I have something for you.
(Yes, you!)
It’s a permission slip I’m pretty sure you’ve been waiting for — but before I give it to you, I need to tell you why you should even listen to me (and take what I’m offering) in the first place.
I’m Caitie (that’s right, Anita’s not here today!), the website copywriter behind Caite Cupples Creative.
And people hire me to write their websites (and their emails), even though they *could* ask ChatGPT to do it for free.
Now, if you’re here, reading Anita’s blog, you’re probably thinking that it’s time to get a new website. And when you need a new website, you need a designer!
But — and here’s the thing so many people miss — you also need copy.
(A LOT of copy.)
Because Anita will, at some point during your project, show up in your inbox asking you to send her the copy for aaaall the pages she’s designing for you.
You might have a copywriter doing it for you, you might be DIYing, you might be using AI — but no matter what route you take…
You absolutely do not want your beautifully designed website to sound like a robot wrote it.
So, can I give you some pointers?
Here’s how I write connection-driven copy that converts like an award-winning salesperson for my clients in the age of AI — and the strategies you can swipe if you’ve got the time to write your copy yourself.
#1 Use AI more for research, and less for writing
AI bots can be very efficient “research assistants,” as long as you take the time to train them on your brand *and* you keep in mind that they can make mistakes (and that they like to tell you what you want to hear).
Instead of asking ChatGPT to write your About Page for you, ask for help exploring…
- What an ideal client *really* needs to hear on your website. Tell your bot what you know about your ideal client, then ask for a list of external and internal problems they are dealing with, plus what their below-the-surface desires are.
- What your competitors are doing well (and not doing well) so you can find — and cash in on! — your perfect “stand out” angle. Psst… using an AI search can also help you identify new competitors you hadn’t realized you had!
- What objections or hesitations your ideal client has about working with you, then you can consider how you can approach these with empathy and overcome them in your copy
- The questions your readers will have about your offers. Chatbots are really good at coming up with a (very) long list of FAQs, then you can decide which you want to answer in an FAQ section and which you want to answer directly in your copy.
Oh, and you can also use AI for brainstorming! If you know what the purpose of a particular section of your website copy should be, AI can help you come up with a list of bullet-pointed ideas on how to convey that message in a way that matches your brand.
Then, instead of taking *exactly* what ChatGPT spits out and handing it to your designer for your Home Page hero section, see if you can take the ideas you like best and write from them as inspiration. It takes more time, but I promise, it’s worth it.
#2 Make your website a conversation
Your website shouldn’t just mirror your LinkedIn profile. This is not a place to simply list your accomplishments and credentials to build credibility, then ask people to buy from you / book with you and cross your fingers.
Your website needs to be a conversation.
→ It needs to read like you’re saying the words out loud, in person, in your favorite spot at your favorite coffee shop (or, let’s be real, in your favorite spot on your couch), directly to ONE ideal client.
→ It needs to carry the cadence of a conversation. Your words need strategic emphasis so that when your ideal client reads your copy, they really do feel like you’re talking to them.
→ It can — strategically! — break grammar rules, because in real conversations, we use short, incomplete sentences, start them with “and” or “but” or “because” and end them with prepositions.
Even though our high school English teachers told us the grammar police would get us if we did.
→ It needs to speak their language and use words they actually use (not those industry-jargony terms), in a way that’s easy to read.
Which means…
NO: Long, convoluted sentences. No walls of copy made up of crazy long paragraphs.
YES: Break up your sentences. Break up your paragraphs. Keep it skimmable and digestible.
Not only does this convey the innate humanness of the writer, but it’s designed to help you better connect with your reader — building up your know / like / trust factor before you even jump on that first discovery call.
#3 Lean *hard* into your personality, your voice, and your story
The best way to make sure your website doesn’t sound like a robot wrote it?
Make it sound 100% like you.
It might be cheesy, but it’s also true — nobody else has the same experiences as you. Nobody else will make the same references or use all the same words as you. A robot simply can’t emulate true, lived experiences in an authentic way.
So you’ve got to lean all the way in to who you are and what you stand for.
And yes, your copy should be “professional,” but that does not mean it needs to be stuffy with zero personality.
In fact, it’s the opposite — your copy *has* to have your personality.
While ChatGPT can make generic references that your audience might resonate with, getting really, really specific with those references is so much more relatable — and so much more powerful when it comes to building a connection with your reader.
(*ahem* the kind of connection that makes them so ready to inquire to work with you!)
So tuck in those ultra-specific, oh-so-relatable references that you know your ideal client will resonate with.
Use the words you use in real life. Use slang (if it matches your brand voice!). Use curse words (again, if it matches your brand voice!). Use made-up words when there just *isn’t* a word in English that conveys exactly what you want to say.
Tell your real, authentic story on your About Page, filled with sensory details, your exact train of thought, the feelings in your body…
Because ChatGPT could literally never — it can’t read your mind. It can’t feel your feelings. It wasn’t there. And it’s not human.
The TL;DR?
AI can absolutely help you write a website. But if you let it 100% write it for you, you’re not only missing out on a chance to connect with your readers in a way that gets them SO excited to work with you, but you’re also blending straight in with the masses.
Because anybody can use AI to write their website.
But only your stories, your personality, and your voice can make your website truly one-of-a-kind.
So here’s your permission slip to open ChatGPT (or Claude, my personal favorite for writing!) and research and plan to your heart’s content.
Here’s another permission slip to shrug off (and burn) the metaphorical Boardroom Blazer you might think you have to sound like you’re wearing when people read your website.
And if you want it, here’s one last permission slip that I *really* hope you take:
Use the freaking em dash.
Writing a good website in the age of AI is not about simply avoiding “ChatGPT tells,” despite the number of “anti-em dash” Threads you’ve probably seen in the last 6 months.
It’s about bringing the human-ness back to your words and using that human-ness to sell through connection, empathy, and your uncopyable personality.
“Okay, Caitie, you convinced me. What do I do now?”
Phew, I’m so glad we’re on the same page! And your next steps are simple:
When you *do* decide it’s time for a new website, *don’t* skimp on your copy, and *don’t* fully outsource it to ChatGPT.
Decide if you want to take the time to learn how to DIY your website copy, or if you want to bring in a professional who knows how to make your personality and your expertise shine through strategically chosen words for every page of your website.
And talk to them *before* you start working with your website designer 😉
Now, if you want to chat about ME being that ~professional~ for you, the one who takes your website copy off your to-do list and even hands the approved final draft off to your designer for you, eek! That’s the best news.
You can learn more about me, my story (obviously), and my work over on my website, and, when you’re ready, inquire about your project. Anita and I can absolutely tag team your site from start to finish, and I’d love to be in your corner as you take this big step forward in your business.
And if it’s quite time to outsource your copy? I totally get it! So, until it is…
- Come say hi (and that you read this guest blog post!) over on Instagram — I’m there at @CaitieCupplesCreative!
- Get my newsletter, The Messy Middle, delivered to your inbox for weekly stories and strategies to help you feel better *and* write better in your business
- Download my “OMG I love your newsletter” story prompt bank for 38 storytelling ideas to use in your email newsletter (AKA the perfect way to nurture your audience and keep the conversation going after they fall in love with you from reading your website copy)
Cheering you on as you make your website dreams a reality,
Caitie xo
About the Author
Caitie Cupples is an empathy-first, conversational copywriter who helps creative entrepreneurs weave their personality, story, and values into the words that represent their brands so they can sell out their offers while feeling authentically themselves.
If Caitie’s not clacking away on her keyboard, writing website, email, or launch copy for clients, she’s probably taking a walk along the beach or in the woods of the Pacific Northwest with her family, adding *another* book to her library holds list, or baking delicious muffins that her kids may or may not deem edible.
To learn more about — and from! — Caitie, head to her website at www.caitiecupplescreative.com, on Instagram @caitiecupplescreative, or subscribe to her newsletter, The Messy Middle at www.caitiecupplescreative.com/subscribe.
📍 Website: www.caitiecupplescreative.com
📸 Instagram: @caitiecupplescreative
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