What's the BEST AI tool for copywriting? Let the battle begin...

If you're in copywriting you might have been on the lookout for the best tool to write for you.

But I think that's the wrong way to look at it.

AI shouldn't write FOR you - it should write WITH you.

I've been testing a lot of different tools out there lately on client projects and I think I've found a really good balance. Most of all, I've found a purpose for the right tools at the right time.

It all starts with thinking about how you write your copy.

• You first need to interact with the real world to gather information
• Then you need to store that information somewhere
• You then need to process that information through your logic and sense of empathy
• And finally you need to do something with that information, you have to create.

My favorite AI tools at the moment are NOT AI tools that promise to be your junior copywriter. No, they're all Large Language Models: ChatGPT 4, Claude 3 Opus, Gemini 1.5, and NotebookLM.

Each one has its own uniqueness and "personality". And for each one I've assigned a purpose in my copywriting process. It doesn't necessarily mean I use all 4 all the time, but I combine them most of the time.

Here's what they represent for me:

ChatGPT is the eyes and brain into the online world

Thanks to its ability to surf the web, look at images and gather information, ChatGPT can help me quickly and precisely collect data. It's also the best between all tools at calculating and analyzing it. It has the added bonus of being able to generate images and code, but I don't use those as much.

How I use it: I use it to get up to speed on a client before working with them, asking what they do, who their audience is, and anything about their market and product. GPT is great at digging deeper with every question.

NotebookLM is the secure repository and archive room

What makes NotebookLM unique is the way it uses the information you share and how it "thinks" through it. It's more of a note-processing app than a chat LLM. Everything you add to your "folder" gets converted into text and the AI can look at it to answer your questions or complete your queries. Thing is, it ONLY looks at that information. Which comes in handy when you need to restrict the context and make sure the AI is not hallucinating. Plus what you share does't get used to train the AI which is a plus.

How I use it: I use it for every client project to store information and ask for specifics rather than having to re-read everything every time. Another fun use is to store any books in pdf format and ask your books questions.

Gemini 1.5 is the processing unit

With its huge context window (the amount of information it can store and refer back to) Gemini is the most accurate at gathering information and using it to produce good output. Think of it as your smart, friend with almost photographic memory. It's also quite a good writer.

How I use it: I use it to extract insights from long transcripts, to look at reviews, but also to ask questions about projects after sharing with it the research materials. Compared to NotebookLM, the bonus here is that the AI knows other stuff from its internal knowledge and can elaborate on what you ask. Which is why it also can write decently enough.

Claude 3 Opus is the creative writer

Even though I have to say its skill varies and lately it hasn't been as good, Claude is an excellent writer and much better than most models at sounding "human" and at "thinking" outside the box.

How I use it: I typically use it to give me ideas for better ways of saying what I want to say, or to try and mirror a specific voice and tone.

You see how it all flows nicely: you interact, store, process, and create.

Like they say, AI is not going to steal your job, but people who can use AI will.

If you're still on the fence, go ahead and try it.

Start by mirroring the way you work and seeing how it can replace or collaborate with you on parts of it.

Personally it's also helping spot areas for improvement in my processes.

As a copywriter or marketer, getting an outside perspective is everything.

AI can help us do that.

I'm curious what if any tool are you using? And how?

p.s. I also use Perplexity (it can search specifically for research papers and Reddit, and add citations) and just started testing Meta AI, but very early stages!

📚 3 things to get better at copywriting

Video: Reading emotions with AI

I've been researching and reading on this topic for a while and love what the guys at Hume are doing. In this podcast episode with their founder they dive deep into how it all works and what emotions really are. It's critical if you want to keep the pace with AI and it's role in copywriting / marketing.

Article: How to understand content distribution

Content is not the end all be all. The way you shape it and tailor it to your audience and to the medium matters more. I like to think about distribution not for content marketing, but also for sales and conversion copy.

Understand your audience yes, but also understand the medium you're writing for.

This piece goes into detail into how innovative distribution strategies, not just great products, contribute to a company's long-term success

Long-term enterprise value—that is, building a big-ass business—is only possible by having a differentiated way of getting that great product to a customer. The channel through which users receive and access content matters most.

Swipe file:

This ad from IKEA is simple, but smart and effective. It hits at our attachment to the day to day items in our lives and points out one of their main differentiators as the solution: "Don't worry, you can afford it".

How can you poke at the anxieties of your target customers in a way that it shows to them how you are the ideal choice to remedy them?

Episode 12 of The Message-Market Fit podcast is out!

I had an amazing chat with Nizam Yusuf, Director of Product Marketing at Ocelot. Her’s what you’ll learn:

• how to craft titles that build trust and attract your ideal audience
• the difference between content and copy (and why it matters)
• the secret to bridging the gap between product marketing and content creation
• when and how to leverage external talent for your marketing
• how to use buyer personas effectively in your marketing
• the art of gathering valuable customer insights that will transform your marketing strategy
• How to harness the power of your internal teams to gain deeper customer understanding
• navigating research budgets and developing effective research strategies
• how AI can enhance your product marketing efforts

And way way more.

Check it out here, wherever you listen to podcasts or on Youtube. And if you find it valuable, would you consider subscribing and leaving a rating? 🙏

🤔 Thought of the week

"If a player appeared to be taking it easy in practice, I told him, "Don't think you can make up for it by working twice as hard tomorrow. If you have it within your power to work twice as hard, why aren't you doing it now?""

John Wooden, Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court

Any chance you pass up to do your best is a missed opportunity to build your confidence and positive self talk. Give your best to yourself.

Have a great weekend!