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A Copywriter’s Efficient Assistant: How AI is Maximizing UNO’s Editorial Efforts

  • published: 2025/08/04
  • contact: UNO Division of Innovative and Learning-Centric Initiatives (ILCI)
  • email: innovate@unomaha.edu
Illustration of a person emerging from a computer monitor, raising a large pen triumphantly with a red starburst behind it. A broken keyboard lies below. The headline reads: "A Copywriter’s Efficient Assistant: How AI is Maximizing UNO’s Editorial Efforts." The University of Nebraska Omaha logo appears in the bottom right corner.

In an age of endless content, the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s MarComm Editorial and Media Relations team found a way to cut through the noise using artificial intelligence, all while emphasizing heartfelt storytelling.

How do you know what people are searching, what’s trending, what keywords matter most? Simple strategic research has become far more complex with the increase of 100% AI-generated content being introduced into the digital world at record speed. Here are three ways Director of Editorial & Media Relations Sam Peshek and MarComm Communications Specialist Bella Lockwood use generative AI to help with storytelling and media engagement:

  1. For news stories, faculty members complete a brief questionnaire to gather the appropriate information. Then, this information, as well as other pertinent research, is entered into the custom GPT titled “UNO Copywriter” to create the first draft.
  2. For media pitch cold emails, the team will find what’s trending, recruit a UNO faculty expert to discuss with the media, then use their custom GPT to write an email that will get the attention of journalists.
  3. For feature stories, they record interviews and upload the recording to an AI transcription service. Then, they upload the transcript to ChatGPT to help them identify quotes that will resonate with their target audience.

“With just the three examples above, we estimate we save about three hours per writing project,” Peshek says. “We use this time to pursue more stories and use our people-powered creativity to write better content.”

Time saved is a definite plus. But is it working?

The answer is yes. According to Peshek, “The biggest difference we have noticed is how journalists interact with our cold emails. Since implementing ChatGPT into our work, we’ve seen across-the-board increases in email open rates and click-through rates, which has resulted in more awareness of our faculty experts, and in turn, created more media engagements.”

Increased efficiency, all while getting UNO’s people and projects into the spotlight, is an effective use of AI.

The AI Learning Lab’s Open AI Challenge has paved the way for so many staff and faculty members, like Peshek, to discover how well-placed AI can truly transform the way you work. For the MarComm Editorial and Media Relations team, participating in the Open AI Challenge was a no-brainer. UNO’s openness and trailblazing outlook on embracing new technology empowered this team to be a part of it. “It made me want to seek out new challenges and opportunities, apply AI tools, and see what happens,” Peshek concluded.

For those unsure of how to begin or hesitant to use AI in their work at UNO, Peshek recommends starting by using AI on a topic that interests them. Enjoy running? Have ChatGPT create a personalized training regimen tailored to your goals. Love to cook? Give it a list of the ingredients you have and ask it to challenge you with a new recipe.

“This will help you build the familiarity you need with AI to start digging into your own workflows in your job, freeing up time for you to do more fulfilling and impactful work.”

Interested in AI but not sure how to begin? The AI Learning Lab has a host of resources to help you begin implementing AI into your work.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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