👾 Writers vs. AI.

AI writers vs. human writers, the most in-demand marketing skills right now, and more. April 11, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning, it’s a new week. And if you’ve ever wondered what a map of electricity consumption in 1507 Europe looks like, [you can find out here](. This Twitter account isn’t improving our geography, but it certainly makes us laugh. MARKETING Good news, marketers: spending is on the rise [article-image] Where there’s a wallet, there’s a market. More and more companies across the globe are taking digital marketing seriously—which means big opportunities for marketers. What’s going on: [According to the Forrester report](, global marketing spend will increase from $3.6 to $4.7 trillion by the end of 2025. Who are the biggest spenders? China and the US are splashing the most cash, accounting for more than 53% of the entire marketing spend. Additionally, IT software and services (SaaS) will drive the biggest growth. Why we care: Talk about job security. If you offer marketing services, tools, or software, then you’ll want to pursue the industries and regions that are investing heavily in these things. And from the looks of it, that means IT software and SaaS, and the US, and China respectively. LINKEDIN The most in-demand marketing skills right now LinkedIn just [published their Great Reshuffle report](, which reveals insights into how the pandemic has affected marketing jobs worldwide. Here’s what they found: More than 60% of employees are actively considering changing their working environment. On top of that, almost 620,000 marketers left their jobs in 2021, looking for better opportunities. Who’s most in demand: Social media marketers and full-stack marketers are all the rage. It seems companies are more interested in marketing strategists, specialists, and managers than marketers with narrow skills or specialties. Why we care: If you’re a business owner, treat your marketing people well or they’ll hunt for better things. And if you’re a marketer who’s looking for a change, now’s a good time to level up in the skills companies need most. SPONSORED BY IMPACT.COM Tired of lackluster results from paid social? This channel has a 15x average ROI and can bring you up to $10k per day [article-image]( You’ve heard the stories… how skilled affiliate marketers can earn as much as $10,000 per day. … and how brands can earn as much $15 for every dollar spent. Affiliate marketing is one of the most exciting marketing channels around—if you know how to leverage it. So where do you start? [impact.com’s “Ultimate guide to affiliate marketing” will help.]( Their free ebook shows you: - The 14 types of affiliate partners and how each one drives sales. - The 6 steps between a click and a paid commission. - Whether you should join big networks or make deals with specific brands - 6 questions you should ask before starting. Whether you’re a business trying to unlock new markets or a publisher looking to make money, [learn how to do affiliate marketing today.]( You’ll be glad you did. [“Take me to the ebook.”]( EMAIL MARKETING 21 examples of effective subject lines—and how to create your own [article-image] As you’re probably aware, the subject line is one of the most important elements of your email. After all, no opens, no revenue. So if you’re looking to improve your subject line game, [Kaleigh Moore shared several best practices along with examples](. And you might find them useful. Here are some of our favorites: Use personalization. According to Invesp, emails with the recipient’s name in the subject line have an 18.30% open rate on average vs. 15.70% of emails without. But adding prospect names to subject lines isn’t the only way to use personalization. You can also imply it by telling the recipient you have something special for them: “Your Favorites Have Returned” Evoke curiosity. There are many ways to generate curiosity, but controversial stories, or teasing a new solution to an old problem, are always effective. “I just did a yoga workout; the ladies stayed in their seats the entire time…” Ask questions. This is another form of curiosity. Asking questions can urge the reader to open your email to get the answer. “Are You Cooking With Toxins?” Go for the sale. Offer-oriented subject lines tend to get low open rates, but people who open them usually have higher purchase intent. So using straight offer subject lines can still work, especially when you don’t abuse them. “LAST CHANCE! Enjoy 25% OFF” Create urgency. Get readers to open your email by reminding them that time is running out or that they could be missing a big opportunity. “Don’t leave savings on the table” In addition to these practices, crafting great subject lines also comes down to knowing your audience. So test different styles, formats, and emotions, and see what evokes the best response from your subscribers. SPONSORED BY PANDA COPY Unlimited copywriting jobs. Unlimited revisions. By premium copywriters. [article-image]( You already know that you close more sales when you improve the copy on your landing pages, emails, and ads. Trouble is, you don’t have the time to write copy yourself or hire someone good enough. [That’s why Panda Copy gives you access to pre-vetted, experienced copywriters.]( Multiply the selling power of your business just by paying a flat monthly fee. [“Tell me more about Panda Copy’s kick-butt copywriters.”]( THE CREW'S INSIGHTS Will AI replace writers? [article-image] Whether you write content or copy, you’ve probably asked this question at least once. Recently a member of The Crew raised the question in one of our Slack channels. First, let’s clarify something: Flesh and blood humans write the Stacked Marketer newsletter. No AI here… only raw skill and experience. With that out of the way, here’s what the Crew thinks about AI vs. writers: - While AI writers will certainly get better and better, putting more pressure on—and possibly replacing—mediocre writers… we think it’s unlikely that AI will replace truly skilled writers and editors. - Writing is just one part of a writer's job. Good writers need several other skills, including research, strategizing, knowing markets and human psychology, analyzing campaign results, optimizing campaigns, and so on. So copywriters and content writers can’t be entirely replaced by machines. - Long-form content pieces or sales pages written by AI tend to perform poorly. - AI doesn’t (yet) understand emotions. And marketing is all about emotions baby! Long story short, we believe AI will help many writers by saving them time, and may even replace mediocre writers. But it’s hard to believe AI will totally replace skilled human writers. Someone has to edit what AIs produce, anyway. And usually that editing requires a skilled writer. However, there are some things you can do to protect your writing career from the robots: - Make yourself irreplaceable by constantly improving your craft. - Use your copywriting skills to start a business. For instance, build a newsletter. In the future, instead of being replaced by AI, you’ll be the one “hiring” them. We also think new regulations will be introduced regarding the usage of AI. Google, for example, [recently said that]( it penalizes AI-written content in search results. What about you? Do you think AI will replace writers? ROUNDING UP THE STACK [GROWTH:]( Do you like getting actionable marketing tips? Then you might enjoy the Growth Hacks Weekly newsletter from Marketing Max. Every Sunday, Max will send you his best growth hack of the week, for free. And if you sign up now, you get his top 5 all time growth hacks. [Subscribe here.](* [TIKTOK:]( It’s addictive. It’s growing. And TikTok’s advertising keeps skyrocketing, matching Twitter and Snapchat’s combined global ad revenue this year. Should Meta worry? Let’s just say TikTok has already equaled Facebook’s average monthly app usage. [ADVERTISING:]( It’s all about who they know. Customers trust user generated content (UGC) more than regular ads when making buying decisions, as new data shows. [E-COMMERCE:]( This spring, it’s all about nostalgia and flowers, according to Google’s fashion trends report. Last month, buyers were mostly searching for 70s and 80s fashion and floral-themed accessories. Sounds “springy,” alright. [GOOGLE:]( The next experiment in pursuing a cookie-less future is almost ready. Google wants to test Topics on a limited scale… and it wants marketers to start perfecting their first-party data collection systems. [PAYMENTS:]( Stripe wants to help the “internet economy” grow, and they’re planning to focus on four areas in particular. Here’s what’s in store for internet payments. [E-COMMERCE:]( Live shopping is surging in users under 27 years old, and TikTok is unsurprisingly leading the trend. The platform has already started testing additional features for live shopping experience. Now might be a good time to jump on the bandwagon. *This is a sponsored post. BRAIN TEASER I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. What am I? You can find the [answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT It takes two to Google Meet [article-image] Ever wondered how long you should wait for people to show up to meetings? Well, Google Meet just made the decision for you: five minutes. The popular video conferencing app is rolling out an update that will [kick you out of a meeting]( if you’re the only one in the “room.” The reason? To save you internet bandwidth. … aaand as an unintended bonus, now you don’t have to feel too self-conscious about your latest haircut. SHARING IS CARING Share the knowledge, look really smart. When you share our newsletter with other marketers, you look smart… in more ways than one. Your marketer friends see you as an industry authority, and we style you in a smart-looking t-shirt, hoodie, or laptop backpack—for free. All you have to do is share your referral link below to earn free swag. It takes less than 30 seconds. 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