AI is reshaping how we write. It drafts emails in seconds, whips up blog intros, and even suggests punchy headlines. But if you’re a copywriter, here’s a truth worth remembering:
AI is just the first draft. You are the final word.
I can’t lie – AI is brilliant. It’s great fun. Have you seen all the action figures on LinkedIn? So this isn’t a rebellion against technology – it’s a celebration of craft. And who better to guide us through this than the master of horror himself, Stephen King (well, the actual master is Garth Marenghi, but I suspect more of you are familiar with King!).
Yes, he writes horror fiction. But his approach to writing – and rewriting – has uncanny relevance to our digital age. Especially for copywriters wondering where they stand alongside AI.
Just get it down
In his book On Writing, King famously shared one of his most enduring principles:
“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”
The idea? Just write. Don’t overthink. Don’t edit as you go. Get the story down, flaws and all.
Sound familiar?
That’s exactly how AI fits into the copywriter’s workflow. AI is your messy first draft – a version you’d never show a client (i.e. opening the door), but something that helps you get moving. It breaks the silence. Fills the blank page. It offers structure. And, if you’ve trained it well, it might even sound half decent.
But half decent isn’t enough.
Stephen King doesn’t publish his first draft. Neither should you.
Find the real story
Once the draft exists, King begins the real work. He trims excess. He sharpens dialogue. He removes adverbs (and boy, does he hate adverbs – “The road to hell is paved with adverbs”). He gets to the truth of the narrative.
And that’s where the human copywriter shines.
AI can provide structure. It can mimic tone. It can expand on the seed of an idea. But it doesn’t understand nuance. It doesn’t know if a sentence feels right. It can’t instinctively sense whether your landing page CTA is motivating – or falling flat.
That’s your job.
It’s the human writer who turns a dry, generic AI draft into persuasive copy with clarity, charm, and rhythm. And just like King scything his way through adverbs, you cut what doesn’t serve the message. You listen to the voice. You find the pulse.
AI is not the author – it’s the typist
Let’s be honest, most AI tools don’t think – they remix. They generate based on patterns, not intent. Now, this can be beneficial. It can save you time. It can help out when you get stuck. But the initial premise is always human.
When Stephen King sits down to start work on yet another novel, he begins with a premise and lets the story unfold organically. His characters evolve. The tone shifts. Themes emerge.
That’s something no algorithm can replicate. Sure, you can prompt it with, “Write me a horror story.” But that’s not going to return a complete novel full of character development, nuance, plot twists, and a satisfying ending.
As a copywriter, your audience isn’t a set of keywords. They’re people. With moods, doubts, triggers, dreams. And while AI can suggest what might work, only you can feel what actually will. It’s been said that persuasion isn’t just a formula: it’s an act of empathy. To know what your reader is thinking and feeling. To understand their worries. To be able to reassure them with solutions to their problems.
The final polish is where the magic happens
King – like most authors – will rewrite his novels multiple times before publishing. Doing so isn’t a display of vanity – it’s to make sure that every sentence has earned its place. He even has a formula: cut 10% of your first draft.
That’s a principle copywriters can adopt, and why relying only on AI is risky. The draft might be clean. But is it tight? Is it elegant? Does it compel or just communicate?
Refining copy is about rhythm. It’s about economy. It’s about understanding brand voice – and how to engage across myriad formats. It’s not something you can outsource to a tool.
That’s where instinct matters. That’s where experience counts.
Let AI do the lifting. You drive the story
Here’s how a Stephen King-inspired copywriting workflow might look:
- Prompt AI to draft your headline, blog intro, or ad copy.
- Skim for structure – what works? What doesn’t?
- Rework tone to match your brand or client voice.
- Add rhythm and intent – shorten sentences, add contrast, find flow.
- Cut fluff mercilessly (King would be proud).
- Layer emotion, clarity and purpose.
- Press send only when it feels human.
So, what’s the takeaway?
Using AI doesn’t make you less of a writer. In fact, when used wisely, it can make you a better one. Faster. Sharper. More focussed. But it’s not the hero of the story – you are.
Stephen King wouldn’t let a machine write his novels. He writes them himself, again and again, until they’re not just written but, well, alive.
That’s your job as a copywriter. To breathe life into words. To listen not just to data, but to people. And to know that the final 10% – the polish, the persuasion, the voice – is where the real magic lives.
Let AI help you start. But never forget: you finish the sentence.
