Do NOT use AI to write your website or your content – here’s why
This post has one purpose: to convince you NOT to use AI to write your content for your business.
Ever read something you wrote with ChatGPT and thought, “This sounds fine, but also… like a robot who just discovered Brené Brown?”
Exactly.
People are starting to be able to tell ChatGPT copy from a mile away, and research shows that people are starting to scroll right past posts when they realize they were written by AI.
What research? My own haha — in my Uncaged Lifers FB group I asked what people think about AI content when they see it. The majority said that they hate it and can tell, and that it doesn’t feel authentic to them.
I know it can be tempting to hop into ChatGPT and have it bang out a post for you in seconds, but PLEASE, I beg you – don’t use AI to write your content, and definitely don’t use it to write your website copy!
It’s a great tool to get some ideas down so you’re not staring at a blank screen, but it needs to be heavily edited to make it sound like a normal person wrote it.
ChatGPT’s copy is polite and it know how not to rock any boats – it’s perfectly balanced – which also means it’s kind of soulless. It tries to sound warm and friendly, but often ends up reading like your HR manager got really into attachment theory lol.
Here are 9 tell tale signs that ChatGPT write your copy for you (make sure to avoid these in your own writing AND use them as a way to tell AI generated content from others):
1. It over-explains everything
AI doesn’t trust you to get the point. It has to explain every idea like it’s teaching a beginner workshop. This also makes it sound more convincing (and it wants you to believe it so you keep using it!)
Example:
“A healthy relationship requires communication. This means that both people need to listen, understand, and respond to each other’s needs.”
It can feel redundant and like it’s using way too many words to say one basic thing.
If you do use AI, edit these parts out! Say it once. Then stop. No need to repeat it in a different way.
2. It’s way too polite
ChatGPT is a people-pleaser. And even if you are too, you need to learn how to NOT write like one (because writing convincingly in your business is all about taking a stand for something); And AI never takes a side.
Example:
“While some people prefer direct conversations, others may find it more helpful to take time to process before sharing their thoughts.”
Thanks for the TED Talk (eyeroll).
How to avoid this in your own copy and not sound like a robot: Have an opinion. “Avoiding conflict isn’t ‘taking time to process.’ It’s avoidance dressed up as emotional maturity.”
3. It wraps everything in a perfect little bow
Every paragraph feels like it was written for a university assignment, and I am pretty sure the last time you wrote something for University was a very long time ago – so don’t start bringing that style of writing back to life now. Not the time or the place.
Example:
“Setting boundaries helps both partners understand each other better and create a stronger relationship. Overall, it’s an essential part of healthy communication.”
What a real human should do in a blog post instead: End on the line that hits hardest. No summaries. No neat conclusions.
4. It turns everything into a list
Ask it for a post about trust and you’ll get something like this:
Example:
“Here are three ways to build trust: (1) Be honest. (2) Be consistent. (3) Keep your promises.”
Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, and not the most exciting to read. Lists can be helpful (like this post, for example), but you don’t need lists in every piece that you write.
Avoid too many lists in your content! Tell stories instead of lists. And keep your paragraphs short break things up, rather than needing a bullet point.
5. It’s full of filler phrases
You can feel it padding the word count. “In conclusion.” “Overall.” “It’s important to remember.”
Example:
“In conclusion, communication is the foundation of every healthy relationship.”
Fix it: The filler words are a dead giveaway, and again, makes it sound like you’re writing an essay rather than a blog post that is supposed to connect. Drop the fillers and read your writing out loud. If you wouldn’t say it out loud, delete it.
6. It writes for everyone (which means no one)
AI loves to sound inclusive, so it strips away anything that could sound too specific, too bold, or too real. SO much for your wonderful niching work you have worked so hard on! AI will ruin that in an instant.
Example:
“Partners can improve their relationships through vulnerability and mutual respect.”
That’s technically true… and completely forgettable. If you write like this people’s eyes will glaze over because they don’t think it relates to their specific situation. Don’t forget all your super specific niche language!! AI can’t possibly know all of that.
How to make your writing hit the right people the right way: Write for your people. “If they can’t handle you saying ‘that hurt,’ they’re not your person.” It’s ok if you say something sorta controversial or that not everyone will agree with – that kind of the point of your content!
7. The “it’s not X, it’s Y” trick
This is THE most annoying thing that it does, and in my opinion, gives it away instantly that it’s AI!
AI thinks this formula makes it sound deep. It does not. It makes it sound like AI.
Example:
“It’s not about finding the right person. It’s about becoming the right person.”
We’ve seen it on every Pinterest quote board since 2014. OVER IT. Even if you used to write like this on your own, before AI, you will need to find a new way to express those ideas because AI owns the market on this now and you will be seen as a robot if you use this trick.
Just don’t do it.
8. The overly empathetic pep talk
AI figured out empathy sells, so now it overdoes it. It tries to sound like your therapist sometimes. I have actually asked mine to stop using empathy when it responds to me lol
Example:
“If you’re struggling to set boundaries, know that you’re not alone. You’re doing your best, and that’s enough.”
Sweet, but it sounds like a therapy meme.
Fix it: Make empathy specific. “Yeah, saying no feels scary when you’re used to over-giving. Let’s work on that.”
The Real Bottom Line
AI can help you write faster. It cannot help you sound authentic. It’s great for getting a smattering of ideas down, and then it’s up to you to heavily edit it, make sure to delete any of the common things that I listed above, and add your own voice, your own examples, and your own cadence of writing/speaking to it.
If you must use it to get started with content, fine… but then rewrite it like you mean it.
And I recommend NOT using it at all for your main content on your website (Home Page, About Page, Sales Page for your program or services etc). These pages are WAY too important to sound like a robot wrote them. People want to buy from PEOPLE, and if they sense AI, they may leave before they even have a chance to get to know you and how you can help.
Your writing should be authentic.
Less polished. More human. That’s what people actually feel.
(^ I actually used AI to write this post and then edited most of it — but I left that last line in….. Can you tell that it was written by AI!?)
OH YEAH one more thing—no more em-dashes. That’s the long dash you see AI use ALL the time (the one I just used in my last sentence so you can see what it looks like!). I can actually just scan content quickly these days and if it has any em-dashes I know it’s almost certainly AI. Just don’t use them. Use punctuation like a normal person.
PS — What to use if you aren’t allowed to use AI? Well, we thought of everything 😉 We have a whole “Write Your Website” bundle on sale this week for Black Friday, launching tomorrow – keep an eye out for that!
