Losing clients to AI, and how to gain them back, with Suzanne Bowness
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In this episode of Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, host Mignon Fogarty interviews Suzanne Bowness, author of The Feisty Freelancer, about the impact of AI on freelance writing and how professionals can adapt. Bowness shares her personal journey of embracing AI tools during a slow work period, experimenting with five different platforms to stay informed and relevant. She discusses how some clients have replaced her with AI-generated content, while others have sought her out after AI failed to deliver quality results. She emphasizes the importance of staying open-minded, learning AI as a tool rather than fearing it, and maintaining ethical boundaries—such as not feeding proprietary client content into AI systems without permission. She also reflects on teaching students to master writing fundamentals first, then use AI as a differentiator in a competitive job market. The conversation concludes with book recommendations from Bowness, including Carol Shields’ Larry’s Party, Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point, and Norman Mailer’s The Spooky Art.
AI is a tool, not a replacement—master your craft first, then learn to use AI strategically.
Some clients have left due to AI, but others have come to you because AI failed to deliver quality.
Never input client proprietary content into AI without explicit permission due to training data risks.
Use AI for editing, brainstorming, and business planning—but not for tasks like contact management yet.
Teach students to stand out by mastering both writing fundamentals and AI literacy.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introduction to AI and Freelancing in the Modern Era
Host Mignon Fogarty introduces Suzanne Bowness, author of The Feisty Freelancer, and sets the stage for a discussion on how AI is reshaping freelance writing and client relationships.
Suzanne's AI Experimentation and Learning Journey
Bowness shares her personal experience learning AI tools during a slow work period, testing five platforms to understand their capabilities and limitations.
Clients and AI: Losing and Gaining in the New Landscape
“I've lost clients to AI and just figured out that, hey, that blog post is not written by me anymore. And clearly you're using someone or something else to write your posts. That's not my client anymore.”
Ethical Boundaries and AI in Client Work
“I still think we're learning about how the tools are being trained, that kind of thing. And so like if they're being used for training, I don't want to be involved in helping put that work from clients into the AI system.”
AI as a Tool for Editing and Business Planning
Bowness reveals how she uses AI for proofreading, refining her own writing, and even as a business development tool for strategic planning and idea generation.
“I've lost clients to AI and just figured out that, hey, that blog post is not written by me anymore. And clearly you're using someone or something else to write your posts. That's not my client anymore.”
“I still think we're learning about how the tools are being trained, that kind of thing. And so like if they're being used for training, I don't want to be involved in helping put that work from clients into the AI system.”
“I'm telling students like, look for the differentiator these days. And I think it might be AI today.”
Host
Guest
Suzanne Bowness
person
Mignon Fogarty
person
The Feisty Freelancer
book
AI Tools
other
Grammar Girl
media
Carol Shields
person
Larry's Party
book
Malcolm Gladwell
person
The Spooky Art
book
Revenge of the Tipping Point
book
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “Losing clients to AI, and how to gain them back, with Suzanne Bowness” inside PodZeus.
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