• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 13, 2024

Copywriters have been dreading this -- and some may even be hoping for it.

Well, here it is: GetResponse has added an AI email writing assistant to its email marketing platform. 

This can help writers who are pressed for time or suffering from writer’s block, GetResponse says.

The tool features an OpenAI-powered text generator built into an email drag-and-drop editor. It also provides ready-to-use prompts and text optimization, the company adds. 

Writer’s block is a luxury most of us can’t afford (nor would we admit it). But GetResponse states it has launched this AI assistant based on client demand.

“Through customer interviews and research, we uncovered that new email content creation was a particularly time-consuming element taking up a large mental load for email marketers of all experience levels,” says Abby Hehemann, director of product marketing at GetResponse. 

But Hehemann adds: “This past year we observed how AI can speed up and simplify content creation for our customers.” Specifically, claims that clients cut down the time spent creating an email by over 85%.

That may be true. But what about such functions as A/B testing and hyper-personalization?

There are other AI writing programs out there. This one is distinctive in that it is for email in particular. 

A few years ago, for example, NextWeb was pitching a product called Email Skript that purportedly would “write all your email marketing copy for you, crafting effective sales text that engages customers without costing you hours of time.”

This apparently wasn’t even an AI product. 

What’s missing from these platforms is the person-to-person connection that once existed in direct mail. 

“You tell funny stories, you put in funny pictures, you do any g--d----d thing you can to keep them reading,” said the legendary copywriter Frank Johnson who was celebrated for inventing the Johnson box (which he denied).

And writer’s block? Old Frank admitted, "I was the world's slowest. I've been known to stare at blank paper for days before I wrote a word. I'd write 'Dear Subscriber,' then scratch that out and write "Dear Reader," then scratch that our and try 'Subscriber' again."