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?

When you’re like me, you already use this device to amplify your awesomeness. Like bettering your e-mail writing, analyzing information sooner, 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 it’s best to throw the entire AI idea away? By no means. Your outputs are solely pretty much as good as your prompting expertise.

So, I spoke to HubSpot’s web optimization staff to know the best way to write prompts for ChatGPT. Stick round to see the important thing parts of immediate, useful ChatGPT immediate ideas, and immediate writing examples.

Desk of Contents

Learn how to Write the Good AI Immediate

1. Envision your supreme response.

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

“The very first thing it’s best to do is work out what you need. Earlier than I sort something, I at all times take a second to check what the ultimate output will seem like,” he informed me.

He offers an instance of a marketer who desires to generate a advertising plan.

As a substitute of typing “Write me a advertising plan” into ChatGPT, she ought to take the time to check what the plan seems to be like — what number of sections it has, what number of bullet factors are underneath every part, and what data it accommodates.

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 containers.

2. Write a particular, action-oriented activity.

AI fashions thrive on specificity. When 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 jot down one thing new and authentic. As a substitute, it regurgitates your authentic message utilizing the identical phrases and phrases.

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

As a substitute of “Rewrite,” for example, you would possibly say reimagine, develop, simplify, or modernize. Even a small change in the way in which 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 suitable phrases or phrases, however that is not the case.

There aren’t any secret key phrases that may assure the most effective outcomes. It is like enjoying a sport of phrases, and it’s important to suppose deliberately concerning 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 provides the AI mannequin extra substances to cook dinner up an awesome response.

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

“Suppose your buddy asks you to go to the shop and choose up a number of issues. You undoubtedly want extra context — which retailer, what issues, what is the price range, 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 offers you a extra detailed and compelling description.

It’s because the AI mannequin has extra context to work with, together with the product’s title (“Squeaky Queen”), its type (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 basically a chef with no recipe or a brand new worker with no handbook.

Here is an instance: Think about you should write an article about Instagram advertising. Together with the principle activity (“Write an article about Instagram advertising“), you additionally instruct ChatGPT to:

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

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 provide the output extra texture.

After all, it is not simply what you say however the way you say it. The content material of the article is perhaps as much as par, however it might 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 device generate a common reply after which progressively molds its response for fashion.

“You possibly can ask it to encourage itself from a state of affairs, 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 embrace size and format. You possibly can specify the size of the response (e.g., “Maintain the article underneath 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, “Once you generate one thing and it is at the very least 60% of what you need, it’s best to proceed refining that particular immediate. But when it falls wanting that, it is perhaps time to begin from scratch.”

So, should 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 should 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 every inventive course of, it typically takes a number of revisions to get the suitable output.

Immediate Writing Methods

Give It a Position

Position-playing is a method that entails asking the AI mannequin to undertake a particular position, job, or operate.

“Once you ask an AI mannequin to play a particular position, you are giving it a sure stage of experience,” Blyskal informed me. “For example, should you immediate it to behave as an expert interviewer, it is going to search for examples of fine interviewing expertise and reply with professional-seeming questions.”

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

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

Right here’s an instance from Perplexity (my fave AI device) as a result of it offers photographs 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 provides you worthwhile perception into your viewers, enabling you to create a extra compelling and related advert.

Chain of Thought

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

Chain of thought prompting follows an identical 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 observe, supplying you with higher management of the output.

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

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

For instance, contemplate a copywriter utilizing AI to create an article. She first prompts it to create an overview. As soon as she‘s proud of the define, she prompts it to jot down the article, after which the headline, after which the meta description. She doesn’t transfer to the subsequent 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 anyone tip that can take your prompting to the subsequent stage, it is offering examples to the AI mannequin,” Blyskal informed me.

You possibly can 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 provide enhancements.

Listed below are a number of kinds 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 particular subject and hope for the most effective — present a pattern paragraph or excerpt exhibiting the fashion and tone you need. For example, embrace a snippet of witty and conversational textual content, if that’s what you’re going for.
2.  Structural steerage: Embody a pattern or visible define when requesting a content material define. It ought to present the anticipated movement, sections, and key content material parts (e.g., intro, X subheadings, bullet lists, and so on.).
3.  Content material enchancment solutions: 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 unique 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 along with your examples and directions to get out-of-the-box outputs.

ChatGPT Immediate Writing Examples

Listed below are three use instances I’m seeing many individuals use in content material advertising immediately. 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 embrace 5 Instagram posts, 3 Fb posts, and a couple of X posts. Every put up ought to spotlight the product’s sustainability options, goal eco-conscious shoppers, and embrace 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).
• Activity: Clearly defines the quantity and kind of social media posts wanted.
• Directions: Particulars what every put up ought to spotlight (sustainability options) and the audience (eco-conscious shoppers).
• Clarification: Features a call-to-action to drive visitors to the web site.

Era:

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

Electronic mail Advertising and marketing Marketing campaign for a Seasonal Sale

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

Why it really works:

• Context: Specifies the occasion (summer season sale) and the low cost supplied.
• Activity: 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 rapid purchasing.

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 consultancy. The marketing campaign ought to embrace 3 Google Adverts and a couple of Fb Adverts. Spotlight our experience in web optimization and social media advertising, and embrace a call-to-action to guide a free session.”

Why it really works:

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

Era:

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

Again to You

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

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

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