It’s been quite a show seeing the inevitable play out in real time:
Many boys & ghouls who were hyping generative so-called AI up as the Second Coming of copywriting just a few months ago are now quite vocal about calling out its obvious flaws & limitations. It’s always been a bubble, and when that bubble pops it’ll be quite a sticky mess, I suspect.
“BUT BEN! I ONLY USE IT FOR RESEARCH!”
Sure, and let me guess… you use it to “brainstorm” with?
Personally, I prefer to “brainstorm” with the market directly like great salesmen have always done.
Take, for example, the late, great Gary Halbert who did it to write his family crest sales letter that is, from what understand, the “most mailed” sales letter in history. Yes, Gary literally knocked on doors after a series of failures selling it, showed his market his report, got their feedback, figured out where he’d been going wrong… and then knocked out a one page letter that changed the face of direct response marketing forever.
So-called AI could not have given him that info, only his market could, directly.
This reminds me of something another great A-list copywriter Doug D’Anna taught when I interviewed him back in 2007. He spent more time in that interview talking about the importance of knowing one’s market at an intimate, personal, and, yes, human level than any copywriting technique.
It was not what my nubile copywriting fanboy brain wanted to hear.
But it was desperately what it needed to hear.
Here’s the example he gave:
Every day is different. Like today. Yesterday the market dropped 300 points, today I haven’t checked it. I have three versions over at the one publisher of a couple of different ads that I think are on the pulse of the market. . . The best way to learn isn’t with another course, it’s an OJT, on the job training.
“I need this back in two hours, we need a new headline and the close is weak.” Can you correct it for me?”
Do you think you can work that way?
That’s why I guess I do the little coaching. Because I believe in my heart that the better salesman you are outside of copywriting the better copywriter you will be because you’ll get the ebb and flow. You’ll instinctively know how to deal with a human being.
“Ebb and flow” is the key phrase.
You get that by interacting directly with your market, not a robot spitting back what could very likely be lies, fantasy, and/or outright bull shyt. That can get you ganked in business if you aren’t careful.
Or maybe you think so-called AI is going to help you deal better with human beings.
At Low Stress Trading we have been doing some market research to sell the offer to the Chiropractor market. And Troy’s former chiropractor – who is cleaning up using the trading framework – is not only going to be the voice & spokesman for us to that market, but he spent a lot of time filling out a detailed market analysis I sent to him.
I also spent a lot of time using so-called AI to help with research while waiting.
Yes, the so-called AI had some useful stats, numbers, assumptions.
But just the first page ALONE of what the human told me was light years more useful than the data – much of it laughably inaccurate and inconsistent – the robot spit out when asked.
Anyway, all this is on my mind because of a question I got about how to stay relevant:
Amongst the grifters, AI prophets, and people who all sound the same – you stand out. For some reason, it feels different, and authentic.
I believe this is the most important question of 2025, which is:
In a world where the amount of content, maturation of markets, and general consensus of knowledge is speeding up – how do you stay relevant without doing the same?
If someone in my niche is giving the free exercises and secrets way, and I don’t, how can I possibly compete or achieve any comparable market share with that person?
Of course I can create content around other “soft teaching”
However with Tik tok brain at an all time high, people want NOW, give me the answer in 3 bullet points.
And I could give it to them. So I suspect some pushback if and when I don’t.
Anyway, would appreciate your thoughts on this. I am sending because I think it could help others as well.
All the best this year,
The answer:
1. Know thy market better than anyone else by talking to/mailing actual humans, getting their reactions, studying what they say/do/feel, not trying to outsource it for better “efficiency.” It is far better to be more effective than more efficient when applicable.
2. Outwork everyone else.
Rest takes care of itself in my experience.
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Ben Settle
