Love it or hate it, artificial intelligence is everywhere. I’m an inherently optimistic person, so I choose to believe the tool can be leveraged for good. More importantly, AI isn’t going anywhere. So instead of burying your head in the sand, discover how to (responsibly) harness its power.

Now, I won’t claim to be anywhere near an AI expert, but I have spent time researching, experimenting with and playing with ChatGPT — specifically for writing. If you’re looking to improve your prompt game, here are four beginner-friendly tips to get better, more useful results from AI.

1. Be as specific as possible

The most common (and most important) AI prompt-writing tip is simple: The more detail you give in your prompt, the better the output will be. In your prompt, think about:

• Perspective (such as, “You’re an expert marketer…”)
• Tone (professional, casual, witty, etc.)
• Audience (beginners, customers, industry peers)
• Platform (social media, blog, email, etc.)
• Goal (inform, persuade, entertain, etc.)

Consider this hypothetical social media post example.

	Prompt	Output
Version 1	Write a social media post congratulating our director, Sally, on 10 years with the company.	You’re an expert marketer with extensive experience reaching Kansas audiences. My accounting company needs help drafting a social media post congratulating our director, Sally, on 10 years with the company. This will be posted on Instagram, and our main audience is existing clients and family/friends of our employees. Our business voice is professional and trustworthy, but we also try to be friendly and approachable. The goal with this post is to highlight the experience of our employees and show that we appreciate the people at our company.
Version 2	Today we celebrate a remarkable milestone — our incredible director, Sally, is marking 10 years with [Company Name]! From day one, Sally has led with vision, dedication and heart, inspiring our team to reach new heights and always keeping our mission front and center. Her leadership has shaped who we are today, and her commitment to excellence continues to pave the way for our future. Here’s to a decade of achievements, growth and making a difference — and to many more ahead. Congratulations, Sally!	Today we’re raising a toast (and maybe a calculator) to our incredible director, Sally, who has been part of our [Company Name] family for 10 years! From navigating complex numbers to building trusted relationships, Sally’s expertise, integrity and genuine care have made a lasting difference for our clients and our team. Sally, thank you for your dedication, leadership and the countless ways you’ve helped our company grow. Here’s to a decade of excellence — and many more to come!

While there isn’t anything wrong with Version 1’s output, it’s less personal and a more generic message. Version 2, on the other hand, ties in the business’s industry and feels warmer. It’s a better starting place to help you say something meaningful. 

2. Ask AI

Turning to AI to help you with AI (meta, right?) can be a wonderful way to get started. Begin by telling ChatGPT your end goal, then ask what details will be most helpful for it to know to give you the best possible product.

3. Keep the Conversation Going

AI tools like ChatGPT are iterative. This means you can have an ongoing conversation and build as you go. If you’re not happy with the output after your first prompt, say so! Provide specific feedback about what’s wrong or what’s missing. And while there’s a moral debate (financial cost, energy expense, etc.) about how polite to be, you certainly don’t need to sugarcoat your feedback. Give specific areas for improvement, then continue to have a conversation until you’re happy with the final product.

4. Use Examples

Just like humans, AI works better when it has examples of what it’s striving for. If your business has an established voice, share blogs, social media posts and other content so ChatGPT can better mimic how you like to sound. The more examples, the better! ChatGPT’s computing power can quickly absorb tens of thousands of words, so don’t be shy about sharing.

I’ll say it one more time for the record: I’m not an expert on AI. But I hope you found valuable, tangible ideas you can try the next time you use ChatGPT. And I wouldn’t be doing my job as a marketer (or a human being) if I didn’t wrap up by telling you that although ChatGPT is an amazing tool for efficiency, it certainly isn’t able to replace your authentic voice, which in many cases, is also a strong differentiator for your business. Not only that, but AI models make mistakes, are full of biases and don’t always revere facts. Always review ChatGPT’s output for accuracy, clarity and tone before publishing.

If you need more help with AI or want results-driven content with a personal touch, contact us today.