I put ChatGPT To the test; could it take my copywriting job?

So, you’ve probably heard about Chat GPT, the AI system by OpenAI taking the internet by storm. Within its first 24 hours of launch, it already had 1 million sign-ups. I mean, what the!?

I came across it while browsing but ignored it at first. Then I skimmed through numerous headlines of articles and YouTube videos claiming ChatGPT will replace writers and developers. A couple of hours later, my boss inboxed me the link to check it out. That’s the straw that broke the camel's back. I had to.

Upon creating an account, guess the first question I posed to Mr. ChatGPT, (sucker who thinks can replace me)?

Who is William Ruto??

And of course, Mr ChatGPT was so darn wrong. He gave me a description of who William Ruto was one year ago. I guess this sucker still lives in the past. I dropped off and went on with my business.

But then ChatGPT kept popping up in my browsing for the next 2 days. I watched a number of videos due to Youtube’s video recommendation, it’s like it was forcing ChatGPT down my throat.?

But watching these videos was insightful. Indeed, there’s some truth about ChatGPT possibly replacing me. This realization came as an epiphany when I decided to take ChatGPT on a spin to see whether it can do my job.

You see, I’m a copywriter and my job entails writing copy for marketing campaigns. I also double as a content writer. The two roles fit well together, even though they are solid fields of expertise by themselves.?

Based on the briefs i’ve received in the last 10 months, I come up with the following (in detail)

• Radio ad script
• TVC script
• Social Media copy
• Newsletter invitations
• Headlines
• Article outline
• Article

I enjoy writing all these copies. But it requires time and a decent amount of brain muscle to come up with something usable for any marketing project. So, when I came across a tool that’s powerful enough to do my job, you bet I'd put it to the test.?

On a serene Wednesday evening, after having chapati-beef for supper, I sat down in front of my laptop, went to https://chat.openai.com/chat and began my test.?

First question, a simple one will do.;

Question 1: Write a short radio ad script for an insurance product

This is what it returned.

Quite impressive. The early use of a question to capture attention was spot on. It also employed persuasive language as well as I do and considering how sensitive insurance is a topic, this copy pressed the right emotional buttons. The only issue I have is the first sentence. I wouldn’t start with an introduction. This ain’t a pitch, it's an ad. You don’t ask for attention, you take it.?

Now that Mr Chat GPT can write a decent radio script, how about a Tv commercial script. This usually takes me half a day to be honest.?

Question 2: Now write a 1 minute brand video script that describes the work culture of an insurance company. make it sound like a documentary?

Here’s what I got.?

This blew my mind.?

As a copywriter, you often always need at least 2 versions of copy. The first copy is your most creative and outstanding idea. The second option is the safe bet. It works if the first option is out of your client’s comfort spot.?

This script is perfect as the safe bet. I could picture the scene while reading through and for sure it served its purpose of selling the company’s culture in a convincing style.?

Now things were getting uneasy. What else can this tool do??

Question 3: Write a one paragraph social media message wishing customers merry Christmas, make it funny but formal

The result…

It delivered! A well-curated Merry Christmas message for corporates to send their customers. Thinking about the many times I’ve had to write multiple holiday-themed messages for our clients which often involves a lot of sentence restructuring and use of synonyms, I could only stare in awe. That was fast, precise and perfect.?

Also, it dared to be funny (lots of eggnog)

Now it was time to turn up a notch. How about longer questions with more details and specific variables.?

Question 4: Write a newsletter message informing people to attend an upcoming webinar where a digital marketing expert called Franc will be sharing insights he's accumulated for 5 years. Add a call to action at the end?

I got this…

The question was inspired by an actual brief.?

The response was impressive. It took the usual approach used when delivering exciting news to people. In addition, it did exactly what I asked it to do; used the name Franc, mentioned his background and had a call to action at the end of the email. It’s like talking to an actual human being.??

Now, let’s find out how creative it can be.?

Question 5: Generate 10 captivating and memorable headlines about how small businesses can benefit from AI-powered marketing.

This is what it spewed.

Look at that!?

I've used several headlines generators before but rarely do they spew such high quality headlines. It would take me a while to come up with 5 good headlines, let alone 10. I’m starting to feel dispensable.?

But wait a minute. Can ChatGPT pick one topic from the list and come up with an outline. Let’s find out

Question 6: use headline 7 to come up with an outline for an article?

“Is that all you got” I could hear that voice as the answer typed on my screen.?

It picked headline 7 - as instructed - and came up with a well structured, relevant and insightful outline which could form the skeleton of a high-ranking blog post.?

This outline was so good that it shifted my mindset from finding out whether ChatGPT can replace me to realizing it’s the ultimate arsenal against writer’s block.Then, the cheeky boy in me who’s always after shortcuts wanted to find out one final thing..

Can it write the article??

Question 7: write the introduction of the article in 200 words, use second person narrative, a conversational tone, and statistics. explain the concepts as if your are talking to a 7th grader?

Well, it did.?

I only asked it to come up with the introduction. If it could, there’s no doubt it can write the rest of the article. It delivered nothing short of magic. In 198 words, it wrote an easy-to-understand, enticing introduction, packed with statistics, in second person narrative and a conversational tone; exactly what I had requested.?

Final words

I’m impressed by ChatGPT. Indeed it can do my job. Yet I still feel it lacks. AI can gather all the knowledge in existence and use it to create good copy, but that’s as far as it can get. It can only produce factual content which might be erroneous sometimes.?

But it lacks the nuance and insights a human being can generate. It also lacks creative storytelling based on human experiences. These elements are what makes literature beautiful and AI can’t take that away.?

However, writers who from now onward will take advantage of ChatGPT (AI) to make their writing processes more efficient and those who supplement AI generated copy or content, will have a great ride ahead.?