By Mia Linder – Ann Wiley, owner of Wylie Communications, loves to read. “I think if I could have found a job where they just let me read, I probably would have done that,” she says.

But the closest thing to reading? Writing.

Wylie was captivated by English literature during undergraduate studies at Kansas State University. She enhanced her skills by obtaining a graduate degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.

Wylie then worked for a boutique PR firm, and later led one of Hallmark’s employee communication channels. At Hallmark, one of her colleagues was a really great writer. Wylie used the competition to hone her skills.

“I learned that writing is tricks — not talent,” she says. “The writer with the most tricks wins.”

At Hallmark, Ann won dozens of awards, including two IABC Gold Quills. Those awards helped her prove to herself and to clients that her writing tricks helped organizations achieve their bottom-line business goals. 

While at Hallmark, Ann taught graduate writing classes to professional communicators at Webster University at night. Teaching was not only a way to spread her gospel, but also an opportunity to refine its content.

She began researching what really works in writing. “While you’re out having fun on a Friday night, I might be happily curled up on the couch with a great study,” she says. She codified the tricks of writing into a system that she has since used to teach thousands of professional communicators at hundreds of organizations, including Toyota, Coca-Cola, Eli Lilly, and Salesforce.

Ann’s next career stop was as editor of an executive magazine. “I got to learn what keeps CEOs up at night — and how the guy who changes the lightbulb thinks,” she says. 

Ann started Wylie Communications on Friday the 13th — a lucky day for her; she was also born on Friday the 13th — some 31 years ago.

One of her early clients was a healthcare system. She helped them produce their patient magazines – the ones you flip through while waiting to be summoned for an appointment. “The patients kept stealing the magazines,” she says. “We couldn’t print enough of them.” The patients responded to the magazine’s calls to action. Inquiries increased. That was another data point supporting the connection between great communications and strategic business wins for organizations.

So, as a seasoned writing pro and consultant, how does Wylie feel about AI in writing?

“I don’t just use it every day, I use it every hour,” she says. “On New Year’s Day, I got a little badge from ChatGPT saying that I was in the top 1% of users.”

She sees AI as a “flying car” but bemoans that writers waste it on producing “shitty emails.” “There’s so much more we could be doing to understand our audiences and shape campaigns.”

She sees AI as a tool — just like using Post-It Notes or Google to search — one that communicators need to master and use.

As for doomsday scenarios, she says, “I believe that AI will be a gift to humanity — curing diseases, solving climate change, decoding the universe. I think that AI will also hurt humanity by taking our jobs, invading our privacy and consuming our natural resources. As with all change, we can’t see exactly how the future will play out. In the meantime, our best bet is to stay on top of this quickly changing tool and continue to evolve our own skills.”

Mia Linder is IABC Philadelphia’s Chapter Intern and a motivated journalism student, excited about connecting with professionals through creative storytelling. She delivers compelling articles and executes marketing campaigns that leave a lasting impression on current and prospective IABC members. In her free time, Mia enjoys fashion, pilates, luxury branding, traveling, and photography. Her creativity, sharp strategy, and empathetic mindset shape how she delivers a brand's message.