TA #130: 😎 How to Write Like Robots Can't

Boston, Sunday, January 29, 2023

Hi there, hot stuff!

One of the things I love about the explosive chatter around AI writing is how overnight the conversation shifted from this:

Yo! No One Reads. Writing Doesn't Matter Anymore!

To this:

Writing Is the Most Important Thing We Do! Writing Matters! Dukes Up! I Will Fight You If You Disagree!

Of course you and I have always been in that second, Dukes Up camp. That's why I wrote Everybody Writes. (And then I wrote it again!)

Long ago I pitched a party tent and hired the band in that Writing Matters camp. Feel the thump-thump-thump of the bass? See that blur out there...? That's me going HAM on the dance floor...!

Now there are lots of new faces popping into the party tent! People aren't here just for the free margaritas. They're also here because... yep: Words. Matter.

Whether you believe AI is a game-changer or not... I love how everyone is all-in on words and writing.

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Yet writing is work.

And that's also fueling the frenzy around AI Writing.

A lot of us are looking for a way to shortcut the process, because we think AI is like a microwave that'll heat our Hickory Ham Hot Pocket in a jiffy.

Look! 10 seconds on HIGH and I have an entire blog post!

But it's not like that.

Because our content isn't extruded and rolled and mass-produced. Or it shouldn't be.

And because that's not how we should use AI.

AI is a tool. Maybe we use it to brainstorm. Or refine. Or edit. Or reimagine a blog post as a social post. That kind of thing.

AI is a robot perched on our shoulder, not the creator at the keyboard.

You need to do the work to become a better, more confident writer.

* * *

Part of me hates that bold text above—that "writing is work" business.

Because writing is also fun! It's play! 

Or it can be.

We don't spend enough time talking about the sheer delight of creating things we love—things that we co-create with our brains, our hearts, our hands, our whole selves. Things that let us wallow in words and just... play.

That's what robots can't do. No matter how good the output* eventually might be.

(*Side note: Writing as "output." Gross. I just threw up in my mouth a little.)

So let's play! Six thoughts!

1. CREATE METAPHORS AS AN INSIDER WINK. Use your words to paint pictures in the context of your audience. Reflect their experiences. Use their language. Help them be seen. And delight your reader... insider to insider.

Example: Aha Media Group is a marketing agency that serves (in part) healthcare clients. Behold this insider wink in an email it sent promoting a webinar to its community of healthcare marketers:

"We'll show you how to move away from social media platforms that are draining your budget like a vampire in an OR."

Budget. Vampire. Blood. OR. The email doesn't even bother to spell out "Operating Rooms." Hospital marketers sprinkle acronyms on their morning oatmeal.

2. GO HARD TO TEASE OUT a theme.

Example: In a direct response email selling winter cocktails, online liquor retailer Drizly writes:

"These drinks are so winter-ready, they might as well have chains on their tires. Go ahead and get 'em delivered right to your blanket fort."

Hunkering down in a blanket fort in the January brrr. Fun!

3. GIVE YOUR READER A CAMEO. Right there on the page, cast your reader in a speaking role. Say out loud what's inside their head.

Example: Writing about two healthcare systems consolidating, Blake Madden voices what his been-around-the-block healthcare industry reader is thinking:

"Now, I know what you're thinking—'but hospital consolidation...not again! This is just another way for hospitals to merge without merging.' And yes, that is a legitimate concern anytime two huge systems announce anything substantial."

4. ADD A SECOND SENSE. Show how something feels, tastes, smells, sounds... in addition to how it looks or what it is. Tap at least two senses.

I talk about this a lot. We don't use it enough.

Example: Morning Brew taps this technique in an ad—an ad!—for Mugsy jeans:

"If [thighs] could talk, they'd be telling you how Mugsy jeans are the softest, comfiest jeans a set of thighs has ever called home.

"And if they could shout, these thighs would be screamin' about the incredible stretch Mugsy jeans deliver, keeping the fit juuust right—never too baggy and never too tight."

Talking thighs. Shouting thighs! That word just with three Us in the middle.

You can feel AND hear AND see those comfy jeans giving your thighs plenty of space.

5. LET WORD CHOICE = STYLE. 

I do this a lot; it's kind of my thing. I toss an archaic or old-timey or unnecessarily long word like a hand grenade in the middle of a sentence. Harbinger. Nincompoop. Shenanigans. That Jiffy in the Hot Pocket reference above.

Why? They're a little weird. We rarely use them in speaking. So they stand out. It's a stylistic choice I make. Do you make stylistic choices, too?

Example: Cubitts is a British eyeglasses retailer with a keen sense of style and service. From its About Us page:

"Our industry has become staid and uninspiring, characterised by badly made and fitted frames, confusing and overcomplicated processes, clinical and unfriendly environments, aggressive sales patter, and excessive wastage."

From its Services page:

"Tools to keep your spectacles in fine fettle."

Sales patter. Wastage. Fettle. Cubitts' fussy and precise word choice perfectly mirrors the fussy and precise approach of Cubitts itself. 

6. READ IT OUT LOUD. I will never stop nagging us to do this.

It's the difference between sounding like you... and sounding like an AI tool just spit out 100 Facebook ads for Hickory Ham Hot Pockets.

* * *

Have more fun in writing! Shout your humanity! Jump for joy!

You got this.

CONTENT TOOLS
A content tool I totally forgot about and rediscovered this week.

CannedEmails "I know this is inconsiderate for me to do by email, but I need to tell you something important, and it's hard for me to say in person." Sometimes you need a little coaching in how to respond to life's most vexing situations. And the minimalist UX of this site is pleasing.

EVENTS

📅 NOW ON-DEMAND! The 10 Things Great Marketing Writers Do That Set Them Apart [webinar] "Actionable tips delivered in a fun and witty way," wrote one attendee in the survey following this event last week. I'm always anxious about how well things hit... so of course I checked the feedback. If you are a MarketingProfs PRO [paid] members, you can catch it On-Demand.

📅 MARCH 30 AI for Writers Summit [virtual] I'm excited for this fireside chat closing keynote at this important event with the Marketing AI Institute's Paul Roetzer. [Cost: FREE for you at that link]* 

*[OK it's free for everyone. But I'm personally inviting YOU.]

📅 May 1-3 Creator Economy Expo [Cleveland, Ohio] If you run a content-first business... this is the event to be at! I'll be there along with Jesse Cole (Savannah Bananas), Jay Baer, Joe Pulizzi, and more inspiring/smart creators. Early bird pricing is in effect: FRIENDOFANN gets you ANOTHER 100 clams off any pass.

And speaking of birds...

📅 The Thing I'm Most Excited for This Year. This year is going to be off the charts!

DEPARTMENT OF SHENANIGANS

"Writing is a full-body sport," I wrote recently in a piece about typewriters and AI. Now one artist/technologist brought the idea to life—literally.

LOVE LETTERS

Shouts from around the internet.

💌 To TJ McCue at Forbes for including my perspective on AI writing.

💌 To Matt Lyles for hosting me on his Simple Brand podcast to talk about Everybody Writes 2.

💌 To Lyn McNamee for including this newsletter in her piece on how to monetize newsletters.

💌 To Sherry Bonelli and Bea Canuell at Search Engine Journal for including my advice in this piece on 8 content writing tips.

💌 To Brody Dorland at DivvyHQ for the book love.

💌 To Joe Jaffe for having me on his show to talk Everybody Writes 2, AI, and lots of other stuff! 

💌 To the incredible Mitch Joel for the always-engaging convo.

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Thanks for reading this far.

Thanks for your kindness and generosity.

Stay sane. Stay healthy. See you again on February 12.