Keeping your copy and content real in the days of AI
Are you feeling bombarded by adverts for AI tools? The ones that can write your website copy and create your content for you. Me too. I’m sure you’ve seen taglines like these:
AI Website Builder – Create a website in minutes!
With AI Content Genie, Never Run Out of Content Again!
And yes, AI tools can be useful for summarising and ideation but for writing about your language teaching business? Maybe not (yet). The thing is your clients want to read about you. The real you. Not machine generated texts.
Why authenticity matters
There's a snag with AI-generated content. It sounds a bit, well... AI-generated. Your clients can spot this too. Those over-the-top adjectives and the powerful verbs. It just doesn’t ring true.
Your clients don’t want the big words or fancy phrases. They want to build their language skills.
So far they’ve experienced learning ups and downs like:
Endless grammar and translation exercises at school.
The loneliness of studying with only an app to help.
Fluctuating confidence about their language abilities.
This time they’re looking for something different. A teacher who understands their language challenges and their goals. A companion on their language learning journey.
No AI tool can provide that human touch. But you do, every day in the way you teach. This is what you need to talk about on your website and in your social media.
How to be authentic online
'Do you understand me?' That's the first question every prospective client has. A very human concern. And it’s the big question to answer in your content.
Let’s see how some language teaching businesses do this. How they show their personality and their professionalism. Here’s my selection of authentic voices from a recent trip round the internet.
1 Talk to your audience
How well do you know your audience? And do you really understand their language needs? It's easier to be authentic when you know exactly who you're talking to. Have a look at True Voice English, where Jennie Reed and Ruth Pringle offer English training for creatives. They speak directly to the artists, designers and musicians they work with. This shows they really understand how creatives use English in their work.
2 Share your approach
Matt Slade at The Football English Club does this really well. Rather than using standard teaching terminology, he explains his approach to language learning in football terms and sporting analogies. Perfect for his audience of players, trainers and scouts. Gary Skyner shares his teaching methods in a light-hearted list. Effective and fun. And a clear summary of his philosophy – keeping things simple.
3 Show the results
Share your learners' success stories in your content. Their results say a lot about the experience of working with you. And how valuable that experience has been. Jo Gakonga uses her course participants testimonials to show their learning journeys and the positive impact of video use in their businesses. Sandra Wood shares specific wins, like a client’s recent interview success, to demonstrate her German Fluency Breakthrough programme in action.
4 Talk about your prices
Have you ever visited a website and not been able to find the prices? I find it really frustrating and it also makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Why is the price a secret? Is it too expensive for me? Being transparent about cost is an important part of being authentic. There’s no need for complicated packages or special offers (buy one, get one free?). Just list your prices clearly like Anna Aleksenko does on her website.
5 Talk about the real you
Don’t hold back on showing your personality. In times of fake news and false claims, talking about our concerns is increasingly important.
Share your industry thoughts like Gerard Castillo does on LinkedIn.
Talk about wider issues in education just as Heather Hansen did recently.
Attend events and share what you learn. Try Green Action ELT or the Chat & Chill Café.
Not every visitor to your website or social media profile will agree with you. But that’s the wonderful thing about being yourself online. You make connections with your ideal clients and filter out others who aren’t a good fit. Win, win.
Could AI do a better job of showing the real you? I’d say no, not yet. Who knows what the future will bring. In the meantime, trust your own words and your clients will too.
Would you like to receive weekly tips and suggested resources for writing copy and content? Sign up for Best Words Express and get weekly emails. From me to your inbox.
