Writing is rewriting… it always has been.

Marketing trends, on the other hand, come and go.  Some of them are quite discombobulating…

… such as the one where you had to only write using words of one syll… (seriously, that’s a thing). Which is hard.

And the current wave of online writing, especially when AI is involved, is causing more than a little sky-is-falling hysteria.

Many have tried ChatGPT and other AI models and found them less than impressive.  

But that’s because they overuse it, don’t use good prompts, or just misread its potential. AI is often dismissed as useless, repetitive or subpar. 

And in its pure form, most AI generated writing is all three of the above.

But things are changing again. 

There’s now (in 2024) another huge shift in how content is being created. 

This is propelled by a massive uptick in the art of refining, and rewriting content to meet the new standards of digital marketing.  And to make it more ‘human’. 

And trust me, only a human can do that.

Rewriting or copyediting used to be called ‘the craft’ of writing. The art of course, is in coming up with an inspired idea and scribbling down a few notes.

Here’s an example of why you should copyedit. 

I asked AI to write the opening to this very post as if it was a human with a friendly, professional voice. 

This is what it came up with (I’m not joking this is what it wrote):

“It's just me mate, your friendly neighbourhood copywriter, sipping tea and having a chinwag with you about why everyone's getting their knickers in a twist over AI-driven content creation.”

Did the fact that I’m a British writer make it channel the voice of Dick Van Dyck attempting cockney rhyming slang in the film Mary Poppins? A film that came out in 1964… 

After chuckling like me old guvna staggering up the apples after a few King Lears, a wave of relief washed over me.

Here’s the thing: Writers (copywriters, bloggers etc.) are not going to be replaced any time soon…

We’ve just got to change our writing process.

The Rise of New Copyediting Techniques 

When Google announced its E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles, a lot of people freaked.

Understandably. 

It’s so vague.

But let’s examine this a bit more closely.

The Misunderstood Trend of AI-First-Draft Content Creation

Unless you’re looking for one-liners or a cheap ad that doesn’t work,  AI-generated writing fails the sparkle-entertain-amaze test.

So, all you have to do is use it as a jumping off point rather than the final product. 

In other words, edit the raw AI content into a final draft of high-quality writing through meticulous copyediting and rewriting.

What is Copyediting?

Copyediting is also called rewriting. It’s the most important aspect of writing content for your website or blog.

It’s the process of improving a piece of writing by going over it and making improvements in terms of flow, structure, clarity, and voice.

Sweep 1: Improving Structure & Flow, 

AI can produce content quickly, but it can be nonsensical, wordy and weird. 

You need human intervention to make sure it comes alive and the meaning is clear, the tone appropriate, and it’s pleasing to your readers & potential customers. 

Start with an editing sweep checking for flow, clarity, and tone. 

This means checking it all makes sense. 

Rewrite the way your article moves from beginning to end. AI can be good at overall structure, but very generic and deadly dull. When it comes to the structure of ideas - make it make sense. 

For your reader’s delight - use things like hooks, call & response, and story beats.

Liven things up, move headings around, and for the love of all things good write your own headings. 

In this sweep you can also tidy up sentence structure. 

When it comes to sentence structure, aim for variety, rhythm and an understanding that the human brain enjoys patterns and change which means that some written (or spoken) sentences are short.

Others are not.

Sweep 2: (Brand) Voice:

Voice is voice. Writer’s voice, that is. Whether it’s a brand or not.

You might be writing a blog in your own actual voice. In this case the voice is both your own voice and the brand voice. 

Or, your business might need a specific type of brand voice. When I write copy for financial companies, the brand voice has to be professional and friendly - and conscious of compliance all the time.

One of the things I enjoy about copywriting is that I get to write in different voices. I have the voice of a fun, exotic travel company one day… and a warm, profound mindfulness coach the next.

However much you ask it to, AI won’t get your brand voice or voice voice spot on.

Copyediting for voice is a sweep of its own. 

The best way to do this is to write how you talk.

The best way to do that - is to read the words aloud. Some people find it helps to use dictation. If you’re a touch typist, you probably don’t need this.

Sweep 3: Check Those E-E-A-T Principles

Most website owners and bloggers know by now that E-E-A-T (Experience,

Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is a thing. 

It’s the standard that search engines like Google are looking for if you want your article to get ranked. And that’s the essence of content marketing. 

We know the algorithms are evolving so copyedit your writing with these things in mind: 

Experience: 

Content showing you’ve got firsthand experience or real-world insights is better and will get ranked higher. 

This means you’ve got to focus on factual accuracy as well as noting any personal experiences, case studies, or expert interviews.

AI hallucinates and makes things up - so check any research it does for accuracy. Then add in a story of your own for credibility.

Simple really,

Expertise: 

Demonstrating expertise, particularly in specialised fields, will make a difference. 

Using good, conversational - style prompts, AI can do the brainstorming till the cows come home, but human copyediting means you must flesh it all out with detailed knowledge. 

Write what you know, and if you don’t know about it - ask someone who does or do a good job of some deep research. 

Make sure your content is not only accurate but also insightful.

As I used to explain to my students before exams - you’ll always get higher marks if you have an original interpretation (this is in English Literature - not sure if that’s the same with Maths but you get my point).

Authoritativeness:

Authority sounds like something only the big companies can hope to have online. However, Google says your own authority can be built over time through consistent, high-quality content. 

Copyediting is all part of this.

It’s the most powerful online marketing tool you can use. It means you write content that’s well-researched, well-written, and interesting to read.

In theory, this should perform better in search rankings. 

A blogger in a forum once put this very concisely: 

“Don’t give up. Keep writing. Write about things you know, things you love, and understand. “

Remember this: Writing, online marketing, & getting traffic to your website is a long game.

It takes time to get noticed in the babble. Be patient.

Trustworthiness:

Trust is earned through transparency, integrity, and writing things that genuinely try to give your readers what they want. 

Answer their questions. Have standards.

AI-generated first-draft content, when carefully reviewed and edited, can meet these criteria if you do this:

• Avoid sensationalism, lies or clickbait.

• Focus on good research - remember AI makes things up sometimes.

• Take time to develop your voice.

• Above all, be interesting.

Why This Marketing Trend Is More Successful Than It Seems

Despite the scepticism, a careful blend of AI-generated stuff and human copyediting is proving to be a powerful strategy for creating high-quality, effective content. 

The trend is successful because it blends the efficiency of AI with the critical thinking and creativity of human editors/writers.

AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. 

By all means, use it to handle the initial stages of getting a few words on the page. Then the real writing begins… as soon as you start refining what you’ve got through skilled copyediting. 

This is how any business can create good content that not only ranks well in search engines, but also makes their readers happy. 

And happy readers often grow into customers.

Writing is rewriting…

It always has been.

When I started out teaching creative writing to fiction authors, they understood that everyone writes a ‘shitty’ first draft. 

Once that’s done, the real writing begins.

The belief that this marketing trend—AI-driven human-edited content creation—isn't successful is rooted in a misunderstanding of how the process works. 

In the beginning AI was used as a shortcut… let it do everything & press publish… and that’s how you got mediocre content. 

Good copyediting, is a beautiful thing, my friend.

If you’re lazy and don’t want to rewrite the word-salad AI gives you, then you won’t believe this trend works. And your online content will be lost in the forever slush-pile of the WayBack machine.

For the rest of us, copyediting or rewriting is just the rebirth of what has always been the craft of good writing. 

And it works.