As a wedding business consultant, I spend my days helping others find clarity in their message. Yet when it came to my own website copy, I found myself unusually stuck. Even ChatGPT couldn’t quite capture my voice, and that’s when I realised it was time to call in a professional.
Why It Started to Feel Hard
Over the years, I’ve written all my own copy and blogs on every business I’ve owned, but recently it’s felt more difficult.
My work has evolved so much. I no longer focus on planning weddings or representing the wedding planning industry, both of which which used to make writing feel easy and straightforward.
Now, as a wedding business growth consultant, I help clients grow sustainably and profitably through a mix of strategy, mindset, and practical action. I’m not a marketing coach or a sales coach, and that’s where it gets tricky, finding the right words to describe a service that blends so many elements is not easy. Writing blog articles has always felt dare I say easy, but writing copy for my website, suddenly felt hard.
Why I Only Updated Part of My Website
I recently hired a copywriter to update some of the copy on my website. I started with three pages, but I have no doubt I will work on more with her.
Why didn’t I ask her to do everything?
Because I have plans to rebrand, create a new website, and possibly refine my direction later this year. So I focused on the pages that needed the most love and attention now, rather than investing in a full rewrite too soon.
The Moment I Knew I Needed Help
After months of tweaking and rewriting my copy, I realised my copy was a hot mess. The irony wasn’t lost on me, I spend my days helping clients find clarity in their messaging, yet I couldn’t quite find mine.
In a moment of frustration, I turned to ChatGPT for help, hoping it might provide the magic answer. Instead, it created a jumble of paragraphs that didn’t sound like me at all. That’s when I knew I needed a human touch, someone who could really understand my voice and the purpose behind my business. It also needed to be someone that understood the wedding market, even if I no longer serve wedding couples.
This whole experience reminded me that clarity doesn’t always come from doing more, but from allowing someone else to see what we can’t. As business owners, we’re often too close to our own work to describe it clearly. Bringing in Helen wasn’t just about better copy, it was about giving my business the voice it truly deserved. So if you’ve been staring at your own website wondering why the words don’t quite fit anymore, maybe it’s time to let someone else help you find them.
My History With Copywriters
I have had a “thing” about copywriters over the years, especially those working with wedding businesses. At times, I felt they forgot the purpose of the copy. Connecting with couples. I would review wedding pros websites and be utterly confused.
The end result was so overly descriptive that, frankly, it made very little sense unless submitting a piece of creative writing for your GCSE exams.
When teaching wedding planners for example, I’ve always advised keeping things simple and non “fluffy”. Use language that is easy to understand. Be clear on who you are, what you do, and why your client’s life is better with you in it.
Thankfully, I feel those types of copywriters didn’t last long. There are now some excellent ones in the industry to choose from.
And most importantly, my new copy sounds like me. Not like a character in a costume drama.
What Actually Changed?
Is it drastically different? No, and its not supposed to be! Its still me. But a more refined eloquent version of me!
Without a hard sales pitch in sight. Nor does it use fear as a marketing tool (I’ve spoken about this on this article).
I also really appreciated the support with implementing it on my website, because honestly, some of the coding is a pain with how it has been built. Another reason I’ll be investing in a new website later this year.
Should You Hire a Copywriter?
If you are feeling frustrated with your copy, and feel like AI has made a bit of a mess of it, I would absolutely recommend considering a copywriter. Even if like me it is some of your pages, it’s ok to start small.
You might want to hire one when:
• You are launching a new website or *repositioning
• You feel stuck or keep rewriting the same content
• Your business has evolved and your messaging no longer fits
• You want your copy to support SEO more effectively
• You look at your current copy and it just doesn’t feel right
*often when I work with clients we refine their ideal clients and positioning, this often leads to them rebranding and hiring copywriters!
Where AI Works Brilliantly
AI has its place, and when used well, it can save a huge amount of time.
I now use it for:
• Reformatting blogs so they are structured for SEO, AI overview, and PAA (you may have noticed some of these changes within my blogs)
• Repurposing blog content into emails, LinkedIn posts, and social media
• Helping with website coding, which has been a surprisingly big time saver
The key is to use AI to support your work, not replace your voice.
Can AI Create Excellent Copy?
Yes, but only if you give it the correct prompts and it understands the nuances of you and your business. In reality, that takes time. A lot of time going back and forth with amendments.
For most people, what AI produces is good, not excellent. And honestly, that is completely fine for things like Instagram captions that people often only glance at. But for your website, where clarity and connection to your clients really matter, good is not always enough.
Trying to be perfect or in this case excellent in every aspect of your business will leave you procrastinating and never finishing anything. A huge issue in the wedding industry. In my mind, done is better than perfect every time.
What the Process Was Like?
I started with an initial call with Helen to explain my objectives, followed by a brand voice questionnaire and another call to dive deeper. This part was easier than expected because Helen already knew of me and my career, so it didn’t feel like talking to a stranger.
She created the first draft of the copy and sent it over with notes, explanations, and an SEO analysis. I shared my thoughts in return, and together we refined it until it felt right. It was a true two-way process, which I think is the huge selling point.
Once we were both happy, I updated the copy on my website, and Helen even checked my coding to make sure everything was optimised for SEO. Once up there was a little more guidance from her on suggested edits.
So What Does Helen Think About Using Ai For Copywriting?
I recently read that because AI has been trained on the internet, and the internet is disproportionately American, and written for this audience, AI copy is written in a very American style. This isn’t just an observation but is also backed up by research, showing that AI writing leans very heavily into American stylistic norms and ways of thinking (hence the heavy use of em dashes and Oxford commas).
This same article talked about the fact that because America has a different attitude towards sales and advertising copy, taking much more of a hard sell approach compared with the British, this is another reason why AI-generated copy can sound quite pushy and overwritten.
Once I read this, everything made a lot of sense, and explained why I’ve always thought AI copy is just that little bit… off. It’s trained to a different culture, a different audience, and doesn’t really work for a British audience.
AI copy vs your own copy is like fast fashion vs bespoke fashion. The former is mass produced, is often of extremely dubious quality, is found everywhere and comes at a high environmental cost. The latter is created to fit you perfectly, uses quality materials, will last a lot longer and will garner you many more compliments! Or you can also think of AI as a sous chef: use it to prompt you, to come up with different ways of saying things, help you with the research and strategy. But the final dish should always be created by you.
Obviously, as a professional writer, I’m biased. But I think working with a copywriter on your website copy can be really helpful for several reasons. Firstly, and this is a big one, you don’t have to take time away from running your own business to write it. Secondly, having an outsider look into your business can reveal things you may not be aware of because you’re so close to it. A good copywriter does a deep dive into reviews, testimonials, forums and more to get some solid voice of customer research that informs the copy, and this can help you see your business in a new way, and reveal patterns and interesting data. Thirdly, having an external person just talk to you about your business, values, purpose and mission can really help clarify what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and who you love doing it for. Sometimes it can even cause a shift that you didn’t know needed to happen until you started talking about the copy for your business and what you want it to achieve.
Helen, Written by Helen
Final Thoughts
This whole experience reminded me that clarity doesn’t always come from doing more. Sometimes it comes from allowing someone else to see what you can’t. This after all is why my own clients hire me.
As business owners, we are often too close to our own work to describe it clearly.
Bringing in support wasn’t just about better copy. It was about giving my business the voice it truly deserved.
If you have been staring at your website, wondering why the words don’t quite fit anymore, it might not be about trying harder, and spending yet more hours on Ai.
It might simply be time to let someone else help you find them. Whether that’s with a wedding business consultant to gain the clarity in your messaging, or a copywriter to explain that clarity to your prospective clients.
Take Your Business To The Next Level
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed or unsure what your next move should be, the best place to begin is with a free clarity call.
We’ll talk through where you are now, what you want to change and what kind of support would genuinely help. You’ll leave with more clarity about your next steps – whether we work together or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is writing your own website copy so hard?
Because you are too close to your own business. It can be difficult to clearly communicate your value when you are deeply involved in it every day.
When should I update my website copy?
When your business has evolved, your services have changed, or your current messaging no longer reflects what you do. Or if like me you looked at it and shuddered with disgust 😉
Can AI replace a copywriter?
AI can support the process, but it rarely replaces the depth, nuance, and strategic thinking that a good copywriter brings.
Further Resources
Understand Your Ideal Client and Market Positioning
The Trust Recession in the Wedding Industry
Are You Wasting Time In Business
Written By Helen Blog – lots of useful articles related to copywriting and SEO
