The 5 AI Copy Dead Giveaways

Your AI copywriter is sabotaging your campaigns - because it's too smart.

AI has access to every copywriting framework, psychological trigger, and persuasion technique ever documented. So it tries to cram ALL of it into one email.

Result? Generic copy that screams "AI wrote this."

Here are the 5 biggest dead giveaways (and the exact prompts to fix them):

Dead Giveaway #1: Transition Phrase Overload

AI is obsessed with these transitions:

• "Here's the kicker"

• "Now here's what's important"

• "The problem is..."

• "But wait, there's more"

Why it happens: These phrases create "event boundaries" - psychological reset buttons that purge working memory and refocus attention. When readers encounter them, three things happen:

1. Working memory gets cleared of irrelevant information

2. Attention resets and sharpens on new content

3. Brain prepares to process fresh context

This creates a 15-30 second window where readers are more receptive to new ideas.

The problem: AI doesn't vary them. So instead of smooth cognitive transitions, they become jarring interruptions that kill flow.

The fix: Give AI the five types of boundaries and force variety:

PROMPT: "Write this email using variety in transitions. Use these 5 boundary types, but only ONE per transition:

• Temporal: Time-based shifts ("Three years ago...")

• Spatial: Location changes ("Picture walking into...")

• Emotional: Feeling transitions ("I was ready to give up...")

• Perspective: Viewpoint shifts ("STOP. Before you read another word...")

• Conceptual: Idea transitions ("Forget what I just said...")

Never repeat the same boundary type twice in one email. Make each transition feel natural and earned, not forced."

Dead Giveaway #2: Metaphor Frankenstein

AI loves cramming random metaphors into the same paragraph:

• "Navigate the crystal-clear path to thunderous success through our silky-smooth system"

Why it happens: AI knows metaphors are powerful. They don't just describe - they reshape how people think about problems and solutions. But without constraints, AI grabs metaphors from every category.

The psychology: Effective metaphors work because they match how your audience already thinks and talks. Mixed metaphors create cognitive dissonance and confusion.

The fix: Research your audience's natural language, then constrain AI to one metaphor category:

PROMPT: "My audience uses these exact phrases when describing their problem: [INSERT AUDIENCE RESEARCH]

Based on their language, write this email using ONLY [BUILDING/JOURNEY/NATURE/COMPETITION/TECHNOLOGY] metaphors.

Rules:

• Pick ONE category only

• Every metaphor must align with that category

• Use metaphors my audience already uses naturally

• Build one coherent metaphorical world, don't mix categories

Example: If they say 'building wealth' use construction metaphors throughout: foundation, blueprint, cornerstone, scaffolding."

Dead Giveaway #3: Sensory Word Salad

AI throws every sensory word into one sentence:

• "Experience crystal-clear results with thunderous impact through our silky-smooth process"

The neuroscience: Humans have 10+ senses (not just 5): vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, balance, temperature, proprioception, pain, pressure, time perception.

When AI mixes random sensory words, it creates cognitive conflict. Each sense activates different neural pathways. Mixing them creates mental chaos.

The fix: One sense per sentence, coherent progression:

PROMPT: "Write this email using sensory language with these rules:

• Maximum ONE sense per sentence

• Build sensory experiences that connect logically

• Progress through senses in natural order (usually: sight → sound → touch)

• No mixing temperature + texture in same sentence

• No mixing visual + auditory in same sentence

Good: 'Watch your dashboard light up. Hear the notification chime. Feel the satisfaction of another sale.'

Bad: 'Experience crystal-clear thunderous silky success.'

Focus on creating smooth sensory flow, not cramming everything together."

Dead Giveaway #4: The "It's Not X, It's Y" Obsession

AI defaults to this villain structure:

• "It's not your fault, it's..."

• "The real problem isn't..."

• "It's not the economy, it's..."

The psychology: This works because it creates external blame-shifting. Instead of making readers feel broken, it identifies a common enemy they're already frustrated with.

The problem: AI uses this structure so predictably that readers immediately recognize it as AI-generated.

The fix: Diversify villain types and mask the structure:

PROMPT: "Create a villain for this email using this framework, but HIDE the 'It's not X, it's Y' structure:

Villain Types:

• External: Competitors, systems, regulations

• Internal: Limiting beliefs, fears, habits

• Invisible: Hidden forces they don't recognize

Rules:

• Pick ONE villain type

• Never use the phrase 'It's not... it's...'

• Introduce the villain through story, not direct statement

• Make the villain discovery feel like a revelation, not a formula

• Use narrative structure: setup → discovery → explanation

Write it like you're uncovering a hidden truth, not following a template."

Dead Giveaway #5: The "Everything Bagel" Approach

AI tries to include every copywriting best practice in one email:

• Numbered headlines + curiosity gaps + social proof + urgency + scarcity + emotional triggers + logical proof

Why it's backfiring: AI's strength (knowing everything) is its weakness. It can't choose what NOT to include.

The psychology: Decision fatigue sets in when readers are hit with too many persuasion techniques. Their brain shuts down instead of taking action.

The fix: Strategic constraints and single focus:

PROMPT: "Write this email with ONE primary focus. Choose from:

• Story-driven (focus on narrative, minimal other techniques)

• Logic-driven (focus on proof and reasoning)

• Emotion-driven (focus on feelings and desires)

• Urgency-driven (focus on time-sensitivity)

• Social proof-driven (focus on what others are doing)

Rules:

• Pick ONE focus only

• Other elements can appear but shouldn't compete for attention

• If you choose story-driven, the story should carry 80% of the persuasive weight

• If you choose logic-driven, facts should dominate, not emotions

• Don't try to be everything at once

Your job is to excel at ONE persuasion method, not dabble in all of them."

The Meta-Lesson

AI's power comes from constraints, not absolute freedom.
The more specific your guardrails, the better your output.
Stop telling AI "write great copy" and hoping for magic.
Give it focused frameworks, specific rules, and clear boundaries.
That's how you get copy that converts instead of copy that just... exists.

Speaking of constraints...

Holiday email volume is about to explode. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, November, Christmas - your inbox competition is about to 10x.

Gmail's getting stricter. Deliverability issues that are "minor problems" now become "campaign killers" in Q4.

The window to fix this is closing.

We're offering deliverability audits through October 31st - because watching great copy die in spam folders is painful.

Book your pre-holiday deliverability audit here →

You'll know exactly what's broken and how to fix it before the holiday rush.

Or you'll get the confidence that comes from knowing everything's dialed in.

Either way, you'll sleep better during Q4.

What AI copywriting issue drives you most crazy? Hit reply and let me know!

~ Tyler Cook

Forward this to someone fighting with AI copy. They'll thank you.