Will ChatGPT replace the content writer?

Discover the impact of ChatGPT on content writing! While the industry will undoubtedly change, replacing content writers is unlikely.

Will ChatGPT replace the content writer?
Figuring out the future of the content writer with ChatGPT on the rise

Tough question, but my first answer would be negative. ChatGPT for sure will have impact on the role and type of activities, but replacing is unlikely. Let me list what a content writer actually does and what the importance of the work is. And then see what will change and how to adapt.

What does a content writer actually do?

As the definition of content in the digital marketing world continues to evolve, the role of a content writer can vary. Some content writers focus specifically on one aspect of content production, such as researching and writing blog posts that are optimized for the search engines.

Other content writers may provide a wide variety of services related to the production of engaging, relevant content.

The fundamental role of a content writer begins with understanding the target audience of the company they are writing for.

The best content writers know how to adapt their tone of voice and marketing efforts to the expectations of their target audience.

At the same time, these professionals can write content that is optimized for both human audiences and search engine algorithms.

Some tasks a content writer may be responsible for:

  • Keyword research
  • Content strategy
  • Production of content
  • Proofreading and editing
  • Publishing and outreach
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If you are interested in writing for the web check out my articles on the 4 professional writing roles and the difference between a copywriter and content writer

What is the importance of content writing?

In today's digital age, the term content writing applies to the art of planning, writing, and publishing web content. Content writers may also be responsible for promoting and editing the content they create.

Content writing is a form of inbound marketing designed to attract an audience to a specific company, product or digital place.

The goal is to share valuable information about a product or brand, gain customer trust, improve engagement, and create sales opportunities.

Today, content writing practices are used in the creation of various forms of content, including:

Blogging: Blogs are a central part of building a strong content strategy, they can convey ideas related to products and brand while highlighting content expertise.

Blogs can also be useful for SEO purposes, to build organic traffic and increase brand awareness.

Email: Writing content for emails can help convert customers, as well as generate better engagement for your business. Email marketing also helps to build loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Social media: Social channels require content writers to convey different ideas and campaigns as effectively as possible.

Product content: Selling products and services requires a unique set of writing skills. It requires balancing sales copy, storytelling and SEO strategies.

Brand journalism: PR news releases, customer and brand stories, and internal communications can all need the support and guidance of a content writer.

White papers and e-books: Content writers can help produce highly technical and professional content that requires a focus on a specific topic. This helps to reinforce the authority of the brand.

Video scripts: If scripts are needed to create videos or even podcasts for a company's branding purposes, a content writer can help with this.

Where will ChatGPT have impact on Content Writing

I do content writing, but I am not a full time content writer. Now with ChatGPT my focus would shift from planning and designing content, learn and train writing good text prompting, to editorial activities on AI-generated content and making it more search engine optimized.

ChatGPT is, with a difficult word, a stochastic parrot, which means it can, in a very eloquent way, say stupid, dangerous and harmful things. This means there is an important aspect of fact checking that will need to be done. And also, ChatGPT works on existing information, human made. You would think it also needs new input, which still will be human made. So there is a premium on news.

What is harder to predict is how ChatGPT will change the whole context where content has its informative value. Will the web be flooded with texts, choke or partially replace search engines? Will the readers look for cues that content is human made, or will they flock to ChatGPT to read answers there first hand? Exciting times ahead.