AI vs EI: why chatGPT will never beat human emotion in copywriting

Of course I’m stating the obvious here: AI and machine learning are changing the game in myriad industries, and copywriting is not immune to its impact. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and other chat generators can crank out content super fast and efficiently. But, here’s the thing…

They’re missing the sometimes beautiful mess that is an imperfectly perfect person behind the words. 

(And sometimes, in the case of suggesting that we add glue to sauce to make it stick to pasta, they’re also missing common sense. )

In copywriting, being able to connect with your audience on an emotional level is everything. And, if more and more content and copy is being crafted by AI, it’s going to be what will make your brand truly stand out. 

TL; DR: People buy what they feel, and artificial intelligence is just not on the level. 

Emotional IQ: What is it?

Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) refers to the ability to understand, manage, and effectively express one’s own emotions, as well as to engage and navigate the emotions of others. In copywriting, EI manifests by…

  • Understanding the audience’s needs, desires, and pain points (Empathy).

  • Conveying the right emotions through words (Emotional Regulation).

  • Building rapport and trust with the audience (Social Skills).

  • Recognizing one’s own emotional triggers and biases (Self-Awareness).

Copywriting’s Superpower 

Empathy is the cornerstone of EI. It allows copywriters to step into the shoes of their audience and see the world from their perspective. We engage in insightful dialogue with our clients to ask questions like “What are our consumers’ hopes and dreams? What motivates them? What keeps them up at night?” The depth of this understanding helps in crafting messages that resonate on a personal level. 

For example, when writing for a healthcare brand, a copywriter who collaborates with brand stakeholders in strategic planning can convey compassion and understanding, addressing the fears and concerns of patients (presumably tapping into their own personal experience in some way). They can create content that not only informs but also comforts, making the audience feel seen and understood.

Striking the Right Chord

Emotional regulation is crucial in ensuring that the content evokes the intended emotional response, whether it’s a purchase, a follow, or some other marketing currency. A skilled copywriter knows how to balance emotions: inspiring hope, creating urgency, or eliciting joy. They understand that too much emotion can overwhelm and saturate the message, while too little can leave the audience indifferent and feeling meh.

Consider a fundraising campaign for a non-profit: a copywriter who’s adept at understanding the emotional drive of the target audience can create a narrative that tugs at the heartstrings without being overly sentimental. They can inspire action by blending facts with emotion, making the cause feel both urgent and achievable. 

Relationship Building

Social skills are essential in building rapport and trust with an audience. This involves using language that is authentic and relatable. Part of the beauty of excellent copywriting is when words are enticing an audience to be part of a movement (i.e. your brand!), instead of lecturing or talking at them. AI models are scraping predictable text from its inputs and the internet, and essentially assembling a jigsaw puzzle of what it thinks you want to hear. 

If social media is to preserve the “social-ness” of its function, humor, personality, and new ideas are paramount to using it effectively in your brand. AI may give you a starting point, but the strategy implemented by a knowledgeable copywriter is worth its weight in gold. 

Case Study: EQ in action

Dove’s viral and compelling “Real Beauty” campaign illustrates the pivotal role that EQ plays in the success of human-to-human marketing. The campaign focused on real women with real bodies, challenging the traditional standards of beauty. 

The copywriting team behind this initiative demonstrated empathy by understanding the insecurities and aspirations of their diverse audience – again, likely based on their own, personal experience. Their message was positive, empowering, and inclusive without being patronizing, and the way in which they crafted the brand’s message sparked a global conversation about beauty standards. 

Benefits + Limitations

When using targeted prompts that are well-structured to elicit the best response possible, AI is great at…

  • Automating tasks

  • Fact-gathering (a healthy dose of skepticism should always compel you to fact-check afterwards)

  • Simple administrative steps in your process

  • Writing basic code/scripts

  • Giving you some alternative word choices (akin to a thesaurus)

AI is extremely limited or incapable of…

  • Creation

  • Originality

  • Adhering to a brand’s tone

  • Strategic planning and collaboration

  • Understanding the human condition

A Verdict + Value Proposition 

AI is a valuable ally, but it cannot go into the battle alone. Can ChatGPT jumpstart ideation? Absolutely. Will it yield some usable results? Totally. Can those results be used as a piece of writing that will compel readers to read and then engage with your call-to-action? Maybe. This experiment by Hotjar suggests that human writers still undoubtedly have the upper-hand when it comes to a well-rounded, appropriately-crafted product that passes through the usual gates of entry into effective copy.

But, I’ll let you in on a little secret…the writing itself only accounts for a small part of what copywriters actually do

The real value in working with copywriters, content creators, and designers is the role that they play in helping you to develop, plan, collaborate, and implement a strategy that will use that copy, content, and design to reach your intended audience in a personal and meaningful way…so that your brand messages are not only heard but – more importantly – felt.

One more (important) thing…

While it may be tempting to cut your overhead by using AI to generate your own copy, unless you know how to take that copy and manipulate it to fit the parameters of whatever you’re producing (ads, webcopy, email copy, etc.), your AI-generated copy will rank significantly lower in Google’s SERPs (search engine results pages). Google penalizes copy that is low-quality, lacks originality, or violates its terms. So, while it may save you time and money upfront, it’s certainly not going to improve your ability to get your brand the visibility that it needs to make a real impact.

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