How to Write Prompts for ChatGPT, According to HubSpot’s SEO Team [+ Examples You Can Steal]

To make use of ChatGPT or to not use ChatGPT? Is that actually the query anymore?

In the event you’re like me, you already use this software to amplify your awesomeness. Like enhancing your e-mail writing, analyzing information quicker, or firing up your social media technique.

However I’ve to confess — it’s not all peaches and cream. And others appear to agree — entrepreneurs we surveyed acknowledged ChatGPT outputs aren’t publishable 96% of the time.

Does this imply you must throw the entire AI idea away? Under no circumstances. Your outputs are solely nearly as good as your prompting abilities.

So, I spoke to HubSpot’s web optimization crew to grasp the best way to write prompts for ChatGPT. Stick round to see the important thing parts of a great immediate, useful ChatGPT immediate suggestions, and immediate writing examples.

Desk of Contents

Methods to Write the Excellent AI Immediate

1. Envision your perfect response.

It is tempting to load up ChatGPT and bounce proper into the immediate. Nonetheless, Josh Blyskal, Affiliate web optimization Strategist at HubSpot, recommends a extra introspective strategy.

“The very first thing you must do is work out what you need. Earlier than I sort something, I at all times take a second to examine what the ultimate output will appear like,” he informed me.

He provides an instance of a marketer who needs to generate a advertising and marketing plan.

As an alternative of typing “Write me a advertising and marketing plan” into ChatGPT, she ought to take the time to examine what the plan appears like — what number of sections it has, what number of bullet factors are beneath every part, and what data it incorporates.

Now that she has a greater grasp of the duty at hand, it turns into a lot simpler to compose a immediate that checks all of the bins.

2. Write a selected, action-oriented activity.

AI fashions thrive on specificity. In the event you feed it with obscure directions, you give it room to interpret what it thinks you need.

For instance, suppose you immediate ChatGPT to “Rewrite this [article/email/Tweet],” anticipating it to write down one thing new and unique. As an alternative, it regurgitates your unique message utilizing the identical phrases and phrases.

The answer is to get particular and intentional together with your phrases.

As an alternative of “Rewrite,” for example, you would possibly say reimagine, broaden, simplify, or modernize. Even a small change in the best way you phrase a immediate can considerably change the response.

As Blyskal factors out, “Lots of people deal with AI like a inflexible system that may be hacked with the fitting phrases or phrases, however that is not the case.

There are not any secret key phrases that may assure the perfect outcomes. It is like enjoying a recreation of phrases, and it’s a must to assume deliberately in regards to the ones you employ.”

3. Set the stage with context.

You might get away with stopping on the earlier step — particularly in case your request is pretty easy (e.g., “Write 5 knock-knock jokes for teenagers”).

Nonetheless, you’ll be able to supercharge your prompts by padding them with context. This offers the AI mannequin extra elements to cook dinner up a fantastic response.

Bianca D’Agostino, former web optimization Specialist at HubSpot, places it this fashion:

“Suppose your buddy asks you to go to the shop and choose up a number of issues. You positively want extra context — which retailer, what issues, what is the funds, and so forth. The extra context you get out of your buddy, the simpler it’s to do the duty. The identical goes for AI!”

Let us take a look at an instance:

Each of those prompts would possibly yield good outcomes, however the second immediate provides you with a extra detailed and compelling description.

It is because the AI mannequin has extra context to work with, together with the product’s title (“Squeaky Queen”), its kind (a scrub), and its key options (vegan, gluten-free, recyclable packaging).

4. Add clear directions.

Though AI fashions are highly effective, they nonetheless want you to take the lead. With out clear directions, they’re primarily a chef with out a recipe or a brand new worker with out a handbook.

This is an instance: Think about it’s essential write an article about Instagram advertising and marketing. Together with the principle activity (“Write an article about Instagram advertising and marketing“), you additionally instruct ChatGPT to:

• “Cowl the next subtopics…”
• “Incorporate the next quote/statistic…”
• “Add an instance to show…”

Not solely are you giving ChatGPT a transparent subject, however you‘re additionally guiding and shaping the content material itself. You’re including quotes, statistics, and examples to offer the output extra texture.

In fact, it isn’t simply what you say however the way you say it. The content material of the article could be as much as par, however it could lack a novel voice or perspective. That is the place fashion and tones are available.

Including Fashion and Tone

For Sylviain Charbit, HubSpot Senior Technical web optimization Specialist, including fashion to prompts is a multi-step course of. He begins by letting the AI software generate a normal reply after which progressively molds its response for fashion.

“You may ask it to encourage itself from a scenario, character, or career, or present it with already made examples to emulate,” he informed me.

Charbit additionally incorporates ChatGPT tone modifiers, resembling “cheerful,” “humorous,” or “authoritative,” to information the AI additional.

Let us take a look at some examples:

Different fashion parameters embody size and format. You may specify the size of the response (e.g., “Hold the article beneath 800 characters”) and its format (e.g., “Create a listing of bullet factors”).

5. Make clear and refine.

Blyskal follows the 60% Rule.

He informed me, “While you generate one thing and it is no less than 60% of what you need, you must proceed refining that particular immediate. But when it falls in need of that, it could be time to begin from scratch.”

So, in the event you ask ChatGPT to generate a listing of ten weblog concepts and also you solely like two, it is a good indication to return to the drafting board.

Even in the event you meet the 60% threshold, you’ll be able to nonetheless refine the output by giving follow-up directions resembling, “Make it sound extra conversational” or “Condense this into one paragraph.”

Keep in mind that immediate writing is not a precise science. Like all inventive course of, it typically takes a number of revisions to get the fitting output.

Immediate Writing Strategies

Give It a Function

Function-playing is a way that includes asking the AI mannequin to undertake a selected function, job, or operate.

“While you ask an AI mannequin to play a selected function, you are giving it a sure stage of experience,” Blyskal informed me. “For example, in the event you immediate it to behave as knowledgeable interviewer, it should search for examples of excellent interviewing abilities and reply with professional-seeming questions.”

By defining a task for the AI mannequin to play — resembling knowledgeable interviewer, a graphic designer, or a nutritionist — you are additionally tapping into completely different viewpoints and views, which will be particularly useful for entrepreneurs.

For instance, let‘s say you’re launching a brand new product, a chilly plunge tub. You should create an advert that appeals to your audience: long-distance runners. On this situation, you ask the AI mannequin to play the function of a long-distance runner and checklist the important thing advantages of your product.

Right here’s an instance from Perplexity (my fave AI software) as a result of it gives pictures and hyperlinks to sources (peace out hallucinations):

Now, the AI mannequin will generate responses that align with the wants and preferences of long-distance runners. This offers you priceless perception into your viewers, enabling you to create a extra compelling and related advert.

Chain of Thought

Think about you‘re on a street journey, and also you’re counting on GPS to information you from level A to level B. All through the journey, it provides you turn-by-turn instructions till you attain your vacation spot.

Chain of thought prompting follows the same strategy. You give the AI mannequin one immediate after one other, with every immediate constructing on the one earlier than it. This retains the mannequin on monitor, supplying you with larger management of the output.

“You are mainly asking the AI mannequin to elucidate its reasoning at every step. In the event you do not like several of the reasons, you’ll be able to tinker with the output till it is prepared for the following immediate,” Blyskal explains.

That is perfect for duties that may be damaged down into smaller steps.

For instance, think about a copywriter utilizing AI to create an article. She first prompts it to create a top level view. As soon as she‘s proud of the define, she prompts it to write down the article, after which the headline, after which the meta description. She doesn’t transfer to the following step till she’s happy with the present output.

That is the ability of chain prompting. By guiding the mannequin in a logical sequence, you generate extra correct and related responses.

Present Examples

“If there’s anybody tip that may take your prompting to the following stage, it is offering examples to the AI mannequin,” Blyskal informed me.

You may consider examples as reference factors, serving to the AI mannequin emulate a sure fashion, tone, construction, or format. On high of that, AI can analyze a chunk of content material and supply enhancements.

Listed here are a number of sorts of examples you’ll be able to present to ChatGPT:

1.  Fashion and tone reference: Don’t ask for a weblog put up in a selected subject and hope for the perfect — present a pattern paragraph or excerpt displaying the fashion and tone you need. For example, embody a snippet of witty and conversational textual content, if that’s what you’re going for.
2.  Structural steering: Embrace a pattern or visible define when requesting a content material define. It ought to present the anticipated stream, sections, and key content material parts (e.g., intro, X subheadings, bullet lists, and many others.).
3.  Content material enchancment strategies: After drafting content material with ChatGPT, present particular examples of areas that want enchancment or refinement. Spotlight sentences or sections that want clarification, enhancement, or a distinct strategy. Don’t neglect to incorporate fashion and tone references to make sure it stays constant.

Whereas AI prompting is a science, it’s additionally an artwork. So don’t be afraid to get inventive together with your examples and directions to get out-of-the-box outputs.

ChatGPT Immediate Writing Examples

Listed here are three use instances I’m seeing many individuals use in content material advertising and marketing at the moment. I included the immediate, why it really works, and the generated output by ChatGPT.

Social Media Marketing campaign for a New Product Launch

Immediate: “Create a social media marketing campaign to launch our new eco-friendly water bottle. The marketing campaign ought to embody 5 Instagram posts, 3 Fb posts, and a pair of X posts. Every put up ought to spotlight the product’s sustainability options, goal eco-conscious customers, and embody a call-to-action to go to our web site.”

Why it really works:

• Context: Specifies the product and its distinctive promoting level (eco-friendly water bottle).
• Job: Clearly defines the quantity and sort of social media posts wanted.
• Directions: Particulars what every put up ought to spotlight (sustainability options) and the audience (eco-conscious customers).
• Clarification: Features a call-to-action to drive site visitors to the web site.

Era:

Enjoyable reality: 31% of entrepreneurs use AI for social media put up creation based mostly on our AI advertising and marketing survey.

E-mail Advertising Marketing campaign for a Seasonal Sale

Immediate: “Draft an e-mail advertising and marketing marketing campaign for our upcoming summer time sale. The e-mail ought to be partaking, spotlight the 20% low cost on all summer time clothes, and embody a transparent call-to-action to buy now. Goal younger adults aged 18-30.”

Why it really works:

• Context: Specifies the occasion (summer time sale) and the low cost provided.
• Job: Defines the content material of the e-mail (partaking, spotlight low cost).
• Directions: Particulars the audience (younger adults aged 18-30).
• Clarification: Features a call-to-action to encourage fast procuring.

Era:

Enjoyable reality: We discovered 28% of entrepreneurs use ChatGPT to create and reply emails.

PPC Advert Marketing campaign for a Service-Based mostly Enterprise

Immediate: “Create a PPC advert marketing campaign for our digital advertising and marketing consultancy. The marketing campaign ought to embody 3 Google Adverts and a pair of Fb Adverts. Spotlight our experience in web optimization and social media advertising and marketing, and embody a call-to-action to e-book a free session.”

Why it really works:

• Context: Specifies the kind of enterprise and providers provided.
• Job: Defines the quantity and sort of advertisements wanted.
• Directions: Particulars what every advert ought to spotlight (experience in web optimization and social media advertising and marketing).
• Clarification: Features a call-to-action to drive consultations.

Era:

Enjoyable reality: 90% of entrepreneurs see AI lowering time spent on guide duties (like creating advertisements).

Again to You

Blyskal mentioned it greatest: “On the core of prompting is dialog.” You do not engineer or program AI. As an alternative, you speak to it.

Like all dialog, you naturally modify your tone, present ample context, and share particulars, anecdotes, and examples to offer your story texture. These are the identical parts that make a very nice immediate.

Editor’s observe: This put up was initially printed in July 2023 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.