Most e-commerce sites have copy that sounds like it was written by a committee. Because it usually was.
Product descriptions read like spec sheets. CTAs are generic (“Learn More,” “Click Here”). Value propositions are either invisible or incomprehensible. And nobody has time to fix it because “good copy takes time.”
I’ve spent 18 years writing and editing conversion copy for e-commerce platforms. What used to take me days now takes hours. Not because I’ve gotten sloppy—because I’ve gotten smarter about how I work with AI.
The Copy Problem Nobody Talks About
Here’s what typically happens:
- Designer creates beautiful mockups with placeholder copy
- Developer implements with lorem ipsum or generic text
- Marketing writes “final” copy under deadline pressure
- Copy gets edited by stakeholders who each have opinions
- Result: watered-down, conversion-killing nonsense
The problem isn’t that people can’t write. It’s that writing good conversion copy requires context, strategy, and iteration—and most teams don’t have time for all three.
How I Used to Do It (The Slow Way)
Before AI, my process looked like this:
For a product page:
- Research competitor copy (1-2 hours)
- Review brand voice guidelines (30 mins)
- Draft multiple headline variations (1 hour)
- Write body copy with features → benefits translation (2 hours)
- Create compelling CTAs (30 mins)
- Review and refine (1 hour)
- Total: 5-6 hours per page
Multiply that across dozens of pages, and you’re looking at weeks of work.
How I Do It Now (The Fast Way)
Same quality. Fraction of the time.
Here’s my current workflow:
1. AI Brainstorming (15 minutes)
I start by giving AI context:
- Product/service details
- Target audience pain points
- Brand voice characteristics
- Conversion goals
- Competitor positioning
Then I ask for 10 headline variations with different angles: benefit-focused, problem-focused, social proof-focused, urgency-driven, etc.
What I get: A rapid exploration of possible angles I might not have considered. Not final copy, but strategic starting points.
2. Strategic Curation (30 minutes)
Here’s where my experience matters more than ever.
AI gives me options. I evaluate them through the lens of:
- Does this address the actual user pain point?
- Is this authentic to the brand voice?
- Will this resonate with our specific audience?
- Does this align with our conversion strategy?
I usually find 2-3 angles worth developing. The rest get discarded—not because they’re bad, but because they’re not right for this context.
This is the part AI can’t do. It doesn’t know that our customers are skeptical of bold claims, or that our brand never uses exclamation points, or that the last A/B test showed benefit-focused headlines underperformed problem-focused ones.
3. Collaborative Drafting (45 minutes)
Now I develop the winning angles with AI as a writing partner.
Me: “Take this angle and write product copy that emphasizes the time-saving benefit. Use short sentences. Avoid jargon. Include one specific example.”
AI: Generates draft copy.
Me: Edits for voice, adds specificity, removes generic phrases, sharpens the value proposition.
Back and forth. Quick iterations. AI handles the heavy lifting of structure and variation. I handle strategy and nuance.
4. Tone and Voice Audit (20 minutes)
Once I have draft copy, I flip the process.
Me: “Analyze this copy. Does it match this brand voice profile? Where does the tone feel off? Where could urgency be increased without feeling pushy?”
AI: Points out inconsistencies, suggests refinements, highlights areas that might confuse users.
This is where AI becomes my editor. It catches things I miss:
- Passive voice that weakens CTAs
- Jargon that slipped through
- Inconsistent tone across sections
- Missing emotional triggers
- Unclear benefit statements
5. Conversion Optimization Review (15 minutes)
Final pass focuses purely on conversion elements:
Me: “Evaluate this copy for conversion optimization. Are the CTAs clear? Is the value proposition front-loaded? Are there any friction points in the messaging?”
AI: Analyzes structure, pacing, and psychological triggers.
I make final adjustments based on this audit.
Total time: ~2 hours instead of 6+
What AI Does Well (And What It Doesn’t)
AI Excels At:
Speed and Volume It can generate 20 headline variations in seconds. That used to take me an hour.
Pattern Recognition It knows what conversion copy structures typically work. It understands psychological triggers, urgency language, and benefit frameworks.
Tone Consistency Once you define the voice, it can maintain consistency across hundreds of pages better than most humans under deadline pressure.
Editing Objectivity It doesn’t get attached to clever phrases. It evaluates copy against criteria without ego.
AI Struggles With:
Strategic Context It doesn’t know your last three campaigns failed because customers don’t trust bold claims. It doesn’t know your audience hates being sold to. It doesn’t understand your competitive positioning nuances.
Brand Authenticity It can mimic tone, but it can’t feel whether copy is genuinely “on brand” or just technically correct.
User Insight It doesn’t know that your customers call the product by a different name than you do, or that they care more about implementation ease than features.
Judgment Calls It can’t decide whether to emphasize price or quality, urgency or trust, features or outcomes. Those decisions require understanding business strategy and user psychology in ways AI can’t replicate.
The Curated Approach That Actually Works
Here’s the key insight: AI is a tool for exploration and acceleration, not replacement.
My role has evolved from “writer” to “strategist + curator”:
- Set strategic direction (What are we trying to achieve? Who are we talking to? What’s our angle?)
- Leverage AI for rapid exploration (What are all the possible ways to say this?)
- Curate ruthlessly (Which of these actually works for our context?)
- Refine with human judgment (How do we make this authentic and conversion-focused?)
- Audit with AI assistance (What did I miss? Where can this be stronger?)
The result: Copy that’s as good as what I produced before—sometimes better, because I can explore more angles—in a fraction of the time.
Real Example: Product Page Transformation
Before (Traditional process, 6 hours):
Generic headline: “Professional Project Management Software”
Boring value prop: “Manage your projects more efficiently with our comprehensive suite of tools.”
Weak CTA: “Learn More”
After (AI-assisted process, 2 hours):
Compelling headline: “Stop Drowning in Spreadsheets. Start Delivering Projects On Time.”
Clear value prop: “The only project management platform that your team will actually use—because it works the way you already think.”
Strong CTA: “See How Teams Save 10 Hours Per Week”
Same strategic thinking. Better exploration of angles. Faster iteration. Stronger result.
The Business Impact
For clients, this means:
- Faster turnaround: Days instead of weeks for copy revisions
- More iterations: Budget that used to cover 2 revision rounds now covers 5-6
- Better results: More angles explored = higher chance of finding what resonates
- Lower cost: I can take on more projects or charge less because I’m more efficient
For me, this means:
- More projects: I can serve more clients without sacrificing quality
- Less burnout: AI handles the tedious parts (formatting, consistency checks, variation generation)
- Better work: More time for strategy and less time grinding on variations
- Competitive advantage: I deliver faster without cutting corners
How to Implement This Yourself
If you’re a designer or marketer who writes copy, here’s how to start:
1. Define Your Brand Voice Precisely
Create a detailed voice profile that AI can reference:
- Tone characteristics (conversational vs. formal, bold vs. understated)
- Language preferences (technical terms? analogies? humor?)
- What to avoid (jargon, clichés, specific phrases)
- Sentence structure preferences
- Examples of on-brand vs. off-brand copy
The more specific you are, the better AI can match it.
2. Use AI for Strategic Exploration, Not Final Drafts
Don’t ask: “Write my product page copy.”
Instead ask: “Generate 10 different value proposition angles for [product] targeting [audience] with [pain point].”
Then evaluate those angles with your expertise.
3. Iterate in Layers
- Layer 1: Generate options (AI heavy)
- Layer 2: Select and refine (human heavy)
- Layer 3: Audit and optimize (collaborative)
Each layer adds strategic value.
4. Build Your Prompt Library
Save effective prompts for different copy tasks:
- Headline generation
- CTA optimization
- Feature → benefit translation
- Objection handling
- Urgency creation
- Social proof integration
Refine them over time as you learn what works.
5. Trust Your Expertise
AI generates options. You make the call.
Your experience, your understanding of the audience, your knowledge of what’s worked before—that’s irreplaceable.
The Future of Conversion Copywriting
I don’t think AI will replace conversion copywriters. But copywriters who use AI will replace those who don’t.
The skill isn’t writing anymore—it’s strategic thinking, curation, and optimization. AI accelerates the writing process, but it can’t replace the judgment that comes from years of seeing what actually converts.
My job hasn’t become easier. It’s become different. I spend less time writing variations and more time thinking strategically about positioning, messaging architecture, and conversion psychology.
And the work is better for it.
Bottom Line
If you’re still writing conversion copy the old way—spending days on revisions, struggling with variations, second-guessing every word choice—you’re working too hard.
Partner with AI. Let it handle the volume and speed. You handle the strategy and curation.
Your copy will be just as good—probably better, because you explored more angles.
You’ll just get there in hours instead of days.
And in a world where speed matters as much as quality, that’s a competitive advantage you can’t afford to ignore.
