Most Writers Are Using ChatGPT Wrong — Here’s How.
September 2, 2024
5 min read
Most of us are using ChatGPT wrong.
We’re missing out on its full potential because we don’t craft our prompts effectively. Many times, we throw a standard prompt at it and hope for the best. Sure, it might work occasionally, but more often than not, the results fall short of what we’re aiming for.
As professional writers, we know the importance of precision in communication. So why are we letting ChatGPT guess when we could guide it? To get the most out of AI, we need to master the art of prompt engineering.
In this post, I’ll walk you through five powerful techniques to help you create high-quality prompts, especially for professional writers.
How can you improve your prompts and get better results from ChatGPT every time?
ChatGPT works best when you offer it clarity. For instance, if you’re asking it to write a product description, don’t just say, “Write a product description for a chair.” Instead, provide an example of what a great product description looks like.
For example:
“Write a product description for a chair. Here’s an example of a style I like: ‘This ergonomic office chair offers superior lumbar support, making it perfect for long working hours. With its sleek design and customizable features, it’s an essential addition to any home office.’”
Why does this work? You’re not leaving room for interpretation. When you give an example, you’re setting expectations and guiding the AI to produce content in the exact format or tone you need.
When using ChatGPT, assigning it a role can drastically improve the output. Think of it as giving your AI assistant a persona. Want a marketing piece? Make ChatGPT a marketing expert. Need SEO advice? Tell ChatGPT to act as an SEO consultant.
Instead of saying:
“Give me SEO advice,”
try:
“You are an SEO expert for a digital marketing agency. Write an SEO strategy for a blog post about electric vehicles.”
Why does this matter? Giving ChatGPT a specific role allows it to tailor its responses with more accuracy, which saves you time editing and improves the overall quality.
As a professional writer, tone and style are critical. It does not matter if you’re drafting a formal whitepaper, a blog post, articles, scripts, or social media content. Instruct ChatGPT on the exact tone and style you need.
Example prompt:
“I need a blog post in a conversational tone, similar to how you’d explain something to a friend over coffee. The topic is: ‘How freelancers can manage their time effectively.’”
This way, ChatGPT doesn’t default to a robotic, generic style. Instead, it adapts its tone to match the brief, making your content much more engaging and on-brand.
When working on larger writing projects like ebooks or reports, don’t throw an entire chapter at ChatGPT. Break it down into manageable pieces. Ask it for sections, bullet points, or outlines to start with, then expand those pieces.
For example:
“Create an outline for a chapter on ‘The Future of Remote Work’ with three main subtopics and supporting points for each.”
When you break tasks into smaller parts, you allow ChatGPT to focus on one section at a time to ensure your content does not lack in depth and coherence.
Once ChatGPT provides an answer, don’t settle for the first result. Treat it like a draft. Provide feedback and refine the response with follow-up prompts. If the content doesn’t hit the mark for you, tell ChatGPT how to fix it.
Example:
“That’s a good start, but I need the tone to be more professional. Can you revise this paragraph with that in mind?”
If you iterate with follow-up prompts, you can keep refining the output until it meets your expectations.
As a professional writer with 4+ years of experience, I strongly advise you to grow your mind first, as a writer. Be confident in your work, and only use ChatGPT as a writing assistant, not the primary writer. You are the writer, ChatGPT is only there to make your work easier for you.
You can’t offer what you don’t already possess. Therefore, focus on honing your craft, but also learn how to make this tool work effectively for you. Treat ChatGPT like a tool that can be sharpened. When you master the craft of prompting, you can take control of the output, and turn ChatGPT into an invaluable writing assistant rather than just a source of generic responses.
So, give these techniques a try and start transforming your writing process today. It’s not just about what you ask ChatGPT to do — it’s how you ask it.
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Grace Akowe Apara
Freelance writer, ghostwriter, editor, and publishing coach. I've worked on over 500 books and content projects, helping leaders and experts turn their ideas into published works that build legacy and authority.