Subject: The AI Mistake That's Costing You Clients (And How to Fix It Today)
How to Use AI Without Sounding Like AI.
This is a crucial rule in newsletter copywriting (and emails to your email list): write for humans, not search engines.
Most copywriters are using AI for writing newsletters in the completely wrong way. They're optimizing for the algorithm instead of the audience.
The Robot Trap (And Why Everyone Falls Into It)
Many copywriters get excited about AI. They feed it a prompt and receive perfectly structured content back. They send it to their clients and wonder why nobody responds.
What’s the issue? Well, AI gives you what it thinks good writing looks like based on millions of corporate blogs and marketing websites. But newsletters aren't corporate blogs. They're conversations.
When you write for robots, you get robot responses. Which is to say, no responses at all.
What "Writing for Robots" Actually Looks Like
Here are some real-life examples:
Robot Version: "This week's insights demonstrate how market optimization strategies can enhance your quarterly performance metrics through data-driven decision making."
Human Version: "Remember when you said you'd start tracking your numbers next month? Well, it's been six months. Let's fix that."
See the difference? The first one sounds like it was written by a committee of consultants. The second sounds like your smart friend giving you a reality check.
The Three Dead Giveaways You're Writing for Robots
You're using words nobody says out loud. If you wouldn't say "leverage synergistic solutions" at a coffee shop, don't put it in your newsletter.
Every sentence is the same length. Robots love consistency. Humans love rhythm. Short sentences pack a punch. Longer sentences let you build up to a point and then deliver it with impact.
You're avoiding having a personality. The AI wants to be helpful and inoffensive. But inoffensive is forgettable. And forgettable doesn't get you hired.
Here's How to Use AI Without Sounding Like One
Step 1: Let AI do the research and structure. It's actually great at pulling together information and organizing thoughts. Perplexity, for example, is a great AI research tool.
Step 2: Rewrite every single sentence in your own voice. Yes. Every. Single. One.
Step 3: Read it out loud. If you stumble over a phrase or it sounds like something you'd never actually say, change it.
Step 4: Add something the AI would never include - a weird observation, a personal story, an opinion that might annoy some people.
The Real Secret (That Most People Miss)
The goal isn't to write perfect newsletters. It's to write newsletters that make people think, "This person gets it."
"Gets it" means you understand their real problems, not just their business problems. You know they're checking email while pretending to listen in meetings. You know they're tired of being sold to. You know they want to feel like they're talking to a real person, not a brand.
AI can help you organize those thoughts. But only you can make them feel real.
Your Assignment (If You Want It)
Take your last AI-generated newsletter. Read it out loud. Every time you hit a phrase that sounds like corporate speak, rewrite it like you're explaining it to a friend.
Don't worry about being professional. Worry about being memorable.
Remember, use AI as a research assistant. Not a ghostwriter.