Learn and master Clay with Clay university

We just wrapped up the Transform section of this AI-Powered GTM course, where you learned how to use AI to clean, structure, and prepare your data for action.

Now let's move to the final step in the FETC ("fetch") framework: Create.

🚀 This is Where Your Data Turns Into Action

Once your data is enriched and transformed, it's time to do something with it. That's where AI creation comes in.

In most workflows, this starts with copy.

Think: subject lines, intros, CTAs, PS lines. But the Create step goes far beyond outbound messaging.

With AI in Clay, you can also use your data to:

• Generate AI sales copilot documents for AEs
• Produce video and voice content using tools like ElevenLabs
• Create Google Slides and internal reports
• Build location-based content or geo-targeted campaigns
• Source influencers based on niche criteria
• And even generate images and visual assets for campaigns

AI is about turning data into deliverables that drive go-to-market.

📝 Starting with Copy: The Foundation of Creation

That's where most teams start. And it is still one of the highest-leverage use cases.

In Clay, the most effective way to do this is through AI Snippets. Instead of generating long paragraphs or entire emails, we use AI to create one focused piece of copy at a time.

That could be:

• A subject line based on a job change
• An intro sentence that references a recent podcast
• Or a closing line that mentions a shared connection or industry trend

This modular approach gives you control, makes your messaging feel real, and improves accuracy, since we're generating less text with each call to our LLMs.

💭 The Philosophy Behind Create

When we talk about creating with AI, we're not just talking about producing more. We're talking about producing better.

The real goal is distillation. In a world where we have access to 10 times more data, the challenge isn't gathering information. Information is easy.

But filtering it down for signal? THAT'S what's hard now.

Whether you're writing a subject line, summarizing a customer's product roadmap, or building a deck for your AE, the most valuable thing you can do is boil it down to what actually matters.

That's what Create is really about: turning rich, structured data into high-quality content, insights, and assets that people can use.

And that shows up in lots of ways:

• Creating a snippet of personalized outreach
• Writing a short, focused summary for a sales copilot doc
• Generating a value prop slide from a company's feature set
• Highlighting the top three things a CSM needs to know before a QBR

Each of those examples starts with data, but the output only works if it's clear, targeted, and easy to act on.

🧩 AI Snippets: The Building Blocks of Personalization

The creative, or human, part of the copywriting process is coming up with the personalization ideas you want to use. Once you develop a tactic, executing it has been historically manual and time-consuming.

That's where AI snippets come into play.

Let's use a quick example from my BDR days:

When I was prospecting for clients, if I saw that a lead spoke another language fluently on LinkedIn, I'd translate the subject line of my email into that language... Just the subject line!

Then I'd add a short PS to the email body, along the lines of:

"P.S. I don't speak Arabic fluently, but I saw you did. Thought it was cool and figured it might help this email stand out."

This worked really well.

Now, AI can create these kinds of formulaic snippets for us at scale, so you can run the same play across your whole list without having to do it manually.

That's the magic of AI: You come up with the tactic. AI helps you experiment and execute in a fraction of the time, while setting you up to scale instantly.

🔮 What's Coming Next

In the next lessons, we'll show you how to use AI to:

• Create personalized content at scale using modular AI Snippets
• And draft full emails faster with tools like Twain

Then we'll come back to other creation workflows, e.g. video, slides, and more, in future lessons.

💡 Why The Create Step Matters

The Create step is what transforms all your hard work gathering, enriching, and transforming data into tangible results. Without effective creation:

1. Your insights remain locked in spreadsheets instead of driving action
2. Your personalization feels generic because it's applied inconsistently
3. Your team spends too much time writing instead of engaging with prospects

By leveraging AI for creation, you not only save time but also ensure that every piece of content you produce is data-driven, personalized, and optimized for conversion.

Remember: The goal isn't to replace human creativity, but to amplify it. You identify the signals that matter and the tactics that work, and AI helps you execute them at scale.