Like many copywriters I know, I have two vivid nightmares about (1) ChatGPT obsoleting me and (2) online recruiting platforms suppressing the rates. My last dream about these monsters of mine took a decidedly more positive turn.

There I was in a cabin in the woods with my twin sister and our four wide-eyed teacup chihuahuas. Outside, a lion and a wolf waited for us. Staring. Pacing. Baring their—bloody?—teeth. Inside, we were trapped. If we tried to leave, they’d rip us apart for a picnic.

Then an even stranger thing happened. My sister opened the door. The lion and the wolf grew quiet. We walked right past them unharmed.  

I interpret this dream as telling me that there is a place for all of us—copywriters, ChatGPT and online recruiting platforms. Plus, our copywriter family will help us get through it.

Case in point. I worked on an assignment for an insurance company that I got through an online recruiting platform with the opportunity to play around with ChatGPT. The assignment: write an article about “Auto Insurance 101” based on a competitive example.

• I fed the competitive example into ChatGPT.
• I prompted > Using this example and acting as a friendly insurance expert who cares about protecting the community, write a 500-word blog about Auto Insurance 101.
  

The resulting content was solid, perfectly fine but not fantastic. It wasn’t sourced, but it tracked with my existing knowledge and saved me at least an hour searching for sources online to build the article from the bottom up.

• I prompted > Give me 10 creative headline options. (I didn’t use them verbatim, but they did inspire new ones.)
• I prompted > Write a 500-word email promoting this article. (I didn’t use this content because it was a personal sales email versus a promotional blast.)
• I wrote the email in 10 minutes or so like I normally would and fed it to ChatGPT.
• I prompted > Write 10 subject lines for this email. (Yikes. The results weren’t good for me here, so I parked this effort to explore further when I wasn’t on the client’s dime.)
  

This is where I parted ways with ChatGPT on this assignment, with thanks for the time saved digging and some good creative sparks.

I re-wrote the article, applying:

• Copywriting expertise
• Brand voice and tone
• Knowledge of past brand content
• Cross-linking
• SEO optimization
• Personal experience
• Quick Google search for a statistic from a credible source
• Call to action

One thing I didn’t do was feed any client information into ChatGPT—not even public-facing content like a Web page. I’m still learning where client information could ultimately go, so my stance, for now, is don’t share it. Better safe than sorry.

Overall, I left my little experiment more hopeful and encouraged that the lion in the room could be a friend, not a foe. Until we meet again, ChatGPT.

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Read more in Evelyn Creekmore's Copy Confidential Series:

Hard-Won Wisdom for Freelance Copywriters

What I Wish Clients Knew About Copywriting Tests‍

3 Red Flags a Copywriter and Client Aren’t a Fit

What I Wish Clients Knew–Why Copywriters Can’t Quit You

When to Be–and Not be–a Brutal Editor‍

What I Wish Clients Knew–Some Copywriters Are Really Sensitive ‍