Module 1 of 8 · Intermediate · 10 min read
Writing, copywriting and marketing
Get specific, on-brand copy instead of generic AI prose, from briefs and voice guides to editing passes.
Key takeaways
- 1Generic output comes from generic input. Give audience, offer, proof and voice.
- 2A short voice guide with examples does more than adjectives like 'friendly'.
- 3Draft, then edit in separate passes: structure, specifics, voice, cuts.
- 4Every claim, number and testimonial must be real and checkable.
01Where AI helps
The best results come from treating AI as a fast junior writer with a strong editor: you.
- First drafts of landing pages, emails, ads, product descriptions and blog posts.
- Many variations of headlines and calls to action for testing.
- Adapting one piece into many formats and lengths.
- Editing: tightening, clarifying, fixing tone and structure.
- Customer research: summarising reviews and interviews into the words customers use.
02The workflow
A reusable brief and voice guide turn every future request into a two-minute job.
- Write a brief: audience, their problem, the offer, proof, objection, desired action.
- Gather voice examples and customer language (reviews, support emails).
- Ask for an outline or several angles before full drafts.
- Draft, then edit in passes: structure, specifics, voice, length.
- Fact-check every claim and number; get approvals where needed.
- Test variations and feed the results back into your brief.
03Tools to reach for
Keep the voice guide and brief in one place and paste or attach them every time.
- General chat assistants with project or custom instructions holding your voice guide.
- Writing features in your document, email and design tools.
- Marketing platforms with AI copy built into email and ad workflows.
- Grammar and style checkers for the final pass.
04Prompt: voice guide from examples
Let the model describe your voice from your best writing, then refine it.
Example
Here are five pieces of our best writing: <examples>{{examples}}</examples>
Write a one-page voice guide: our personality in three traits (each with what it means and what it doesn't), sentence style, vocabulary we use and avoid, how we handle humour, and two before-and-after rewrites showing the voice. Base everything on the examples.
05Prompt: landing page copy
Give the substance; the model handles the craft.
Example
Write landing page copy for {{product}}.
Audience: {{who}}, who currently {{current situation}} and are frustrated by {{pain}}.
Offer: {{what they get}}. Proof: {{real results, reviews, numbers}}. Main objection: {{objection}}. Action: {{CTA}}.
Voice: follow <voice_guide>.
Sections: headline and subhead (give 5 options), problem, solution, three benefits with specifics, proof, objection handling, CTA. Use only the proof provided; don't invent statistics or testimonials.
06Prompt: the editing pass
Editing prompts with specific criteria remove the 'AI voice'.
Example
Edit the draft below. Cut it by 30% without losing any specific fact. Replace vague claims with the concrete details from <notes>. Remove filler phrases, clichés and words like 'unlock', 'elevate', 'seamless' and 'game-changer'. Vary sentence length. Keep the voice in <voice_guide>. Show the edited version, then list the main changes.
07Pitfalls
Specific beats clever. The details only you know are what make copy work.
- Made-up proof: invented statistics, testimonials or awards are false advertising. Supply real ones or none.
- Sameness: without examples and specifics, AI copy reads like everyone else's.
- Over-claiming: check health, financial and environmental claims against advertising rules.
- Unreviewed publishing: always have a person read before anything goes live.
Watch out
Advertising and consumer-protection rules apply to AI-written copy exactly as to human-written copy. You are responsible for every claim.
Finished reading?
Mark it complete to track your progress, then test yourself with the AI at Work: Business & Professional quiz.