I've reached a new low, Reader.

The other day I was reviewing a client's rough first draft of a lead magnet e-book, and left this comment in her Google doc:

I know it's not the most professional editorial comment, but it was in response to an insipid phrase Claude had generated for my client. It's the kind of phrase I'm seeing over and over again in emails, posts, and marketing material generated with AI.

And let me say right off the bat... I LOVE that AI tools are available to help busy, overworked women entrepreneurs do things faster and more efficiently in their businesses.

I love that Claude, ChatGPT or other LLMs (large language models) can generate a shitty first draft, brainstorm, critique, analyze information, and automate tasks.

However.

I'm seeing more and more people outsource too much of their creative (and critical) thinking to AI, rather than using it as a tool for a small part of the creative process.

Case in point - I keep seeing the same phrases over and over again in copy:

• It wasn't x. It wasn't y. It was z.
• No __ required.
• And honestly?
• It's not x. It's not y. It's z.
• Not because x. Because y.
• ... quietly...
• Thing 1. Thing 2. Thing 3.

In fact, an email that landed in my inbox yesterday had 6 of the above AI tells (and 1 of them was used twice in the same email).

These patterns and creative devices have been used in creative writing and marketing for a very long time. They add drama and excitement to a piece of writing...

... when used sparingly.

But when the same "Not because of x." shows up multiple times in a single piece of writing, or in 3 emails in a row, it sounds like marketing speak. It comes across as overly dramatic and disingenuous. I call it the "movie trailer voice" - because when you read the words aloud, that's what it sounds like.

And since I'm seeing it more and more in the work clients are handing to me to "give a quick once-over," and in my inbox or social feeds, I felt compelled to write about it today.

Because here's the thing.

While AI can help expedite tasks (like writing) in your business, faster doesn't always mean better.

Studies show human-created content gets 5.4x MORE TRAFFIC and engages readers up to 47% LONGER than AI-generated content. People stay longer on human-generated content and are more likely to click buttons or follow the calls-to-action.

52% of consumers will disengage with content if they "suspect" it's AI-generated.

Even if we don't realize it, human-generated content feels different when we experience it. It's more potent and authentic. It reveals more of the messy imperfections of our real lived experiences and our personalities.

Unless you've invested an incredible amount of resource and time to train your AI on your brand voice, tone and personality, the first drafts will always sound like a more dumbed-down, generic version of YOU.

Because that's how the LLMs were built. They were built and trained on common patterns and experiences in the published record.

But the published record in a patriarchal society is missing sooo many voices and perspectives. It's missing the nuance of the cultures and voices of marginalized groups including Black people, queer people, Indigenous voices, People of Colour, women, and other disenfranchised groups.

LLMs seek the aggregate, not the unique outliers.

But humans are unique. YOU'RE unique. When you can share that uniqueness in your own words, your own cadence, and your own voice, your message is far more potent. It resonates more deeply, human-to-human.

The irony is the AI tools themselves prioritize information and sources that offer unique insights, original research, thought leadership, and demonstrate trust and authority. They're trained to ignore generic, repackaged information.

Which means if you're using AI to build content and solutions that end up sounding and looking like everyone else on the internet, the AI tools will NOT recommend your brand or cite your website when someone searches ChatGPT for "a coach who works with midlife women near me" (for example).

If people sense you're using AI, they'll bounce (whether it's intentional or not). Brands are risking the decades of trust they've built when they blindly use AI to generate their content. Check out this brand fiasco when outdoor brand REI ran an ad for a bike with two sets of handlebars.​

I will continue to use AI tools for brainstorming, researching, data analysis, thought partnership and critiquing what I've written. Sometimes I use it for a shitty first draft. But I often end up re-writing about 75% of it anyway.

If you're going to use AI to write copy or messaging for you, please do the following before you press send or publish:

Carefully read through the output.

Read it slowly. Read it aloud.

Ask yourself: Is this how I actually talk? Does this sound like how I would say this to a friend? Or does this sound like a movie trailer voiceover making it sound dramatic?

Watch for some of the above AI-tells and rewrite those sentences so you're only using those creative devices sparingly across multiple emails or posts.

Don't tell us what it isn't - just cut to the chase and tell us what it IS!

And infuse your own personal stories, experiences and 'isms throughout.

Humans are wired for story, connection and communication.

Storytelling and writing are an art.

And art is messy. It's imperfect and surprising.

As is humanity.

So be messy and imperfect with your ideas and your writing.

Because your brand depends on it.

Kim,