Having the editing power in business writing is one thing. But persuading clients that this is in their interest is far more difficult. Consequently 'copywriting' no longer has the appeal that it once had. AI claims to do it well (and to a large degree, it's right). The focus needs to shift to strategic messaging and analysis. How do you stand out above an admitted rising quality content level? Where is the personality and sharpness that people are looking for? AI simply can't do that. The question therefore is: How do skilled writers hone their skills in an AI-dominated market? Any courses out there?
Thanks for the response. I agree that copywriting only has the same level of appeal it once had if it's in combination with other skills. I'm not sure one could build a durable, profitable business on copywriting alone. I'd actually go one step upstream from "strategic messaging" to strategic positioning. Because if that is the core strategic competency, then you're diving into the mud with the leadership team and helping them make decisions (I have a tab called "Positioning Decisions" in my Substack menu that expands this concept). And then if you have the copy chops to bring those decisions to life, you're cooking with gas.
Instead of courses, I'd read:
- Positioning by Ries & Trout
- Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
I'd also learn how AI and AI-adjacent products work from a technical standpoint. I made a huge Gemini Notebook database full of info like Anthropic's & OpenAI's technical blog and other sources because I wanted to understand more about how modern software is developed. Usually in companies positioning & messaging fall under product marketing (or PMM), and so building skills in those areas are key too if you're going the B2B software route.
Having the editing power in business writing is one thing. But persuading clients that this is in their interest is far more difficult. Consequently 'copywriting' no longer has the appeal that it once had. AI claims to do it well (and to a large degree, it's right). The focus needs to shift to strategic messaging and analysis. How do you stand out above an admitted rising quality content level? Where is the personality and sharpness that people are looking for? AI simply can't do that. The question therefore is: How do skilled writers hone their skills in an AI-dominated market? Any courses out there?
Thanks for the response. I agree that copywriting only has the same level of appeal it once had if it's in combination with other skills. I'm not sure one could build a durable, profitable business on copywriting alone. I'd actually go one step upstream from "strategic messaging" to strategic positioning. Because if that is the core strategic competency, then you're diving into the mud with the leadership team and helping them make decisions (I have a tab called "Positioning Decisions" in my Substack menu that expands this concept). And then if you have the copy chops to bring those decisions to life, you're cooking with gas.
Instead of courses, I'd read:
- Positioning by Ries & Trout
- Obviously Awesome by April Dunford
I'd also learn how AI and AI-adjacent products work from a technical standpoint. I made a huge Gemini Notebook database full of info like Anthropic's & OpenAI's technical blog and other sources because I wanted to understand more about how modern software is developed. Usually in companies positioning & messaging fall under product marketing (or PMM), and so building skills in those areas are key too if you're going the B2B software route.