Convos with Kim
In last Friday’s issue of Copy Insiders, I shared in detail my own experience in testing out a new AI (artificial intelligence) copywriting tool called “Conversion.AI”.
(If you missed it, you can read it on my blog here. It’s called “Does this ‘magic push button’ AI tool live up to the hype?” FYI that term within quotes comes from one copywriting goo-roo’s recent sales pitch promoting it as an affiliate.)
I asked for feedback from anyone who’s used this AI tool to see if they agreed or disagreed with my dismal assessment of its actual value for writing “high-converting” (the actual words on their website) copy.
With more than 15,000 buyers in the Conversion.AI Facebook group, I had seen several familiar faces (even former mentees!) who were members…
So I figured I’d hear from some of you. And I did!
Let me share some of the email “convos” from Copy Insiders I received over the weekend…
Here’s what one highly-experienced copywriter, Jeff Kimes, had to say (I got to hang out with him and another Copy Insider in Munich after Oktoberfest pre-Covid…)
“OMG I totally tried that thing too.
It’s kinda ok for generating some ideas, but with the clients I write for right now… it’s unusable.
I tried it out on a FB campaign and it performed 10X worse than the last campaign I wrote. 10X!!!!
I can see it working for generic stuff like weight loss or Dr John Doe’s supplements sold on a churn-and-burn list or something like that, but if you need stand out in the market or if you deal with anything that requires even a smidge of nuance, yeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh no.
Appreciate this one :)”
A few Copy Insiders did say they had found the product useful for a few things (NOT sales copy).
Copywriter (and drummer for Spirit Machines, a Utah-based rock band with an incredibly talented and brilliant lead singer) Michael Collins had this to say…
“I found the same thing. I still have my membership with it because it’s actually pretty damn good at coming up with Instagram captions. But that’s it! Our careers are safe for now!”
And Britney Gardner said she found it useful for a few things (but she’ll still be canceling it soon)…
“I’m certainly not a copy newbie – been taking copywriting courses and reading books since 2013 or so – but I have found one or two benefits from Conversion.AI. NOT enough benefit to warrant their price tag and I’ll also be canceling, but…
- It helps me organize for blog post writing and outlining a podcast episode
- It gives me ideas for headlines when I’m stuck. I’ll 100% agree they’re mostly crappy headlines, but it gets juices flowing”
Like I said in my Copy Insiders issue, for upwards of $100+ a month, getting something that produces even a barely workable “sh*tty first draft” for that kind of money just ain’t worth it in my book…and many of you agree!
Then there was this comment from a long-time Copy Insider from Italy who shall remain unnamed… “Wow! What a great email!!!! I agree with you 100% And I’m sick of all these ‘copyLiars’ (yes I’ve invented this new word) that over promise this and that…”
(There was a MUCH more scathing critique from another Copy Insider in Thailand that I’ll leave out about these “copy liars”… he did appreciate the good laugh. He said was going to spend his money on my Client Badassery Secrets e-book instead of Jarvis–and he did!)
And to me, that’s part of my issue with this product, and the folks who are looking to rack up monthly affiliate commissions off of selling it to copywriters…
It seems like being a traitor to your own profession.
Look, I realize machine-learning still has a ways to go…and AI is here to stay.
But right here, right now, and in the time that many of us still have left in our working years, it’s not going to replace what we do…as long as we keep evolving and getting better at what we do.
Meaning, it’s on each of us to keep learning and developing and upgrading our skills, so we’re not replaceable by some robot that churns out basic, “me too” copy.
It’s like any career, and it’s advice I would give to any young person. You don’t want to be doing a job that a robot can do.
So keep that in mind when it comes to the copy you write. Those who churn out content articles are already being replaced. But understanding how to differentiate a product and push all the emotional “hot” buttons that make someone buy?
That’s still a HUMAN function!
It still takes the research and “sweat equity” to create great sales copy. But the rewards are there for doing so.
BUT…just to have a little fun, I decided to ask for any REAL life examples of successful sales copy that Jarvis had written in that 15,000+ member Conversion.AI Facebook group.
What have I heard back since making that post on Friday (aside from a few “likes”?)
Crickets!
You’d think in a group of 15,000+ copywriters and marketers, there would be PLENTY of examples shared of “high-converting” sales copy, as Conversion.AI likes to promise on their website.
Here’s EXACTLY what they’re promising, to be clear…
I’ll keep you posted if I actually hear of any real-life examples (besides somewhat-generic content articles). I won’t be holding my breath!
And neither should you…