Is your job at risk? How ChatGPT is revolutionising marketing for language schools & tutoring companies.

As a language or tutoring business owner, you know how important it is to write engaging copy for your marketing campaigns. Your copy needs to grab the attention of potential students and client but it's not always easy to come up with. I write my emails every week and wondered, is this a job for me or for ChatGPT? I decided to run experiments to prove if I was a better copywriter than ChatGPT and the results might alarm you.

In order to test this, I decided to compare ChatGPT with a more specialised marketing AI called Copy.ai. 

I also researched how to write an effective "prompt" as I knew a bad prompt would certainly lead to a bad result.

Read right to the end to see my conclusions based on my actual experiment, writing email myself (a human), using Copy.ai (specialist A.I for marketers) and using ChatGPT. The result was shocking.

Firstly, let me introduce the tools.

You're probably already familiar with ChatGPT but if you're not, you can learn all about it here.

You may not be familiar with Copy.ai. Copy.ai is a specialist AI tool designed to make writing marketing copy easier. There's a fairly generous free trial and I was really interested to see if it could outcompete myself and ChatGPT.

I started by using their Template section and chose the "Launch New Product Email" template. Inside I put in my prompt.

Prompt using their Launch template:

Best response from Copy.ai:

Copy.ai provided 3 versions. The best of which is below.

Hi there!

We're really excited to announce our new Content Library feature. It's going to make life so much easier for you, as well as help you be more organized and efficient in your classroom. Here are the key benefits:

-Easy to organize files into folders

-Fast to upload and delete files in bulk

-Instant access to lesson materials from inside the classroom

Here's an example of what it looks like: https://youtu.be/pz14r42K2ps

To get started, log back into your account, click on the "Content Library" tab on the right side of your screen, then drag and drop any files you want into folders. We hope this makes it easier than ever to find what you need when you need it!

Comments on best response from Copy.ai

• Punchy and on point
• Not super long
• Made up the instructions at the bottom but actually surprisingly helpful.

Note: There were some really good pieces I could pull from one of the other 2 versions it automatically created: "You can now easily organize your files into folders and upload them in bulk, so you can spend more time teaching and less time fumbling with your lesson materials."

I then tried ChatGPT. 

I copied the same prompt that Copy.ai had structured for me and pasted it into ChatGPT.

Prompt using ChatGPT:

Best response from ChatGPT:

Subject: Introducing LearnCube Content Library - Simplify Your Lesson Planning!

Dear [Name],

We are excited to announce the launch of our new feature, LearnCube Content Library, designed to make your lesson planning more efficient and hassle-free.

As a language teacher or school owner, you have a lot on your plate, from lesson planning to teaching, grading, and more. We understand that organizing and accessing your lesson materials can be time-consuming, which is why we developed LearnCube Content Library.

The LearnCube Content Library provides an easy-to-use platform for organizing your files into folders, uploading and deleting files in bulk, and instant access to your lesson materials from inside the classroom. This feature is designed to make your lesson planning easier, faster, and more efficient.

We invite you to watch this short video on how to use the LearnCube Content Library: https://youtu.be/pz14r42K2ps

With LearnCube Content Library, you can easily upload and organize files such as lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, audio recordings, and videos. This library also allows you to access your files from anywhere and share them with your colleagues or students.

To try out LearnCube Content Library, simply log back into your account and click on the Content Library tab on the left-hand side of your dashboard. From there, you can create folders and upload your files.

We hope you find this new feature helpful in streamlining your lesson planning process. As always, if you have any questions or feedback, our support team is available to assist you.

Thank you for choosing LearnCube, and we look forward to serving you better.

Best regards,

Wilim Head of Education at LearnCube.

Comments on Best Response from ChatGPT

• Too long (260 words) but actually all very relevant
• Some aspects were repetitive
• Talked about pain points of language teachers
• Fairly weak call to action

However, I didn't leave it there... I really wanted to test if the result was improved by adding "As an X" to set context at the front of the prompt (following best practice).

The result was a lot better.

Improved the prompt using ChatGPT:

As an expert copywriter, write a feature launch email for my business LearnCube of no more than 175 words. The new feature is called LearnCube Content Library. The target audience: Language teachers and school owners. The key benefits are that the library makes it:Easy to organize files into folders, Fast to upload and delete files in bulk, Instant access to lesson materials from inside the classroom. Use some bullet points of key benefits.

I want to link to this YouTube video to see in action: https://youtu.be/pz14r42K2ps

The call to action is to log back into their account and try it:
https://app.learncube.com/app/login/
Sign off is Wilim, Head of Education at LearnCube

Best Response from ChatGPT:

Subject: Introducing LearnCube Content Library - The Ultimate Solution for Organizing Lesson Materials

Dear [Name],

We at LearnCube are excited to introduce our latest feature, the LearnCube Content Library. The Content Library is a comprehensive tool designed to help language teachers and school owners organize, upload and manage lesson materials with ease.

Here are the key benefits of using LearnCube Content Library:

• Effortlessly organize files into folders to create a streamlined workflow
• Quickly upload and delete files in bulk, freeing up valuable time
• Instant access to lesson materials from inside the classroom

We understand how important it is for educators to have instant access to their lesson materials, especially in today's fast-paced digital age. With the Content Library, teachers can now easily upload and manage all their files in one centralized location. This feature is designed to help teachers save time and boost their productivity in the classroom.

To see how the Content Library works in action, we invite you to watch this short video: [insert YouTube video link].

To start using the Content Library, simply log back into your LearnCube account and try it out: [insert login link].

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you find this feature useful in your day-to-day teaching.

Best regards,

Wilim Head of Education at LearnCube

Comments on best Response from ChatGPT

• The subject line was much better 
• ChatGPT really improved on the benefit bullet points e.g. "Effortlessly organise files..." 
• Adding the word limit improved the overall result
• Call to action was still not that clear

Please comment if Copy.ai can do this but from my research, it did not look like you could layer prompts and collaborate like I expect from ChatGPT. I could only generate more options using Copy.ai.

With ChatGPT, I was to refine the results further and it just got better. 

Second/Layered prompt to improve ChatGPT response:

I wasn't expecting ChatGPT to rewrite from scratch but the end result was actually pretty good.

Attention Language Teachers and School Owners,

Are you tired of sifting through piles of scattered files while trying to teach your students? Say goodbye to the frustration and chaos with LearnCube's brand new feature, the Content Library!

The Content Library is the ultimate solution for organizing lesson materials with ease, designed to eliminate the pain points of searching for files in front of your students. With this comprehensive tool, teachers can easily upload, manage, and organize their materials into folders, making it simple to find the right document in seconds.

This feature is a game-changer, allowing teachers to quickly upload and delete files in bulk, freeing up valuable time to focus on what really matters: teaching. With instant access to lesson materials from inside the classroom, you'll never have to worry about being unprepared again.

We understand the difficulties of managing files, which is why we're excited to offer this feature to our valued customers. Watch the video demonstration of the Content Library in action: [insert YouTube video link].

Take control of your teaching materials today and log back into your LearnCube account to try the Content Library: [insert login link].

Thank you for choosing LearnCube to enhance your teaching experience.

Best regards,

Wilim
Head of Education at LearnCube.

Next, I needed a good subject line for my email. I tried both tools.

Starting with Copy.ai, it has a special tool for "Catchy Email Subject Lines"

Subject Line Generator using Copy.ai:

I was very underwhelmed. These were the ones that came up. The ones in the screenshot were particularly bad but even running a few times, didn't get better.

- New feature, LearnCube Content Library
- Organize files into folders, fast to upload and delete in bulk, instant
- Dear Language Teachers, We just made your life easier (and more convenient)!
- Less clicking, more teaching!

So I went back to ChatGPT.

Prompt for generating subject lines using ChatGPT

"Generate 5 punchy email subject lines based on the email you've provided"

ChatGPT results for generating subject lines

The results were actually really good. See some below.

Look at these 10 subject lines:

- Say Goodbye to File Frustration with LearnCube Content Library
- Find Files in Seconds with LearnCube's Comprehensive Tool
- Streamline Your Workflow with LearnCube's Content Library
- Discover the Ultimate Solution for Organizing Your Lesson Materials
- Time-Saving Tips for Teachers: LearnCube Content Library Launches Today!
- Revolutionize Your Lesson Planning with LearnCube's Content Library
- Say Hello to Hassle-Free File Management with LearnCube
- Introducing LearnCube Content Library - The Secret to Organized Teaching
- Boost Your Productivity Today with LearnCube Content Library
- LearnCube Content Library: The Ultimate Solution for Busy Teachers

The first really resonated with me so I thought I'd put ChatGPT to the test... Could ChatGPT outperform me (a human) at my own marketing?

Experiment with Email Newsletter: Me vs the Machines

I created an A/B test for my email list at LearnCube. The first I wrote myself and I may have stolen one idea from ChatGPT. 

LearnCube's Human-Crafted Email 

Subject line: Get Organized with LearnCube's New Content Library Launching Today

* Note: This subject line probably doesn't seem that jazzy considering the ones ChatGPT had generated by then but I'd sent a similar email out to another section of my list with a similar title so felt this was a truer expression of what my first attempt at a subject line would be.

Body of the email:

Hi there,

Find yourself fumbling to find lesson materials in your online lessons?

Our (new) Content Library will make your teaching life so much easier.

What's New?

- Organize files into folders

- Upload and delete files in bulk

- Manage file properties for faster search

You can get the highlights from this short YouTube video here.

Log back into your LearnCube account to get access to the new Library where you can set up your classroom, including all your content, just the way you want to.

Happy teaching,

Wilim

Head of Education at LearnCube

P.S. Don't forget you can upgrade to our full curriculum of English (and now French) content with the Pro ESL plan.

The Challenger: ChatGPT's Machine-Powered Email

Subject line: Say Goodbye to File Frustration with LearnCube's New Content Library

Body of the email:

Hi there,

Are you tired of sifting through piles of scattered files while trying to teach your students?

Say goodbye to the frustration and chaos with LearnCube's brand-new Content Library!

The Content Library is the ultimate solution for organizing lesson materials with ease, designed to eliminate the pain points of searching for files in front of your students. With this comprehensive tool, teachers can easily upload, manage, and organize their materials into folders, making it simple to find the right document in seconds.

This feature is a game-changer, allowing teachers to quickly upload and delete files in bulk, freeing up valuable time to focus on what really matters: teaching.

With instant access to lesson materials from inside the classroom, you'll never have to worry about being unprepared again.

Watch the Content Library in action here.

Take control of your teaching materials today and log back into your LearnCube account to try the Content Library here.

What were the results???

:(

LearnCube's human-crafted email bombed based on the experiment.

My email subject line achieved a 10.98% open rate vs ChatGPT's 14.93%.

My click rate 4.03% click-through rate vs ChatGPT's 4.73%.

I had sent it to two different segments to be sure, and ChatGPT's version won in that segment too.

So should I give up on writing emails and leave it to the expert (machines)?

No, of course not! 

I was the co-author and co-conspirator of the successful ChatGPT-powered email. I had to ask the right questions, and refine the best responses and I continue collaborating with ChatGPT until we got the best possible result.

This I feel is the lesson that many language teachers are finding to be true too... ChatGPT is a collaborative tool, not a human replacement.

I will probably let ChatGPT do more of the writing but I won't be packing away my keyboard and leaving a machine to look after my readers just yet.

What has been your experience? 

Comment below if you have experience with using ChatGPT for your marketing or teaching.