#515 - Martin Booth - AI Copywriting

About this episode

How can AI Copywriting help Martin Booth, who has worked as a journalist and copywriter, but traditional clients are turning to large language models to draft their copy nowadays? An answer emerges during the conversation.

Summary of Podcast

The rise of AI copywriting

Martin shares his perspective on the growing impact of AI tools like ChatGPT on the copywriting industry. He explains how clients are increasingly turning to AI-generated content, which has reduced the demand for his services. The group discusses strategies for copywriters to adapt and remain relevant in this changing landscape.

Opportunity in Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)

Graham introduces the concept of Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) as a potential solution for copywriters to differentiate themselves. He explains AI copywriting is how AEO focuses on crafting content that is optimised for how AI language models like ChatGPT search and surface information, rather than traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) tactics. The group explores the technical and creative aspects of AEO, and the potential for Martin to position himself as an expert in this emerging field.

Recap and next steps

Kevin and Graham summarise the key insights from the discussion, emphasising the need for copywriters to adapt to the changing landscape and leverage AI tools in strategic ways. They express optimism about Martin's ability to capitalise on the AEO opportunity and become a thought leader in this space.

The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled eleven years ago to help businesses market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. He's the founder of MicroYES, a Partner of MeclabsAI, providing AI Agents, Workflows and Phone to Agent delivery systems. Now, Graham offers Answer Engine Optimisation so you get found by LLM search and Enterprise-level AI Solutions.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com

NOTE: Here's What Claude Thinks

Why copywriters are well-positioned:

1. LLMs don't just scrape keywords; they evaluate coherence, clarity, and authoritative structure
2. Answer engines prioritise content that demonstrates expertise through well-reasoned arguments, not just SEO tricks
3. Copywriters understand persuasion architecture - how to build credible cases that convince readers (and now, AI systems evaluating on behalf of readers)
4. Direct response copywriters especially understand question-answer flow and anticipating objections - precisely what LLMs look for when synthesising answers

The critical shift required:

1. Traditional copywriting optimises for human conversion
2. AEO copywriting must optimise for AI comprehension then human conversion
3. This means explicit structure: clear topic sentences, logical progression, supporting evidence, contextual markers
4. Less "clever" wordplay, more semantic clarity and entity relationships

Where copywriters have genuine advantage over AI-generated content:

1. Domain expertise translation - taking complex client knowledge and structuring it authoritatively
2. Evidence marshaling - knowing which proofs, testimonials, data points establish credibility
3. Question anticipation - your direct response background means you already think in terms of buyer journey questions
4. Understanding what makes content citable and quotable by LLMs

The reality check: Those copywriters who were primarily executing formulaic landing pages or generic blog content were always vulnerable to AI displacement. But copywriters who can architect information authority - structuring expertise so AI engines recognise and cite it - that's a defensible, valuable skill.

You're essentially asking: "Can craftspeople who've been building for human readers pivot to building for AI intermediaries who serve human readers?" The answer is yes, because the fundamental skill - persuasive information architecture - transfers directly.