Leveraging AI to save time, boost results, and stay irreplaceable as an ad strategist.
AI isn’t your enemy. But the strategist who knows how to use it better than you? That’s who you should be watching out for.
AI is everywhere right now. From fear-mongering headlines to overhyped promises of million-dollar prompts, it’s easy to feel like you’re already behind.
But here’s the truth: AI won’t replace you, unless you ignore it.
In this episode of The Serve Scale Soar Podcast, I’m breaking down exactly how smart freelancers and ad managers are already using AI as their secret weapon, without losing their value or becoming robots.
Let’s dive into how to use AI without losing your edge.
The 3 Camps of AI Users (And Why None of Them Get It Fully Right)
You’ve probably seen these three groups:
- The Fearful – “AI is taking over! I’m going to lose all my clients.”
- The Overhyped – “Just plug in a prompt and you’ll make millions overnight.”
- The Deniers – “I’ll never use AI. It’s just a fad.”
Here’s the thing: none of these are grounded in how real business works.
If you run ads for real clients with real goals, there’s only one smart move: learn to use AI as a tool, not a crutch.
What AI Can Do for Ad Managers (AKA Your New Secret Weapon)
Here are 5 smart ways you should be using AI right now as a freelance ad manager or strategist:
1. Ad Copy & Sales Pages in Half the Time
AI won’t replace you—but it will replace a lot of copywriters.
If you know how to prompt it right, you can:
- Write high-converting ad copy
- Generate talking head scripts
- Draft entire long-form sales pages in under two hours
(Yes, even in niches you know nothing about.)
2. Audience Research Like a Pro
AI can help you:
- Build detailed buyer personas
- Explore niche competitors
- Dig into customer desires and pain points
3. Creative Variations Without the Burnout
Meta is making it crystal clear: Creative is king.
Use AI to:
- Write multiple headline and hook variations
- Brainstorm short/medium/long ad formats
- Speed up your creative production without sacrificing quality
4. Client Reporting in a Fraction of the Time
One of my students used a prompt to summarize reports and cut 4 hours a week off her workload.
She even outsourced the reporting and just gives it a quick review now.
Use AI to:
- Translate data into plain English
- Build out slide decks
- Turn your weekly updates into CEO-level insights
5. Streamline Your Systems & SOPs
Onboarding? Offboarding? FAQs? Workflows?
AI is the operations assistant you didn’t know you had.
Use it to clean up and systemize the backend of your business so you can stay focused on high-level strategy.
What AI Can’t Do (This Is Where You Stay Irreplaceable)
Let’s get something straight:
AI is a calculator, but you still need to understand the math.
Here’s what it won’t replace:
❌ Strategic Decisions
It can’t make offer, funnel, or budget calls like you can.
AI doesn’t understand your client’s goals, emotions, or behind-the-scenes distractions (like her kid’s soccer tournament affecting sales week).
❌ Messaging Without Context
AI outputs garbage if you input garbage.
That’s why we use a detailed messaging questionnaire inside Strategist Society to teach members how to feed the AI correctly.
❌ Creative Without Brand Direction
You can’t just ask for “ad creative” without telling it what the brand looks like, sounds like, or stands for.
❌ Sales Calls & Value Pitching
You’re the strategist. Own your value.
Don’t outsource the most important human connection points to a bot.
The Bottom Line: AI Is Powerful Because You Are
If you don’t know how to run ads, build offers, or understand buyers…
AI won’t save you.
But if you do know your craft?
AI will help you scale it faster, serve more clients, and keep your sanity.
Your edge isn’t the prompt.
It’s the strategy behind it.
Key Takeaways:
-
The three “camps” of opinions on AI – fear of replacement, overhyped promises, and total rejection.
-
How ad managers can strategically use AI – especially in ways that enhance (not replace) their skills.
-
AI for ad management tasks – copywriting, audience research, ad variations/testing, reporting/analytics, and client SOPs/systems.
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What AI should not be used for – strategic decisions (budget, funnel structure, messaging without context, creative direction without tone, sales calls, pitching value).
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The importance of human insight – understanding clients’ real-life context, emotions, and unique business needs.
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AI as a tool to increase efficiency and profitability – helping ad managers scale without hiring large teams, while still relying on their own expertise and soft skills.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: Is AI Coming for Your Clients?
Kicking off the 4-part AI series for ad managers and freelancers who want to stay in demand.
01:00 – The 3 AI Camps You’ll See Everywhere
Fearmongers, over-promisers, and deniers—and why none of them get it quite right.
03:00 – The Truth: AI Isn’t the Threat (But Someone Who Knows How to Use It Might Be)
Why real strategists will always have the upper hand.
04:00 – AI Is a Tool, Not a Replacement
Understanding how your brain is still the most important asset in ad strategy.
05:00 – AI Copywriting: Why It’s Changing the Game
How to write high-converting sales pages and ad copy with AI—fast.
07:00 – Audience Research with AI
Use ChatGPT and other tools to dig deep into pain points, personas, and competitor insights.
08:00 – Hook Testing & Creative Variations
AI helps you generate high-performing headlines and creatives in minutes.
09:00 – AI for Reporting & Client Communication
Save hours with smart prompts that turn raw data into client-friendly reports.
10:00 – Systems, SOPs, and Onboarding with AI
How AI can take the load off without hiring a team.
11:00 – What AI Can’t Replace
Budget strategy, offer decisions, and funnel structure still require human insight.
12:30 – Messaging Without Context Falls Flat
Why feeding AI the right data (like our messaging questionnaire) matters more than the tool itself.
13:30 – Creative Direction Still Needs Human Oversight
Why brand tone, voice, and style can’t be auto-generated.
14:30 – Stop Outsourcing Your Value
Why you (not AI) should still lead sales calls and articulate your value.
15:30 – Don’t Skip Mastery
If you don’t understand how strategy works, AI won’t save you. Get better first, then use AI to amplify.
17:00 – Real Client Examples: When AI Gets It Wrong
Two stories from Strategist Society members who turned to AI—and why Brandi still solved it faster.
18:00 – The Calculator Analogy: Know the Math
AI is only powerful if you understand what to do with the output.
19:00 – Final Thoughts + Strategist Soft Skills
Your ability to think, communicate, and lead is what makes you irreplaceable—AI just makes you faster.
19:30 – CTA: Grab the Free AI Streamline Guide
Get Brandi’s best prompts + systems to start using AI now.
Want More Like This? ⬇️
Click Here To Learn More About AI in Advertising: What Freelancers Need to Know for 2025
Additional Resources
🎧 Want the Prompts I Use Every Week?
Download my Streamline AI Guide here: 👉 brandiandcompany.com/streamlined
You’ll get:
- My exact prompts for client reporting
- Copywriting jumpstarts
- Audience research and more
Then DM me on Instagram (@brandimowles) and tell me your biggest takeaway from this episode. I have a surprise waiting for you 👀
** This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you use one of the links to purchase. This helps keep the podcast going and I only share products I have used, tested and love.”
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Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
