How to Write Copy Without ChatGPT– A Pro Copywriter’s Step-by-Step Process
Can I start this blog with a bold statement? We live in a digital world saturated with generic, AI copy slop.
I know. That’s probably no way to win friends, but I think it’s important to bite the bullet sometimes and say the important stuff out loud. As a professional copywriter, it’s not that I’m anti-AI.
I fully recognize AI as a helpful tool for business owners – especially those on a budget or those who haven’t been trained in certain areas like copywriting.
We’re all business owners trying to do the best we can. And if AI can help us optimize our work and get some of our time back, who am I to tell you to ditch it completely?
If we can have a chat about AI separate from the environmentally ethical implications (which is pretty much impossible, but hear me out), it’s really all about humanity.
The issue for me – and for all of humanity, in my opinion – is that AI is becoming more than a tool for most. We’re asking ChatGPT how to help write a thank-you card. We’re probing Claude to craft the perfect text back to our crush.
We’re leaning so hard on AI that we don’t know how to be the author of our brand’s words anymore.
Here’s the issue – AI can spit out a sales page or parrot a feeling, but it can’t experience a damn thing. Because it’s artificial intelligence. It’s machine learning.
The truth is – you’re infinitely more qualified to write your brand’s words because you have the ability to feel. You’ve experienced the world and a full spectrum of human emotions. Your audience has, too.
That’s the connection they’re looking for! And that’s a connection that ChatGPT or Claude or whatever AI model they’ll dream up next can’t replicate.
Still, if you’ve been leaning on AI a little too long (no judgment whatsoever here), it can feel overwhelming to get back into the rhythm of writing your own copy again. That’s why I’m sharing a quick, step-by-step guide on how to write without ChatGPT.
LIL KEY TAKEAWAYS: THIS BLOG AT A GLANCE
Start with your messaging. Figure out the what stuff first — what you’re saying, who you’re saying it to, and why it matters.
Focus on one ideal person. Writing to a crowd makes your copy vague. Writing to one dream client makes everything clearer.
Open up a Bad Words Doc. Dump every idea (good or bad) so your brain can stop hoarding them.
Decide if SEO matters. Sometimes keywords matter. Sometimes they don’t. Figure that out before you start writing.
Write the boring version first. Your first draft should just get the facts down. The good stuff comes during editing.
Layer in your sticky brand voice. Messaging is the WHAT — your brand voice is the HOW.
Edit, edit, edit. Great copy isn’t written once. It’s refined over and over until it clicks.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy without ChatGPT
Everyone’s process for writing great copy is different. I’m sharing a short and sweet version of how I’ve been writing all kinds of copy for the last decade without the use of AI assistance.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a blank page when you start writing anything for your brand, give this process a go – you might like what you rediscover as the author of your brand’s words.
This is my simple, step-by-step process
Start with Your Messaging
Zero in on Your Audience
Open up the Bad Words Doc
Ask Yourself: “Does SEO Apply?”
Start Writing – But Keep it Boring
Layer in Your Sticky Brand Voice
Refine, Refine, Refine
Step One: Start With Your Messaging
I call messaging the What Stuff – what you’ll say about something, who you’ll say it to, and why it matters to them. Your “messaging strategy” is a list of that What Stuff that you keep on hand so you have a go-to plan of what to say.
Figuring out the What Stuff isn’t always easy. Think about it – you know your offers better than anyone else. But that’s exactly why it can feel mega-hard to pinpoint exactly what to say to express how helpful they are – you’re thinking about it on a zoomed-out, expert level when the people it applies to aren’t.
If you’re struggling to map out your messaging (your What Stuff), here are a few of my favorite hacks to create messaging points that matter:
Pro Tip: My 12-minute training Mini Messaging Marker walks you through the 4Ps of messaging so you can figure out what to say to sell your latest and greatest thing.
Step Two: Zero in On Your Ideal Audience
Before you write a single word, think hard about who you’re talking to. It’s so easy to get swept up in talking about our offers in our own terms – but is that how our people need to hear it?
Don’t try to write like you’re talking to an expert. Get down on your people’s level and talk to them there. Sometimes, we complicate writing because we’re thinking about it from a penthouse level – when really, we should be down on the ground floor where our people are.
Another piece of advice? Don’t speak to the masses. Think about one ideal client – name them, know them, connect with them.
That’s who you’re talking to! Write to and for them – not to the idea of them or a crowd of dream people.
Step Three: Open Up the Bad Words Doc™
You mapped out your messaging. You identified who you’re talking to. And still, I don’t want you to write a single word.
Before you hit that blinking cursor on your doc, open up another one. Immediately title it “The Bad Words Doc” – or something else that’s sort of funny.
This is going to be your dumping ground for every idea you end up with – good or bad.
Here’s something funny about the human brain. It can get completely bogged down with ideas if you don’t give it a space to clear them out. But it can also be preoccupied with holding onto those bad ideas so you don’t forget them – just in case.
Instead of wasting mental energy holding onto bad ideas just in case you might want to revisit them later – release the pressure by writing them down in your Scrap Doc. That way, you can keep all the stuff your brain throws out there without wasting mental energy holding onto bad ideas that could be keeping you from good ones.
Step Four: Ask Yourself, “Does SEO Matter?”
Sometimes, keywords matter. Sometimes, they don’t. The answer to that question is going to dictate how you move forward.
For example, if you’re working on a new service page for your website, SEO absolutely matters. You’ll need to do some research and pinpoint a primary keyword. You’ll also need to structure your webpage in a way that makes sense for search engines (only one H1, the primary keyword in the first 150 words, etc. – we can go into this another time).
But sometimes, SEO doesn’t matter. Let’s say you’re writing a kickass email for your new launch. You don’t have to spend one second worrying about SEO or keywords.
Get this step out of the way before you start writing, so you don’t have to go backward and try to cram keywords into what you already wrote.
Step Five: Start Writing, But Keep it Boring
Don’t try to win a Pulitzer on your first draft. Better yet, don’t ever put pressure on your first draft to be the end-all, be-all. Repeat after me: your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect.
That’s why editing exists.
It can be mega helpful to write down your first version of copy as the most boring version possible. I’m talkin’ so boring you don’t even want to read it. Get the facts down first. Speak blandly. Don’t stress over how it sounds at all. Just start mapping out where things should go and what you want to make sure you express.
Step Six: Layer in Your Sticky Brand Voice
If messaging is the WHAT of your copy, brand voice is the HOW. I could talk for hours (days?) about sticky brand voice, but for brevity’s sake, I’m going to give you a quick TLDR and then link you out to my best resources on brand voice!
Brand Voice TLDR: sticky brand voice is the curated personality your brand presents to the world. It’s your quirky lil fusion of who you already are and who your dream people need you to be. Brand voice should be consistent, memorable, and authentic!
So, how do you layer in your sticky brand voice to your copy? If you follow the Boundless Brand Voice Mantra, you pop open your custom Brand Voice Guide and your Brand Voice Dictionary – two refined tools that tell you how to specifically and actionably use your sticky lil brand voice.
Need help creating your own brand voice guide? Peep my mini course Brand Voice Roundup – it teaches you how to create and use your custom brand voice guide in everyday copy situations.
Step Seven: Refine, Refine, Refine
Edit to your liking! Remember, you don’t have to put those six steps together and expect a masterpiece right off the bat. Professional copywriters spend hours editing sometimes – it’s all part of the process!
