I was on Facebook the other day, reading yet another post with people griping about ‘AI slop’. It was scores of people piling on, hating on things written with AI.

Of course, much of what they were saying was true. But what they were saying about AI could be said about every area of life:

A majority of TV shows aren’t that good.

Movies and music – likewise.

The key is not to get caught up in the negativity spiral, but to figure out how to escape it.

Not all of my copy is created by AI. But I get as many complements on my AI copy as I do that stuff that’s 100% Rob written. 

So you CAN create AI copy so good folks actually write emails telling you so. And here are four ways you can ensure it happens to you too!

1. Think of AI copy like online dating

.
Yes, I really just said that! And here’s what I mean:

If you’ve been in a nasty relationship (and a lot of us have been there) you learn about the things that you like, what you don’t like, what’s nonnegotiable and what’s a deal-breaker.

And you do your best to make sure your next one has more of the good things and less of the nasty ones.,

It’s the same with AI copy.

The Facebook post I was reading contained 10 to 15 gripes about AI copy. Instead of complaining, those folks could have turned what they hated into what they loved.

HERE’S HOW:  Just like an online dating profile, where you’re going to make a list of what you’re looking for, as well as the characteristics of people who need not apply, you’re going to create a prompt that contains the things you want and the things you don’t want.

Suggestion: if you’re one of the AI haters, come up with a list of 10 things you absolutely can’t stand about AI copy. And in your next AI copy prompt be sure to list those as things to avoid.

It’s called negative prompting, and you’d be surprised how effective it is.

2.  It’s not all negative

.
On the positive side you want to be very specific about what you are looking for.

If you want to create snarky, humorous copy, you might want to prompt for  copy that sounds like it’s been written by an internationally known comedian famed for his snarky routines.

If you want to be serious, heartfelt, and compassionate make sure you emphasize those characteristics and maybe drop an example or two of how that looks.

Or if you’re a more hard-charging, bottom-line business mentor type, include a list of no-nonsense assertive qualities.

Whatever it is you’re looking for – just be sure to list it in your prompt. AI isn’t psychic – don’t expect it to be.

3.  AI is its own worst critic (that’s a good thing).

.
No matter how nasty you believe AI copy is, AI’s opinion of itself is even worse.

Doubt that? Try this:  The next time AI generates copy for you, ask it to evaluate what it just wrote based on specific criteria of what you’re looking for. And what you wanted it to avoid.

Have it list 7 areas where it feels it fell short of the target, as well as the 5 areas where it nailed it.

You might be surprised to find that AI picked up on shortcomings you missed. And described what it did well with powerful precise language you can use in future prompts.

Once it’s given you both lists simply ask it to rewrite the copy based on Improving the areas where it fell short, and amplifying and focusing on the places it was strong.

4.  The key is in the rewrite.

.
This is something we take for granted with anything we create manually. Whether it’s a sketch, a long blog post, a short story or something more extensive, our first draft is rarely our best draft.

For some reason, we don’t allow AI the same consideration.

We expect it to be perfect right out of the gate every time. Well, guess what folks: It isn’t.

So don’t be indignant, surprised or angry when this happens, but direct it to re-create the substandard copy amplifying the characteristic you feel is missing.

Bonus point: Give it a numerical value to provide clarity on how much more of that quality you are looking for.

Example: When AI returns subject lines, titles or headlines, that feel unremarkable, I’ll give it a numerical scale to amplify the missing quality I’m looking for:

“I’m looking for subject lines that are substantially hookier. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being off-the-charts hooky) I would give the current crop of subject lines or rating of 2. Please provide a fresh batch of subject lines but increase their hookiness factor to 7.”

Giving it an exact numerical target (instead of saying “make it more hooky”) get me closer to exactly what I want.

Someone who is trying to cash in by throwing AI at the wall and hoping it sticks.

But here’s a tip: Instead of getting pissed off, notice what’s missing. And be sure your future AI requests include the characteristics that would have made that same content valuable for you.

Yes, AI can feel overwhelming and threatening. So it’s understandable that every time it encroaches on our own standards of what’s good and what’s not, we have a negative reaction.

That’s human. Just don’t get stuck there.

Use your awareness plus some of the specific guidance above to make sure your own AI copy and creations send people over the moon rather than into a nose dive.