3 ways freelance writers can thrive with AI
This is the first article in a 3-part series on freelance writing and AI
AI can create a picture of my 5 favorite things (pizza, flamingos, coffee, writing, and the stars), but can it do it with words?
It took me nearly a year to understand and embrace the AI revolution. After all, I’m a freelance writer, and I’m watching everyone around me use ChatGPT to get instant content—content that takes writers hours to produce.
At first, I was discouraged and downright frightened. But a year into accepting that AI is here to stay, I’ve done a 180. I’ve discovered that freelance writers can use AI to optimize their work and even grow their businesses.
Maybe AI isn’t the bad guy. Maybe it’s a new business opportunity.
Here are 3 ways I believe freelance writers can grow their businesses alongside AI.
AI prompt writing
When it comes to artificial intelligence, it’s all about the prompt. And given AI is still relatively new, there are a whole bunch of people who are struggling to get strong, on-brand content. Let’s put it this way, I wasn’t born a designer. I can’t carry a tune. And I’m horrible at math. In the same way, not everyone is a natural writer. So, it can be hard to know how to ask AI for great copy and understand what it should look like in the end.
An experienced freelance writer can write AI prompts that:
Are clear and specific. Prompts should define the topic, tone, and style you want AI to adopt.
Aim for results. A writer can set the context of the prompt so that AI understands your audience and goals.
Outline requirements. The prompt should define your content’s ideal length, format, and more. It should also request examples and reputable sources.
Iterate and refine. Because freelance writers know what strong copy looks like, they can refine prompts. They can help you get instant content that reaches your audience and achieves your goals—without sounding like a robot or spending hours prompt rewriting and refining.
In short, give prompt writing over to the experts in content—the people who know great copy like the back of their hands.
AI editing and fact checking
Artificial intelligence is getting smarter every day, but it’s not perfect. If you’re using ChatGPT and other AI writing tools to create content, you should consider hiring a writer for editing and fact checking. Especially the fact-checking piece.
The truth is, if you’re not careful, AI-generated content can sound robotic, unempathetic, off-brand, and boring. Worse, it can be inaccurate. Fortunately, an experienced content writer can take AI-generated content and make it come to life by adding a tone of voice, style, proof points, and a rhythmic cadence.
Cadence. This is something writers don’t talk about often. But have you ever noticed good content has a rhythm as you read it? Usually, it matches the natural tone of voice and inflection humans have when conversing. At this point, AI can’t easily generate content with that “special rhythm and flow.” Keep in mind, this could change soon (after all, AI learns quickly). But right now, strong copywriters can ensure your AI-generated content sounds like your brand, is accurate, and has a human touch to boot.
Proprietary AI training
Today’s biggest companies are racing to build their own AI solutions. It makes sense. If AI is the future, they need to get on board and protect their proprietary data—like yesterday.
Just remember, AI solutions are only as good as the content from which they learn. Companies can benefit from hiring senior-level freelance writers to train their AI solutions with the best-of-the-best, on-brand writing. This way, they can trust that any AI-generated output delivers outstanding content with minimal prompts and revisions.
I mean, who has time for all the back-and-forth prompt writing anyway?
Above all, some writing will always need a human touch
This is just the first in a 3-part series I’m writing on the intersection of freelance writing and AI. A little spoiler alert: My next post covers the 5 types of writing that will always need a human being. Think investigative journalism and reporting, first-person storytelling, product reviews, speech writing, and more.
Freelance writing friends, the game isn’t over. Good writing created by humans will always have its place. Don’t lose heart just because ChatGPT is spitting out words by the second. I mean, I admit it’s pretty cool. I love experimenting with AI to generate early ideas and learn about unfamiliar topics (like when I had to write about cancer genomes and precision medicine). It can help me break out of writer’s block and tackle content from new angles. It’s like a writing superpower.
One thing I don’t use AI for is to write content word-for-word. The reason is simple. I love writing content from scratch! It’s actually faster for me to just sit down and write my own copy than to experiment with lengthy prompts that may or may not generate the content I envision. I’m also joyful when I’m writing. There’s a sudden excitement I feel when I have a new idea that I can put down on paper. Much like my 5-year-old who proudly brings home artwork, I experience pride when creating final copy.
For me, AI is like the shiny, new paintbrush that helps me create new artwork. But right now, I’m still the artist driving the artwork—and the next generation of content. As a fellow writer and content specialist, I’m here to tell you that you’re more needed now than ever before.