landing page that purports to provide $127,394 worth of value for $797. Now that’s one heck of a value stack… almost too good to be true… right?

The main offering is access to unlimited Funnel Scripts, including DotComSecrets scripts, Expert Secret scripts, and O.F.A scripts.?

Only, there was no explanation of what these are, or how they might add value to a funnel.

Additional inclusions were Funnel Script Blueprints (presumably fill-in-the-blank style scripts), live monthly coaching, and a masterclass on copywriting secrets, although we’re not sure why this is necessary if Funnel Scripts claims we don’t need to understand copywriting!

Following shortly after this was an email with login details for the webinar.?The email included four steps to get started, with links to a series of books, software and training.

Clicking on these individually finally explained the inclusions listed on the main landing page.

Interestingly, many of these features are offered for free.

Our third email finally included some testimonials, which provided context and some explanation of what Funnel Scripts actually is.?

Then a couple more emails in a similar vein, with links to the webinar replay.

During the webinar, Funnel Scripts directors quote, “You’re one sales letter away from being rich.”?

They place huge emphasis on the importance of quality copy, sharing stories of how good quality copy had transformed their financial lives. On this point, we wholeheartedly agree.?

However, much of the Funnel Scripts stance is around the standard expense of copy that may not convert, while they offer a more affordable solution.?This is where we beg to differ.

From our perspective, if good copy doesn’t convert, the problem isn’t the copy.

The problem is the brief - which is why we go to great lengths to take a killer brief.

What’s interesting about the Funnel Scripts AI is that copy is generated based on answering a series of questions that the user enters into the system.?

In other words, a brief.

Due to this, the copy output is less generic than that created by copy.ai or Copy Shark.

Funnel Scripts also creates a far greater range of options than the other two AI models, and offers three styles of sales copy, rather than having to repeatedly input the same information.

From the demos shown, this app seems to have a greater grasp on sales and copy - and admittedly, the results were promising - perhaps only requiring an edit to personalise or add in crucial information.?

Having said that, the only way to trial it for ourselves was to outlay $797 - and this was in US dollars, not Australian!

From a copywriting perspective, we can see the value that Funnel Scripts may potentially offer. That said, time is still required to input the information - and the outcome is less personalised than what you’d receive from a human copywriter who actually takes the time to understand you and your business.

What would be interesting to know, is if the sales copy - from the landing page, to the email autoresponders - were actually written by Funnel Scripts. A true test of any product is whether their creators have the faith in it that they are willing to use the tools themselves, especially when it comes to generating revenue.

Do They Work?

The AI copywriting services we trialled will “work” depending upon your requirements and expectations.

Copy.ai and Copy Shark leave a lot to be desired.

Funnel Scripts is putting in a solid effort and it may… possibly… save time and money in the long run. Maybe.

Will these AI’s replace or even provide a substiute for a good, human copywriter?

One day, eventually it may be a real possiblity.

But not today.