Maximizing ChatGPT's Impact on Your Content Creation - 3 Sample Prompts For Writing Blog Posts

As a content marketer, I know the importance of producing high-quality, engaging content. I also know how long it can take to get past that dreaded “blank page” and start writing. 

That’s why I’ve been OBSESSED with using ChatGPT these past couple of weeks to help me tackle the challenge of creating the first draft of my work assignments. You’ve probably read and seen a ton of content around ChatGPT already if you’re reading this, so I’ll assume that you have context on what it is and the basic uses of the chat functionality.

So instead of telling you how the tool will replace jobs, or that “99% of people don’t know how to use it,”  I'll show you how ChatGPT can be a valuable asset to your content marketing by helping you craft compelling content that resonates with your audience (focusing on the first draft).

Creating First Drafts with ChatGPT

First and foremost, I use ChatGPT to create the initial drafts of content, be it a long-form blog post, social media caption, or email newsletter. While the content generated by ChatGPT may require some fine-tuning to align with brand guidelines, it provides a solid foundation that saves me time and effort. With every prompt, you want to provide clear examples of what you want as the “end output.”

Initial prompts should include:

• Context to brand guidelines
• Examples of what looks good to you
• Examples and rules for what you don’t want to see

Experimenting with Content Styles

ChatGPT's versatility allows me to experiment with various content styles and formats, helping me find the perfect voice for my brand. Whether I'm looking for an informative tone or a conversational style, ChatGPT delivers. Make sure you always highlight that you want, “an informal and friendly tone of voice,” or “an authoritative point-of-view without using too much jargon.”

Let’s get practical

Now to show you exact sample prompts you can use for blog posts specifically, check out the ones I’ve been using below:

General Blog Post Prompt

Prompt: 

“You are expert in [insert topic]. You’ve been tasked to write an article that covers [insert topic]. You can use any supporting documentation below to aid in the creation of the post.

Avoid using any jargon unless it is explained in parentheses. The tone of this article should be transparent and bold.

Avoid using sarcasm in the text. Please cite any sources used when referencing statistics. 

Also include a title, subheadings, and there should be 4 paragraphs under each subhead. You can also use this link as a general guide for tone and voice: [URL of best-in-class blog post]

Here is the supporting documentation:

[More info]”

This is usually my first step when creating a blog post. It provides a main topic (usually a longtail keyword), the overall brand guidelines I like to follow for my personal brand, and an example the tool can emulate.

Editing Prompt

Prompt:

“You are now editorGPT. Your job is to assess the following article and identify its strengths and weaknesses. You will list out these strengths and weaknesses in a table. Type "..." if you understand.”

*Shoutout to Tommy Walker for sharing this prompt on Twitter. I like to then have it rewrite the article to “address all weaknesses listed above.” I do this several times until there are no listed weaknesses that the tool can identify. For faster results, I delegate this process to a virtual assistant I’ve hired to create articles from my podcast transcripts.

Quick SEO Prompt (Work-in-progress)

Prompt:

“Write for the article below

1. A keyword optimized meta description for this article that does not exceed 160 characters

2. Write a SEO optimized keyword rich URL slug for this article, that would go after “[main domain]“

Here is the article: 

[Insert article]”

*Shoutout to Maurice Bretzfield for sharing this prompt with me! I use this prompt to save me time creating meta descriptions and URL slugs. Every minute saved counts in the fast-paced marketing world!

The Future of Content Marketing with ChatGPT: Complementing Creativity

Remember, ChatGPT is a tool that complements, rather than replaces, your creativity and expertise. After you create your first draft of whatever content you’re writing, pop it into Google Docs and edit the draft using a tool like Grammarly for clarity and punctuation, and use a plagiarism checker to see where you can replace copied content with a unique point-of-view/angle. 

The landscape of content marketing is ever-evolving, and the integration of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT is paving the way for innovative approaches to content creation. By leveraging the capabilities of ChatGPT, content marketers can efficiently produce a wide range of content that is both engaging and optimized for the channel it’s being used for.

While AI language models like ChatGPT are undeniably powerful, they are not a replacement for human creativity and judgment. Rather, they are a valuable tool that can enhance the content creation process, allowing marketers to focus on the strategic aspects of content marketing, such as audience targeting, brand messaging, finding the right angle, and repurposing content (video and audio into written in this case).

Do you have any go-to prompts you use for your content marketing? Let me know in the comments section of this article! 

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Dalle Prompts: "Hand drawn pixel art block words on a spiral notebook. The words spell CONTENT" by Johannes Vermeer + "A human writing on a spiral notebook with a robot arm hold his wrist. There a vague scribbled notes on the paper" by Johannes Vermeer