What if your marketing problem isn’t traffic… but friction?

In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle sits down with Heather Robson, UX copywriter and content strategist, to unpack how unintentional friction in your messaging may be quietly costing you trust, clarity, and conversions.

Heather specializes in bringing user experience principles into marketing copy. Instead of assuming more visibility is the answer, she helps founders look at how people actually move through content and what happens at each step.

You’ll also hear a powerful reframe on AI. Instead of treating ChatGPT like an output machine, Heather demonstrates how to use it as a thinking partner to clarify your ideas without flattening your voice.

This episode is practical, honest, and especially relevant for women building businesses who want their marketing to feel aligned, clear, and human.

About Heather Robson

Heather Robson is a content marketer and UX copywriter who helps businesses remove friction from their messaging so the right clients can move forward with confidence. She blends user experience principles with marketing strategy to improve clarity, build trust, and strengthen the customer journey.

She works with founders and creative professionals who want messaging that feels human, intentional, and effective.

Timed Show Moments

00:00 – Welcome to Empowered by AI

Michelle introduces the episode and the focus on readiness, literacy, and taking action with AI.

01:00 – What Is UX Copywriting and Why It Matters

Heather explains how user experience principles apply to messaging and how improving clarity helps customers see where they fit and what to do next.

02:00 – The Truth About Friction

Not all friction is bad. Heather breaks down the difference between unintentional friction and qualifying friction that strengthens your funnel.

04:30 – Event Boundaries and Why People “Forget” Why They Clicked

The neuroscience behind walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there—and how that applies to landing pages and marketing transitions.

07:00 – Start with the Destination

Why marketers should think backward from the landing page instead of starting with the ad or email.

08:00 – Diagnosing Email Marketing Issues

Heather outlines the signals she looks at: open rates, click behavior, replies, segmentation, and on-page activity.

09:00 – The Three Ways Email Marketing Fails

Breaking trust

Being confusing

Being irrelevant

10:30 – Customers Don’t Follow Neat Funnels

Heather introduces the “highway” metaphor. People enter from multiple on-ramps, take side quests, and skip ahead. Your job is to make the next step clear.

13:00 – Building Trust Through Values and Voice

Why leaning into your values and clearly defining your brand voice helps you stand out in an AI-saturated world.

16:00 – Transparency as a Trust Strategy

Heather explains why saying “This is not for everyone” can actually build credibility and connection.

18:00 – Where AI Increases Friction

The risk of sounding like everyone else when you over-rely on AI for writing.

19:30 – Using AI as a Thinking Partner

Heather demonstrates her process: asking AI to interview her instead of generate the article.

21:00 – Live Demo: AI Interviews Heather

She walks through a prompt structure that helps founders clarify their own ideas before drafting.

27:00 – AI as Editor and Thought Partner

Heather shares how she uses AI to identify confusion, boredom points, and unanswered questions in her drafts.

29:00 – Protecting Your Voice in the AI Era

Why writing is thinking—and why outsourcing all of it to AI weakens your clarity.

31:00 – Where to Connect with Heather

Heather shares how to find her on LinkedIn and access her content service built for the...