Four AI Copy Swaps to Make You Stand Out

Writing your content can be incredibly difficult when you don’t know what to include and what to leave out – I know that well! – and AI is a very tempting place to start. While it can help you create a first draft quickly (and it’s such a relief just to get something on the blank page), that first draft should be treated with caution, because it just doesn’t do enough on its own to make the right connections with your readers and help them turn into customers.

 

But all is not lost – you can still use those AI models as a starting point. Just be aware of the things you can change about that first draft to help your readers move along that journey to being convinced more speedily: swap those generic phrases for the specifics that are unique to your business. The experience they will have as a customer, the outcomes they’ll get, your opinions and personality must all be there too. So here are four top things to watch for in your AI-produced draft, and how to adjust them to work better for you and make your copy much less generic – four AI copy swaps to make you stand out.

 

1 – Swap vague claims for specific details

AI-generated copy often relies on familiar phrases such as “high quality”, “tailored solutions” and “exceptional service”. The problem is that almost any business can use them (and they do), so they do very little to help you stand out, or help readers understand what they will actually get from working with you. Generic claims are also difficult for readers to believe without evidence and examples.

Instead, explain what the claim means in reality – so rather than saying: “I provide high-quality Virtual Assistant services”, try: “With 25 years’ experience, I manage your inbox, organise your diary and prepare your weekly social media content, giving you more time to focus on running your business.”

That gives your reader something they can picture and understand, and shows clearly what makes your service useful to them – it’s tangible, and you’re taking them an additional step towards understanding what life could look like with you in it.

So look for places where your copy makes a broad promise, replace it with what makes you unique, the result or guarantee you deliver, or the experience that your customers actually get from you.

 

2 – Swap general introductions for a strong point of view

AI often begins with phrases such as “In today’s fast-paced world, strong social media presence is more important than ever” or “Whether you’re a small business or a large organisation, you will know that visibility on social media is key”. These openings are nice and safe, but they are widely used, not particularly memorable and just don’t say very much.

Start with an opinion or observation that audience will recognise instead, or a pain point that you know your customers experience. For example: “Most business just don’t have time to post daily on social media to stay visible – and they don’t need to.”

This immediately creates much more interest. Your understanding of the issues that small businesses face is instantly clear, and you’re offering a soluion they want to know more about. They’ve got a reason to keep reading to find out why they don’t need to. It also positions you as someone with expertise and a solution you’ve devised as a resutl of your experience, rather than another business repeating standard marketing advice.

To find phrases that might work for you, think about what you have learned from working with some of your favourite customers. What do people often get wrong? What advice would you give to someone just starting out? Those particular insights are much harder for competitors to copy, because they are your experiences of the client field you operate in.

 

3 – Swap features for real language your customers use

AI can describe what a product or service includes, but it’s unable to capture naturally how your customers talk about their problems. Instead of focusing only on your services and their features, use words and concerns you hear in emails, conversations, reviews and enquiries.

Rather than: “Our bookkeeping service includes monthly financial reports”, make it a solution to a common problem: “Know exactly what came in, what went out and whether you can afford to pay yourself, without spending your Sunday evening in a spreadsheet.”

This version connects what you deliver to a real frustration that your ideal customer will be very familiar with. It makes the benefit easier to understand because it reflects their everyday experience, and shows you really know and understand the pressures they’re up against – and that buying from you will ease that.

Keep a note of memorable phrases you’ve seen and heard your customers use, and especially what is in the feedback or testimonials you’ve received. That really is gold for your copy, because if it was true for them, it’s highly likely to be true for more of your ideal customers – so always use it when you can.

 

4 – Swap “polished” AI phrasing for your natural voice

AI-generated copy sounds smooth but it’s very predictable, and it usually follows certain patterns that are becoming very easy to spot. Its sentences are similar in length, and often contain three words or phrases to describe a situation – “we reduce plastic waste, protect wildlife, and support a healthier environment”, or: “make your marketing aligned, intentional and purposeful”.

AI is also very keen on words like “empower”, “seamless” , “quietly”, “elevate” and “clarity”, which seem to pop up constantly – far more often than you would use in normal conversation!

And this is the one that always makes my heart sink – the negative followed by the positive. “It’s not about what you want to say. It’s about what your customers want to read.” You will find an example of that little copy pattern in most AI-generated text, and it’s all over social media now. (I’m particularly annoyed by this because it’s a little device I used to use all the time – and now it’s just massively overused!)

Tone down the AI polish by reading your copy aloud, and see whether it sounds like something you would actually say to a customer if you were face-to-face. If not, shorten the sentences down, add a phrase that you often say to people when talking about what you do, or choose a simpler word. Put in some local references, personal experiences, humour, or a brief story that an AI model simply wouldn’t know to generate – they are all good ways to make it much more like you.

 

Start with AI, Finish with You

AI can always be your starting point, but that draft should never ever be your finished copy. The more specific and recognisably yours the copy is, the less likely it is to disappear into the sea of sameness online, and make you stand out from the generic claims and phrases that you can find on so many websites and social media accounts out there. Most importantly of all, it takes your readers much further along the journey of getting to know, like and trust you, which they have to do before making the decision to become a real customer.

And if you’d like any help with Writing the Words that Make You Different, you know where I am!