From Cautious to Confident: How SEO Copywriters Can Make AI Work for Them

At a recent networking event, a writer with 25 years of experience shared that her boss fired her and replaced her with ChatGPT. He believed AI could write all of his marketing collateral for a fraction of the cost.

That’s just freakin’ dumb.

Who’s going to plan the strategy? Fact-check the output to ensure ChatGPT isn’t citing a study that doesn’t exist? Rewrite robotic copy into something that sounds human and clicks with their audience?

Is it any wonder that 81.6% of digital marketers say content writers’ jobs are at risk from AI?

A subscription to ChatGPT isn’t a content plan. Nor is it an editorial savior, capable of doing it all. AI tools are…tools. Sure, they’re fast, shiny, and sexy.

But the tools still need you—the strategic, empathetic, editorial powerhouse behind the scenes.

I’ve got ChatGPT dialed in. I’ve trained ChatGPT in my voice and created custom GPTs for specialized tasks. However, if I uploaded what ChatGPT gave me without extensive editing, people would likely laugh and point fingers at me.

And I’d deserve it.

Here’s the thing…

Why writers are (rightfully) skeptical about AI

AI deserves the side-eye.

I chatted with a small business owner earlier this week who complained the output from ChatGPT was SO bad. She felt like rewriting AI slop took more time than facing down a blank page.

And she’s right. Most folks don’t know how to train and work with AI. (I mean, it’s not like we all studied prompting in high school.) When we try and get a crappy output, we don’t want to try anymore.

Here are some reasons your AI copy isn’t landing – and what you can do.

So yes, your skepticism is deserved – and it comes from a good place. It means …

• You care about quality.
• You care about brand voice.
• You want people to take action after reading your content.
• You care about writing content that connects, not just about gaming an algorithm.

That’s precisely the mindset that makes AI valuable. Because it means you are still the one steering the ship.

So, how do you flip the script and make AI your sidekick, not your saboteur?

Here are five things to consider – and action steps to try:

1. AI is your intern, not your editor-in-chief.

Yes, AI can generate a decent rough draft. But the structure and storytelling flow? Only someone like you can do it well.

You know how to build emotional resonance. AI doesn’t. Use AI for speed—but trust your brain for the strategy.

Action Step:
Ask ChatGPT to write the introduction of your next post, and review the output. What worked? What falls flat? What would it take to transform the okay hook into an effective opening?

2. Prompts don’t write themselves.

The quality of what AI gives you depends entirely on what you ask it. Fortunately, I think that writers write the best prompts because we’re used to describing what we need in precise, concise detail.

Prompt writing isn’t “cheating”—it’s a skill.

Action Step:
Did you write a prompt and wonder if it’s any good? Paste it into ChatGPT and ask it to rate your prompt on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Ask it to revise your prompt until it scores a 10/10.

3. Fact-check like your reputation depends on it.

Because it does.

AI tools often sound confident, but get basic facts wrong. If you’re not checking, you’re publishing misinformation. I’ve seen ChatGPT create fake site links, statistics, companies, and biographical information.

Bottom line: Never trust a stat or quote from AI without verifying it.

Action Step:

Next time you use AI to generate content, highlight and verify every claim and link. Yes, it’s a pain. Yes, it will take time. And always check those links you’re “pretty sure” are real. ChatGPT sounds so confident about incorrect information.

4. Train your AI on voice and tone.

It’s true that, out of the box, basic ChatGPT content doesn’t convert. BUT, you can train AI to understand how you (or your clients) write, and get it 80 percent there. I’ve said before that my husband can’t tell the difference between a LinkedIn post draft that I wrote from scratch and content created by AI.

Spending time on the front-end to train ChatGPT or Claude isn’t overkill—it’s brand control. Your content gets sharper the more your AI knows your voice.

Action Step:
Consider creating a custom GPT that you can train to write LinkedIn posts, newsletters, and more. If that feels too advanced, consider uploading example content, such as old emails and blog posts, to ChatGPT when requesting a writing task. The more AI learns about your voice, the more it can write like you…mostly.

5. SEO still needs the human spark.

Yes, you can ask ChatGPT to generate 20 blog posts quickly. But will those posts position in Google and AI search, and drive leads? Probably not.

Standout content needs more than just facts — it needs you.

AI can help structure your content, but it can’t replace your expert perspective and advice. Without you, the content lacks depth and soul, blending into the sea of internet sameness.

Action Step:
Use AI to create an outline. Then take one section and add a personal story or insight that only you could write. That’s what your readers want to read.

If AI feels overwhelming or awkward right now, you’re not alone.

LLMs and tools like ChatGPT are new territory for writers. No one has it all figured out. I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing with ChatGPT, and I’m still learning. I like that.

You don’t need to be a prompting wizard or outsource everything to AI. Instead, focus on the writing tasks you love and let AI do what you don’t enjoy.

That way…

You save time.
You stay in control.
Your voice stays intact.

And you work on what brings you joy, letting AI help you with the other stuff.

Take AI From “Ugh” to “Ohhh, I Get It!”

Writers + Robots is where creative control meets AI magic — no soulless robo-copy allowed.

Join a community of writers and marketers who want to write smarter, not bland-er. You’ll get:

• Writer-focused AI trainings that will blow your mind.
• Personalized feedback (because templates alone won’t cut it)
• A crew that gets your “side-eye but curious” AI vibes

💡 Grab your 7-day free trial now