Beginner · Level 1: Foundations
How to Tell If Something Was Written by AI
You usually can't prove who wrote something, but you can spot the patterns that make sales writing read as generic AI: flattering openers, fake personalization, everything in threes, hype words, perfectly even lists and vague asks. Buyers delete those patterns whoever wrote them, so the fix is to give AI your voice and real facts, then edit for 60 seconds before you send.
In 30 seconds
- This page is about sales writing, not about catching people. No tool can tell for certain who wrote a piece of text, so we don't rely on detectors.
- Six patterns make an email read as machine written. Each has a simple fix.
- Buyers don't delete emails because AI helped. They delete emails that could have gone to anyone.
- Your voice examples, a short banned list and the 60 second edit make AI drafts sound like you.
The six tells in sales writing
AI on its own writes the most likely version of whatever you ask for. (What Is AI? explains why.) Ask for "a cold email" with no context and you get the average cold email, the one buyers have learned to skip. These six patterns show up again and again.
Scroll sideways to see the whole table.
| The tell | What it looks like | Why it reads as AI | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Flattering opener | "I hope this finds you well." "I was impressed by your journey." | It's praise with nothing behind it. It could open any email to anyone. | Delete it. Start with their news or their problem. |
| 2. Fake personalization | A line about their alma mater or a LinkedIn post, then a pitch that ignores it | The personal detail is decoration. The buyer can see it was bolted on. | Connect a real trigger to a problem they own, or leave it out. |
| 3. Everything in threes | "Faster, smarter and more efficient." Three paragraphs, three benefits, three adjectives. | Real thoughts are lumpy. Neat triplets read like a template. | Keep the one point that matters. Cut the other two. |
| 4. Hype words | Leverage, synergy, game changer, seamless, cutting edge, revolutionize, excited to | No rep talks like this out loud. It sounds like a brochure. | Say what the product does in plain words. |
| 5. Perfectly even lists | Three bullets, each with a bold lead in, all the same length | Nobody writes a quick note to one person in tidy bullets. | Use one sentence. Save lists for when the buyer asks. |
| 6. Vague ask | "Would you be open to a quick chat sometime?" "Let me know if you'd like to connect." | It gives the buyer nothing to say yes to. | One specific question they can answer in a few words. |
One email, annotated
Here's a typical AI first draft for Tallyline, a fictional company that reads vendor invoices so finance teams don't retype them. The prospect is Nora Bell, VP of Finance at Calder Freight Systems, also fictional. The numbers in brackets match the six tells.
Before: the default AI draft (96 words)
Subject: Revolutionizing Calder's Finance Operations!
Hi Nora,
I hope this email finds you well! I was truly impressed by your inspiring journey as a finance leader. [1] I also saw you studied at State University, go team! [2]
In today's landscape, finance teams need speed, accuracy and scalability. [3] That's where Tallyline comes in. Our cutting edge platform leverages AI to seamlessly transform invoice processing. [4]
With Tallyline, you can: - Save time by automating manual data entry - Reduce errors with intelligent validation - Scale effortlessly as your business grows [5]
I'd love to connect and explore potential synergies. Would you be open to a quick chat sometime? [6]
Nothing in it is about Calder. Swap in any company name and it still "works," which is the problem.
After: written with voice examples and one verified fact (46 words)
Subject: invoices at the new dc
Hi Nora,
Saw Calder is opening a new Toronto office next month. (Trigger, checked in their press release)
New sites usually bring new carriers and vendors, and their invoices land on AP first. (A problem she owns)
Tallyline reads vendor invoices and enters them for your team. (What we do, one plain line)
How is AP planning for the extra volume? (One easy question)
Theo
It isn't clever. It's about her, it's short, and it ends with a question she can answer in one line.
Key idea
Buyers don't delete emails because AI helped write them. They delete emails that could have been sent to anyone.
Why buyers react badly
Your buyer isn't running your email through a detector. They're reading it on a phone between meetings and deciding in seconds. Generic writing loses that moment for three reasons.
- It signals no effort. If nothing in the email is about them, they assume nobody thought about them.
- Fake personalization feels like a trick. A compliment that clearly came from a template is worse than no compliment. It tells the buyer you're pretending.
- It follows you around. Our course puts it simply: AI slop is obvious, and it damages your brand. One bad template sent to 500 people is 500 bad impressions, and careless sending can hurt your email domain's reputation for your whole team. AI Sales Automation covers why you should never auto send AI copy nobody reviewed.
There's a trust problem underneath, too. When AI lacks a fact, it can fill the gap with a confident, specific, wrong one, called a hallucination. How AI Assistants Actually Work explains why. A wrong title or a funding round that never happened does more damage than any hype word. AI wrote it, but you're responsible for it. What AI Can't Do in Sales (Yet) explains why that part of the job stays with you.
How to write with AI so it sounds like you
None of the six tells are AI problems. They're instruction problems. As Prompting 101 puts it, examples beat adjectives: "friendly but professional" means little to AI, but three of your real emails show it exactly what you mean. (The technical name is few shot prompting.)
Step 1: give AI your voice. Save 3 to 5 of your best emails, the ones that got replies, where your company approved tool keeps standing context: a project or workspace, saved instructions or your seller context file.
Prompt
Set up your voice once
These are 3 emails I wrote that got replies. They are examples of my voice. Study the sentence length, how I open, how I ask, and the words I never use. Don't copy their content.
Then write me a 5 line "My voice" section I can save in my context file.
Rules for every draft from now on: short sentences, no exclamation points, no dashes. Never use: "I hope this finds you well," "I came across," "I wanted to reach out," "just circling back," "quick question," "leverage," "synergy," "game changer," "excited to," "I'd love to."
[paste 3 of your emails]Step 2: keep a short banned list. Most of the one in the prompt above comes from our course. Add your own pet phrases, and keep it short so AI actually follows it.
Step 3: describe your voice in plain words. These are the kinds of lines that work in a "My voice" section:
Scroll sideways to see the whole table.
| Vague (AI guesses) | Specific (AI can follow it) |
|---|---|
| Professional but friendly | Short sentences. First names. No exclamation points. |
| Engaging | Open with their news in the first line. Never open with "I." |
| Concise | Under 80 words for a first email. One idea per sentence. |
| Confident | No "just," "hoping" or "sorry to bother you." |
| Clear call to action | End with one question they can answer in a few words. |
Step 4: let AI find the tells in your draft. This isn't a detector. It's a second pair of eyes looking for the six patterns on this page.
Prompt
Run a tell sweep
Review the email below for anything that makes it sound generic or machine written. Check for: a warm up or flattering first sentence, personalization that doesn't connect to the pitch, lists or phrases in threes, hype words, bullets that are suspiciously even, and a vague ask. Quote each problem line, name the issue in five words or fewer, and suggest a plainer version. Don't rewrite the whole email.
[paste your draft]Step 5: teach AI your edits. After a week of drafting, show it what you changed. Your drafts will need less editing each week.
Prompt
Learn from my edits
Here is your draft and the version I actually sent. List the patterns in my edits: what I cut, what I added and what I reworded. Turn them into 3 short rules I can add to the "My voice" section of my context file.
[paste the AI draft]
[paste the version you sent]When a prompt works, save it as a prompt template so you never retype it.
The 60 second edit
Voice setup makes drafts better. This habit makes them safe to send. Run it on every AI draft, every time.
Verify every fact about the prospect
against a source you opened yourself.
Delete the first sentence if it's a warm up
The second sentence is usually your real opener.
Read it aloud
Rewrite anything you'd never say to their face.
Check the ask
One question, specific and easy to answer.
Ask yourself: would I reply to this?
Your self edit checklist
Tick these off before anything AI assisted goes to a buyer: email, LinkedIn note or follow up.
Checklist
0 of 8 done
Ticks are saved in this browser only.
The last item is the best test of all. If the email still works for any company, it reads as AI, whoever wrote it.
Quick check: spot the tell
Quick check
Answer in your head, then open each one.
"I came across your profile and was really impressed by your passion for innovation." Which tell is this?
Answer: Tell 1, the flattering opener. It's praise that could go to anyone. Delete it and start with their news.
"Our platform helps you save time, cut costs and scale with confidence." What's wrong, and what would you write instead?
Answer: Tell 3, everything in threes, plus hype. Pick the one benefit tied to their trigger and say it plainly, for example "Tallyline enters vendor invoices so AP doesn't retype them."
"Would you be open to exploring whether there might be a fit sometime in the coming weeks?" How would you fix it?
Answer: Tell 6, the vague ask. Replace it with one easy question about their world, such as "How is AP handling invoices from the new site?"
Try it now
15 minutesYour turn
Open the last three emails you sent with AI help. Mark every tell from the table above. Run the tell sweep prompt on the worst one, apply the 60 second edit, and compare the before and after word counts. Then add your three most common tells to the banned list in your context file.
Ready for more? The full method is in How to Write Cold Emails with AI That Don't Sound Like AI, including a prompt that makes AI read your draft as the prospect. To find a trigger worth opening with, see AI account research. Writing on LinkedIn instead? See How to Write LinkedIn Messages with AI.
FAQ
Can an AI detector tell if my email was written by AI?
Don't rely on one. No tool can tell for certain who wrote a piece of text, and your buyer isn't using one anyway. Judge your draft against the six tells instead.
What are the most common signs of AI writing in sales emails?
The six most common are a flattering opener, personalization that doesn't connect to the pitch, everything in threes, hype words, perfectly even bullet lists and a vague ask. One alone proves nothing. Several together read as generic.
Is it wrong to use AI to write sales emails?
No, as long as every fact is true, you've edited it and you'd stand behind every word. Follow your company's AI policy, and never use AI to imitate a real person's writing. AI drafts; you're responsible for what you send.
Should I tell prospects I used AI?
Follow your company's policy on this. What matters most to a buyer is that the email is accurate, relevant and from a real person who will follow through. If your policy is silent, ask your manager.
How do I get AI to write like me?
Give it 3 to 5 of your best emails as voice examples, a short banned phrase list and plain style rules like "short sentences, no exclamation points." Then show it how you edit its drafts and save the rules it learns in your context file.
AI for Sales Certification
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