What is the impact of ChatGPT on copywriters?

The sudden rise of ChatGPT is a major concern for copywriters and writers. Is the tool capable of completely taking over the work of this profession? At first glance, it certainly seems that way; many of the texts ChatGPT generates in a minute are of decent quality. However, there are a few tricky snags.

For example, Google will likely do everything in its power to detect texts written by ChatGPT and penalize them based on ranking. Experts currently view ChatGPT primarily as a useful tool for writers and copywriters, not as a replacement. But how long can that belief be maintained?

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT stands for Generative Pre-training Transformer and is a relatively new form of artificial intelligence used to write "human-like" texts. ChatGPT is a powerful tool for anyone who needs some form of text. Think of blogs, job postings, cover letters, and product descriptions.

ChatGPT can also be useful for developing chatbots that communicate naturally with customers. Or—as I mentioned—for generating SEO-ready texts and blog posts. Using AI (artificial intelligence), ChatGPT can generate specific texts tailored to specific keywords. In theory, this can increase companies' online rankings without the need for a content specialist, copywriter, or author.

Besides these textual applications, ChatGPT can also write complete code. For example, to generate specific WordPress plugins, develop a new landing page, or build a Chrome extension. In other words, ChatGPT is the world-changing technology that will turn the online marketing world upside down.

What is the impact of ChatGPT on copywriters?

ChatGPT's impact on the work of copywriters is still limited, but it's expected to be enormous. On the one hand, the tool helps writers work faster and more efficiently by generating texts that match specific keywords and other requirements (e.g., chapter division). This allows copywriters to take on more assignments.

On the other hand, ChatGPT is raising concerns among copywriters; automating good texts could be detrimental to the profession. Companies could easily feed text requests into a tool and generate them themselves. In my opinion, that fear is valid. However, it's important to emphasize that ChatGPT isn't yet a replacement for human copywriters, but rather a tool for working faster and more efficiently.

As a freelance copywriter, you can anticipate these developments by, for example, practicing with the tool: how can it help you work more efficiently? Based on your findings, you can, for example, find more clients. Additionally, you might consider focusing more on content strategy, creative copywriting, or technical SEO in the future. The key is to delve into it. As technology expert Remy Gieleing recently pointed out on BNR: if you don't learn to handle it now as a copywriter, you'll be the cesspool of the profession in a few years.

ChatGPT (not yet) a replacement for copywriters

When you ask ChatGPT to generate complete texts, the results are astonishing. However, several key factors demonstrate that humans are still irreplaceable when it comes to high-quality, unique, creative, and SEO-optimized texts:

• The tool offers no guarantee that the texts are factually correct.
• You can't be sure that the texts are unique.
• AI-generated texts lack creativity, writing rules, and an active writing style.
• Google will do everything in its power to recognize ChatGPT web texts and penalize you in terms of rankings.

The title of the chapter says it all: it's not yet a replacement for copywriters. Keep in mind that this technology is currently in a testing phase. In my opinion, there's a good chance that – after optimizations – AI could indeed win the battle against copywriters. Just like robots will take over the jobs of many cleaners and factory workers in a few years. So embrace the technology and see how you can best use it with an eye to the future.

How does ChatGPT help you as a copywriter?

Currently, the tool is primarily used as a resource for copywriters, content marketers,  and SEO specialists. ChatGPT is particularly useful in the following areas. Specifically, the tool helps you:

• detect language errors
• suggest areas for improvement
• create chapter divisions
• find relevant keywords
• write alternative sentences
• structure text
• develop chatbots
• create summaries
• scaling your business by taking on more clients

So, ChatGPT isn't just a "scary" competitor threatening to take over your work, but also a great addition that can make writing much easier. It's also important to remember that AI is still limited in what it can do and that there will always be a need for human copywriters who can write creatively, personally, and originally. It is therefore advisable to continue developing yourself and keep learning about how you can use AI and other technologies to improve your work instead of being afraid and withdrawing into your shell.

The future of ChatGPT, AI, and the copywriting profession

Compare this development with the advent of the internet for the general public in the 1990s. Numerous developments in ChatGPT and artificial intelligence are expected in the coming years, which will drastically change the copywriting profession. For example, the application of conversational AI will likely increase further in online marketing, which could lead to the development of even more human-like chatbots and even better, more targeted copy.