Is copywriting dead?

I've been a copywriter since before social media was even a thing for marketing campaigns. Back when SEO was a mystery to most businesses and marketing meant brochures, print ads and maybe—if you were ahead of the curve—a well-timed email campaign. I’ve seen digital marketing evolve, adapt and explode. With AI now a firm feature in content creation, it’s raising a big question:

Is copywriting dead?

My answer: No. But the way we create content has changed forever.

The challenge of quality content in regulated industries

Most of my clients aren’t just looking for generic blog posts or fluffy marketing copy. I mainly work with regulated professionals—accountants, insolvency experts, AML compliance specialists, and membership bodies—who need factually accurate, legally sound, meticulously crafted content. There’s no room for vague statements or AI “hallucinations.”

That’s why I’ve always been incredibly selective about outsourcing content. I’ve only found one or two writers I trust enough to refer work to. Accuracy, tone and technical knowledge are non-negotiable.

So when AI tools like Copy.ai and Claude.ai started popping up, I tested them. While each new tool had its use, nothing tailored itself to my work as well as ChatGPT. But even that didn’t work straight out of the box. I had to train it.

The power of prompts

The key isn’t just in using AI: it’s in knowing how to use it effectively. ChatGPT isn't a magic solution that spits out perfect content. The results depend entirely on the prompts, structure and context you feed it.

I’ve spent months refining prompts for each client, ensuring ChatGPT understands their tone, industry jargon and regulatory requirements. The right prompt transforms ChatGPT from a basic text generator into a powerful tool that saves time without compromising on quality.

ChatGPT has now cut my writing time by 50-70%

By integrating ChatGPT into my copywriting, I’ve been able to reduce writing time by at least half. I still need to fact-check, edit and refine each article myself (although I do get ChatGPT to run a spelling and grammar check for me… fresh eyes and all that). But AI has become an essential part of my workflow. It means I can produce more content, faster, while maintaining the high standards my clients expect.

Should business owners be using AI for their content?

If you’re in a regulated industry and wondering whether AI can help you create content, the answer is yes… with the right approach. It can improve consistency and make content creation more efficient.

Most businesses get stuck because they don’t know where to start, how to craft strong prompts, or how to blend AI-generated content with real expertise. That’s why, for now, copywriting isn’t just alive—it’s evolving. And the best writers aren’t resisting AI—they’re using it to stay ahead.

NB: Yes, I wrote the above using ChatGPT. Here’s how…

Prompt:

I want to write a blog about how much I use AI and why. Please refer to my customisation settings for this too. The audience for this article are people who are interested in tech in marketing and content, including regulated business owners who want to explore ai for their own content. Ideally they'd be stuck and get in touch. But ultimately I want them to see how I'm forward thinking and ahead of the game. I'm happy to use a provocative theme like 'is copywriting dead? Please create this blog for me. Key points I want to make are: I've been copywriting since before social media was even a thing for a marketing campaign, so I've seen digital grow. I'm very picky about writers I outsource too and have only found one or two I would refer work to. I create articles for regulated professionals - including regulatory and membership bodies - so accuracy is crucial I've worked with other platforms - copy.ai and claude.ai - and not found anything that tailors as well as chatgpt I've spent a long time working on prompts for each client. These are key to getting a good result I've cut down writing time by 70-80%.

I thought V1 sounded too self-promoting. So I asked ChatGPT: “This is a bit boastful. Could you be a bit more humble...for example, when I say I'm at the forefront.”

TIP: If I’d wanted to change just this line, I’d have highlighted it. This brings up quotation marks which, when you click them, sends the section highlighted to the prompt box below. Then you can change the section specified. However, I wanted this change to be reflected throughout the article.

And so I got to V2…

To get to the article actually published—which is V3—I combined the elements I liked from each article. And that’s pretty much it. I also used a prompt to spellcheck the blog, before uploading it: “Please check this for UK spelling and grammar. Show corrections by referencing where in the text they belong. Please don’t give Oxford comma suggestions.”

From beginning to end, I timed how long this process took me. Just under 20 minutes. I did then spend an extra 25 minutes twiddling and faffing with words here and there. It’s a habit which I should break to be as efficient as possible. But still, 45 minutes to write a blog… I can’t complain.