What’s really happening to copywriters?

There's a lot of talk at the moment about the future of copywriters vs. AI tools:

• Essential vs doomed

• Future vs past

• Redundant scribe vs hussling prompt engineer

This kind of binary bugs me a bit.

To be honest, it bugs me because I’m sick of hearing about it.

But mostly: posts on the topic usually fail to convey what a copywriter actually is - what the role is, and why it exists.

I've worked with copywriters for almost 20 years now, so please indulge me in a couple of pen-portraits:

1. The ‘pencil-and-paper’ copywriter

I've worked closely with a couple of these.

This is your pureblood creative.

They spend more time sketching or lounging on the couch than they do at a computer.

They work slowly on a big idea.

This is the kind of copywriter who scrunches up paper and throws it in the bin like an 80s film cliche.

They’re responsible for most of your TV memories; think Cadbury’s gorilla drummer, Irn Bru's snowman, the Guinness surfer.

They’re lateral thinkers, for whom 'scale' means the work is effective.

Accelerating and scaling up production just isn’t in their DNA.

The most successful examples of this person’s output often come across as illogical and random at first; they can be a hard sell to the client, relying on relationship, reputation, and trust.

And when it works, it doesn’t just move the dial; it becomes a cultural moment.

This kind of creativity cannot be outsourced to a machine.

2. The digital content writer

This is a completely different personality type, different skillset, different role.

I've been this person. And I've worked with oodles more.

Unlike the pencil-and-paper type, the digital content writer is necessarily a creature of the internet.

They write keyword-driven copy for content-hungry websites and channels.

They balance quantity with quality.

They exist in a digital ecosystem.

Scale matters, so the relationship with AI is different... and potentially problematic.

However, this writer has always been an adaptable and upskilling digital native.

For example, they’ve always needed to understand SEO, HTML & CSS, keywords, rankings, analytics, and numerous digital tools.

They’re commercially focused, persuasive communicators, adept with client relationships and project management.

Essentially, we're talking about dynamic, innovative, and full-stack digital professionals, adept at handling change and comfortable at the forefront of trends and tech adoption.

This person is ideally situated to the world of work right now.

Conclusion?

I’m not saying the work is always out there and easy to find.

I’m not saying these roles aren’t affected by new tech.

But I think we need to be aware of the kinds of people we’re talking about when we make grand pronouncements about who needs to upskill with what, and who’s getting replaced, left behind, etc.