Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Sound familiar?
You stop writing after the intro to ponder what details to include.
You need facts to support the solutions recommended in the content, but you don’t have them.
You’ve written and written and written, but you’re not sure it makes sense, let alone if it’s good.
Your fingers are posed to write another piece of content on the same topic you’ve written about 25 times in the past two years, and you must make it different enough.
You wrote a good first draft, but you’ve been immersed in the text so long you’ve lost the ability to polish it for a reader who’s never seen it.
What can you do to overcome these challenges?
Grab your AI buddy (or buddies) to help you out. Follow these five prompts (and prompt revisions) to get your creativity flowing and your content consumable and credible. I used Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity AI as my helpers, but these prompts should work well with similar AI tools, too.
1. Generate ideas you haven’t thought of
You know the topic well. After all, you write about it frequently. But you’re not sure how to make it fresh or different from everything your brand has already published. Try this.
AI prompt: “I am writing an article for (target audience) to help them tackle (challenge). Share 10 unexpected things they could do.”
Example prompt: “I am writing an article for marketers about how to get out of a creative rut when creating content. Share 10 unexpected things they could do.”
Gemini’s response includes such things as:
- Visit a museum or art gallery (virtual or in-person).
- People-watch or eavesdrop (ethically).
- Cook or bake something new.
- Explore a different genre of music.
- Go walk in nature (without your phone).
The other six suggestions include:
- Try freewriting or stream-of-consciousness writing.
- Change your physical environment.
- Read something completely unrelated to your industry.
- Brainstorm with someone outside your field.
- Revisit your old work (with fresh eyes).
Gemini also explains how to execute each suggestion and why it is beneficial. For example, the people-watch and eavesdrop tip explains:
“Go to a coffee shop, park, or other public space and observe people. Listen to snippets of conversations (without being creepy, of course!). Real-life interactions can provide insights into current trends, concerns, and language that resonates with your target audience. This helps you tap into authentic human experiences.”
OK, that’s a good answer, but many of the unexpected ideas go beyond what the audience likely could do within their work parameters. If that’s the case, add a follow-up prompt to get more helpful answers.
Follow-up AI prompt: “What could they do to address that challenge with (describe environment or available means)?”
Example follow-up prompt: Since marketers in a creative rut probably can’t leave their desk to hit a museum, walk in nature, or eavesdrop, the follow-up prompt is, “What could they do while sitting at their desk?”
Gemini responds with even more practical and specific answers — only one of which overlaps with the previous answer:
- Change your font.
- Use a random word generator.
- Explore visual content.
- Listen to ambient sounds.
- Try a mind-mapping tool.
- Take a micro-break.
- Use a writing prompt generator.
- Read quotes from inspiring figures.
- Use a thesaurus.
- Freewrite for five minutes.
2. Ask for research assistance
Third-party research can bring fresh perspectives and credibility to your content, so turn your AI tool into a research assistant. I find this usually requires a little more prompt finesse when you get into the specifics, but here’s a good starting point.
AI prompt: “Share quality research about effective solutions for (topic).”
Example prompt: “Can you share quality research about effective solutions for creative ruts?”
Perplexity AI gave me some possibly helpful answers, citing an Elsevier study about establishing a routine and quoting psychologist Graham Wallas about a theory that involves taking strategic breaks in the creative process.
But, the sources identified in the right column aren’t clearly research articles. They seem to talk about answers that are generically backed by research. The last source in the image, “Cultivating Creative Problem-Solving Through Limitations and …” may be the most helpful, stating “This action research explores how setting limitations on a creative process is used across disciplines …”
However, after looking through the sources, I’d like more authoritative options, so I revised the prompt to add the word “academic.”
Follow-up AI prompt: “Share quality academic research about (topic).”
Example prompt: “Can you share quality academic research on solutions to creative ruts?”
The answer cites research from the universities of Michigan, Limerick, and Iowa State, as well as the Elsevier study.
The sources include a couple of fresh options, including one with an interview with a neurology professor and another that explores neurological, psychological, and environmental factors.
3. Unravel your messy text
You’ve pulled together a lot of notes and compiled them into a really long article. You’ve read it so many times, you’ve lost sight of whether it flows well for your targeted reader.
Your AI assistant stands ready to help and detail the path to see if you’re sending readers in the right direction.
Prompt: “Write subheads for this text: (Add the text without any headlines or section labels.)”
Example prompt: “Please write subheads for this article: (I included the text from a CMI article about asking for a raise and removed all the headers.)”
Among the first subheads created by ChatGPT:
- Why Job-Hopping May Be the Fastest Route to a 20% Raise
- How to Research Your Worth in the Marketing Industry
- Using Salary Benchmark Reports to Strengthen Your Case
As I read through the subhead suggestions, it’s clear the article flows logically. (Whew, given this piece was already published, that’s a good thing.)
But what if I changed the polished text to a messier version? Here’s what Gemini suggests for subheads:
- Research the marketplace before you negotiate.
- Leverage pay transparency laws to your advantage.
- Three key strategies to boost your compensation.
- Use job postings to gauge market compensation.
- Consult salary benchmark reports for additional insights.
- Frame your raise request around business value.
- Make it easy for decision-makers to approve your raise.
When I read through the seven subheads, I can easily see the original draft would benefit from a reorder. After all, it makes sense to group the external research ideas [pay transparency laws (no. 2), job postings (no. 4), and salary benchmark reports (no. 5)] into the same section.
TIP: I find the AI tools usually default to listing subheads for every point in the article. While that’s helpful for understanding if the content flows logically, it can be problematic in crafting the actual subheads. So, use this follow-up prompt, “Use fewer subheads for the article,” and you’ll likely get a usable response.
4. Mix up the format
You’re sick and tired of doing (and seeing) your content the same way every time — headline, intro, subhead, text, subhead, text, subhead, text, etc. Reinvigorate your content by asking your AI buddy (I used Gemini) for fresh format ideas.
AI prompt: What other content formats would work well for this text?
Example prompt: Using the CMI salary article, I posed the question about other formats and received this answer:
“This content about asking for a raise could be effectively repurposed into several other formats, each catering to different learning styles and consumption habits. Here are a few ideas:
- Infographic: A visually appealing infographic could break down the key steps into digestible chunks, using icons and charts to illustrate key points like salary research, achievement tracking, and negotiation tactics. This format is ideal for quick comprehension and sharing on social media.
- Video: A short, engaging video could feature a career coach or expert walking through the steps, perhaps using real-life scenarios or role-playing to demonstrate effective communication techniques. Video is highly engaging and allows for a more personal connection with the audience.
- Podcast Episode: A podcast episode could delve deeper into each step, featuring interviews with successful marketers who have negotiated raises. The audio format is perfect for listening on the go and allows for more in-depth discussion and storytelling.
- Checklist/Worksheet: A downloadable checklist or worksheet could provide a practical, actionable tool for readers to follow along and track their progress. This format encourages active participation and helps readers personalize the advice to their own situations.
- SlideShare Presentation: A visually driven presentation on SlideShare could condense the key takeaways into a concise and shareable format, suitable for presentations or quick reviews.
- Social Media Thread: A series of tweets or LinkedIn posts could break down the content into bite-sized pieces, each focusing on a specific tip or strategy. This format is ideal for engaging with a wider audience and sparking conversation.
- Email Newsletter Series: A multi-part email series could deliver the content gradually, allowing readers to digest the information over time and prompting them to take action at each stage. This format fosters engagement and builds a relationship with the audience.
- Interactive Quiz: An online quiz could test readers’ knowledge and understanding of the key concepts, providing personalized feedback and reinforcing the most important takeaways. This gamified approach can make learning more fun and engaging.
- Blog Post with Embedded Resources: The current blog post format is already good, but it could be enhanced with embedded resources like salary calculators, template emails for requesting a raise, or links to relevant articles and job boards. This adds value and provides practical tools for the reader.
By diversifying the content format, you can reach a wider audience and cater to different preferences, maximizing the impact of your message.”
OK, some of those format ideas might be an immediate no given the parameters around the content. For example, since I’m writing an article for the blog, a podcast wouldn’t be an option. But the checklist or article with embedded resources might be.
If you use the prompt and get a list that isn’t helpful, revise the prompt and describe your limitations or parameters to get more doable suggestions.
5. Take a listen
If you’re bad at editing the content you create, your AI assistant stands ready to help. Ask it to read the content aloud. You can use the immersive reader or read-aloud feature in a Microsoft document, use the built-in features in Google Docs, or add a tool like Speechify.
Close your eyes and listen as the AI assistant reads your content. Hit pause when you hear phrasing that makes you cringe, such as a verb that could be stronger or a run-on sentence that causes the AI tool to take a virtual breath. Then, rework that section and hit play again.
TIP: You can use the text-to-voice tools for proofreading, too. Just don’t do both at the same time. Otherwise, you’ll likely default to hearing the grammatical mistakes and not the overall editing opportunities.
Get better with an AI assist
Make friends with generative AI tools to make your content creation life better. By using these prompts, you can alleviate the ennui and frustration that comes from writing the same thing over and over. Even better, you can more easily deliver content that your bosses and audiences will want to consume.
All tools mentioned in this article were suggested by the author. If you’d like to suggest a tool, share the article on social media with a comment.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
