Why AI Is Driving Demand for This Specialty in the Digital World
By Mindy McHorse

AI is going to prove — and has already proved — to be a worthy competitor in the world of content generation, especially when it comes to short copy or idea generation.

So for copywriters, AI is a supplemental tool more than anything else.

But there’s another freelance position that’s actually going to be more in demand than ever because of AI …

And that’s the position of copyediting.

Copyeditors are basically the “secret weapon” behind all the good copy and content out there.

I’m not talking about proofreading here, by the way, which is more about checking for grammar and structurally-sound sentences.

Copyeditors are elevated over proofreaders because while they’ll certainly correct any typos they see in a document, they’re also looking at the bigger picture of the message.

Among other things, a good copyeditor will make sure a piece of content:

• has a consistent voice throughout,
• follows the requirements laid out by a clients’ style guide,
• targets the right customer profile,
• and gets the job done.

In other words, a good copyeditor will comb through content with the end goal of the piece in mind.

So if a writer crafted email copy that’s supposed to move the reader to click a link, the copyeditor is going to consider whether the copy successfully drives that action.

Same goes for a sales letter trying to get a reader to buy something, or landing page content trying to get a reader to opt-in.

There’s a lot at stake here. Without that final review to ensure that a piece will work to achieve the goal it was meant to accomplish, a company risks publishing a dud that doesn’t attract necessary sales.

Think about it … lost revenue can add up fast. Businesses don’t want to take that risk, so the majority will always have copyeditors do the final pass on any materials.

Now, picture a world where a LOT of businesses turn to AI to write certain types of content.

That content will come out fast … and a lot of it will be reasonably decent …

But as far as crossing the finish line over whether or not the end goal of a piece comes to fruition …

They’re going to need a copyeditor for that.

So, much like the cashier who oversees all the self-service kiosks and holds all the keys and codes and tricks needed to make those kiosks run smoothly so the customer checking out leaves satisfied …

There are going to be thousands of copyeditors hired to oversee all this AI work.

It’s a no-brainer.

And even though these robot-cashiers replaced a lot of front-line human cashiers, now every store has their most informed and often elevated employee supervise those checkouts.

Because at the end of the day, machines simply can’t function without human oversight.

AI will never have that fully-human component that bends messaging just enough to prompt the highest response rate or largest number of sales from written copy.

If I were just starting my own freelancing career, I’d absolutely get trained in copyediting first. It’s quick and easy to get your skills up to speed, and it’s in high-demand right now — with demand only expected to rise.

You can be the “secret weapon” behind great copywriters as a skilled copyeditor when you have the proper training. Check out our self-paced training resource, How to Use Copyediting for Career Advancement and Side Profit today!