Making the case for the (human) copywriter

Many experienced and talented copywriters have found themselves either out of work or with unwanted capacity since the launch of publicly available large language models (LLMs) nearly four years ago. Meanwhile, many firms have looked to cut corners on content creation, at a time when high-quality content is becoming more valuable than ever.

Yet, despite the challenging market for writers, there are arguments that PR agencies and their clients should be hiring human copywriters for their content creation.

Here’s why.

1. The backlash against AI slop is real

We talk about "authenticity" being key for brands on social media, and the same is true of content in the AI era. The public is getting better at spotting AI slop, with one report finding that consumers are less loyal when communications are AI-generated, rather than when written by a human.

Add to that the all-too-frequent complaints from the media that PRs are increasingly sending them AI-generated pitches and content, and it becomes clear that using AI to generate content is not beneficial for either the intended reading public or the media.

2. High-profile cases have thrown doubt on AI

We have seen cases of firms producing reports that allegedly included AI-generated citations. For example, one report in Australia appeared to contain made-up quotes and citations of non-existent reports, highlighting once more that generative AI can hallucinate.

Cases like this serve as a reminder that, if a brand is going to use generative AI in content creation, then human oversight for integrity and fact-checking is even more essential.

3. AI-generated content is being punished on LinkedIn, search engines and AI search

When LLMs were first made available, some brands and search agencies set about using AI to create vast amounts of content to help their companies or clients rank in search engine results.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tool Semrush analysed tens of thousands of keywords and blog posts and found that top-position content is eight times more likely to have been human-written than AI-created. While SEO agencies see the benefit of AI for speeding up content generation (70%), fewer than one in five (19%) say AI improves quality.

Although the research appears to show that AI-generated content can perform well in search, it depends on how AI is involved. Google has published its viewpoint on content. It rewards “original, high-quality content”, however it is produced, so long as it demonstrates expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EEAT). However, Google is also clear that content created using AI with the specific goal of manipulating search results will be treated as spam.

I have seen several SEOs on LinkedIn posting charts showing how much their clients’ visibility declined after they published AI-generated content.

Meanwhile, on LinkedIn, this study found that organic reach for AI-generated content is lower than for human-generated content, while engagement on AI-detected posts drops by 47%. This is important for many of us who are looking to build executives’ profiles, and to feature in AI search results (GEO).

In short, when it comes to branded content, it’s a case of quality over quantity, every time.

Why PR agencies should invest in copywriters

Copywriting is always changing. Change with it

I’ve worked in tech PR since 1998 and have also been a technology journalist. In that time, writing has evolved from print to online, short-form for social media, structured, link-worthy content for search engines, and, most recently, structured expert content for AI search.

Many copywriters have learned how to work with AI to improve their work, and can also produce new content and edit at scale. I use AI for transcribing interviews, ideation, sourcing information, for feedback, and checking for grammar and typo errors, but never for original content generation intended for publication.

I hope that we’re over the hype cycle of PR agencies and in-house teams believing AI can cut corners on content at the expense of experienced human writers. It’s all about balance: humans working with AI to improve content, making sure we continue to tell stories that resonate with audiences, while helping our content be found online.

And it’s about more than just words. Copywriters must have real-world market knowledge and experience, messaging skills, an understanding of psychology, and the ability to write with integrity. Copywriting is connection. And to make that connection, we need to know and understand what humans want and need.

Ultimately, copywriting is still about resonating with humans, and humans still do that better than machines.