AI Copy Kills Conversions. And Credibility.
Why human-written copy is a smarter bet for your business.
Copywriter Mel Barfield ran a poll, asking her audience a simple question: "If you know something was written by AI, do you keep reading?"
Fifty-six percent said no. Sixteen percent said yes. Twenty-six percent said it's complicated, and honestly, that might be the most interesting group of all.
I spent a long time scrolling through the comments, which elaborated on many responders' reasoning. One shared the assertion that AI copy is soulless and clichéd. Another said they didn't care if it was written for a product or service description. However, it shouldn't be used in thought leadership or creative writing. I encourage you to read the comments, too. There are a lot of complex, interesting perspectives.
What the poll really reveals isn't just our opinion on AI.
It opened a discussion about the "tells" in AI writing and valuing the absence of them in copy.
Why "Perfect" Copy Isn't Compelling To Your Audience
Technically, AI copy is good writing. The keywords are plugged. The structure is strong. The flow is clean. You don't need to scan it a million times to check for a "the the" slip-up; grammar mistakes are a thing of the past!
It's so perfect that your audience loves it. Just like that, you've earned their trust.
Right?
I hate to break it to you, but your readers will very quickly sense that something is…off.
When your AI copy is too on-the-nose, your audience feels it — even if they can't put their finger on why. It's off, like a smile that doesn't reach your eyes or a hot, sunny day in Winter.
The truth is, AI can say all the right things, but that doesn't mean your audience is going to connect to your copy, let alone convert. If your copy doesn't say anything about who you are (and I mean something personal, concrete, and real), then why would they connect to your story, let alone your product?
They want to know that you understand their problems and that you care about fixing them.
AI doesn't care to convert. It's designed to take your input and develop a satisfying output.
Human copy is written to understand both yourself and your audience. That's what keeps your customers engaged.
And that's something that can't be faked.
Copy That Feels Like a Thoughtful Diagnosis
When was the last time a piece of writing read your mind? You felt understood by a total stranger, which comforted you and maybe even weirded you out (in a good way).
It probably didn't follow any of the most common AI-writing tells. The Limitless Jess outlined a few in their Medium article, 7 Dead Giveaways of AI Writing. It’s worth checking out if you want to sharpen your eye. A few key AI-writing tells include:
The "It's Not About X, It's About Y" Formula
The Rule of 3 Obsession
Enthusiasm Overload
The Em Dash Epidemic (I’m upset that AI has stolen em dashes from the writer's playbook. I’m reclaiming it!)
Once you learn them, you can't unsee them.
The piece of writing that looked into your soul contained tempered emotion and anecdotal descriptions you swear were taken from your diary. It covered topics so precise to your own experience that you held on.
Read on.
Good copy is not going to answer the problem the way AI does. Wouldn't that feel quite presumptuous? If you throw an algorithmically perfect solution at someone's feet, they'll walk right over it.
How about this: if you go to the doctor for back pain, and as you walk in the door, they toss unfamiliar painkillers at your face… Would you take them?
I’d hope not.
Good human copy works the same way. It shows a deep understanding of your audience's problem. Then, it suggests a solution. That's how your audience will trust your business and your product.
The same dynamic plays out every time someone reads your copy. If you lead with the solution before the reader feels understood, you've lost them. It's irrelevant how good your product is.
What This Means for How You Write
So you've decided to write your own copy (or connect with someone who can help you get started).
But Erin, I'm not a writer. This isn't fair!
Below is one of my favorite quotes on writing, as it dispels the idea that "a writer" is someone born with a gift for words and putting them where they need to be.
"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way," said E.L. Doctorow in Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews, 2nd Series.
Writing, in truth, is something you create as you go. Just have faith you'll make it to the end, and you will.
Now, for some concrete advice for those who need conversion-forward copy:
Start with the feeling. Before you introduce your service, product, or solution, name what your reader is experiencing. Create a picture in your head of someone who might search for your business. What are they feeling? Frustration, or confusion, or hope? Write it down.
Your copy will be imperfect. That's okay. A slightly unexpected turn of phrase, a sentence that breaks the rules, a moment of genuine vulnerability – these are signals that a person was here. Readers pick up on it. That's where the sparks of trust begin to fly.
Write what you know. Don't be too overtly factual. Keep your sentences flowing. If you've started a business, then you know what you're talking about. What do you know about the market? What made you create your product the way you did? Show them how you are a credible source. Teach your audience something about their problem.
Side note: Try not to talk about how "great" your business or product is. I'm sure it is! Sorry to say, your audience won't care. Share information that is helpful to them, not boastful of you.
Follow through. Here is where you mention your product. You've established you're human, you're trustworthy, and you know quite a lot about your audience's problem. It's time to share the solution. Remember to keep the attention on your audience. What does your product mean to them? This is how your copy starts to convert.
You Receive As Much As You Invest.
We're living through a moment where the cost of producing mediocre copy is free. Anyone can generate 1,000 words on any topic in seconds.
AKA mediocre copy is everywhere, and audiences are drowning in it.
The clients who click, convert, and come back are not looking for "perfect" copy. They're looking for the copy that sees them. That's a deeply human skill, and right now, it's valuable.
Write poorly. Write truthfully. And when you check your conversions, your writing will show up for you.
Addendum:
While I have your attention, here’s a personal/spiritual perspective on the topic of AI writing.
As someone who's claimed writing as her one true calling since the age of thirteen, I feel protective toward the writing-sphere.
It's innately human. Through writing, we notice and interpret and digest and spit back out meaning in the form of words and phrases.
AI writing can't process through the filter of memories and a soul.
It swallows whole the amalgamation of digital content and regurgitates a mild denominator through the filter of the user's brief command.
Some might think this is the same as writing from the human soul. It is not.
