How to use ChatGPT for content creation
All you writers and business owners out there know that writing can be like pulling teeth sometimes. It requires a lot of focus and little distraction, not a great combination for our increasingly short attention spans.
Which is why so many people are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT to help them create content. Some have even tried 1-click AI writers to create their content in about 30 seconds.
But the reality is that that type of 1-click AI-generated content does not reach Google’s standards for high-quality, unique, valuable content, some of the most important factors that determine how high your content ranks on Google.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use ChatGPT for content creation, though. In fact, it’s a pretty incredible tool that can speed up your content creation tremendously, as long as you use it right.
Which is why this blog is about how to use ChatGPT to make writing your content much, much easier and quicker, without reducing its quality.
Let’s get into it.
When it comes to using ChatGPT for content creation, here’s what it’s good at
What ChatGPT can do is incredible. But it’s all about HOW you use it. Here are some things that ChatGPT (and other AIs are good at).
Keyword research
A big part of finding good keywords is understanding search intent and what your ideal customers/clients are looking for. Sometimes, what we want to talk about is not necessarily what our ideal customers are searching for.
Which is why using ChatGPT to come up with keyword ideas, and then validating your choices with keyword research tools like Ubersuggest, SEMrush, or Ahrefs is a great idea.
Here’s a ChatGPT prompt for this:
“Give me keyword/keyphrase ideas for a blog titled [title]. The reader of this blog wants to understand [search intent].”
Headlines
Another way to use ChatGPT is to give you ideas for your blog headlines. According to the guidelines for creating an SEO blog, you need to include your keyword in your headline. You also want to make sure that the headline is actually engaging. After all, 80 percent of people will only read your headline, so you have to make it count.
Here’s a ChatGPT prompt you can use to come up with headline ideas. Then choose the best one and make small changes if need be.
“Write 10 headlines that are 6 to 8 words long for an article about [topic]. Include the keyword, [keyword], in the headline.”
Outlines
Any good content writer spends a major chunk of time outlining and brainstorming before creating content. A good outline can save you a ton of time writing the actual sections of your content, because you go into the writing process with intention and know exactly which points you want to make.
Here’s a very simple ChatGPT prompt you can use.
“Create an outline for an article about [topic].”
You can even use this prompt a few times, then pick and choose the topics from the output that you actually want to talk about.
Editing & proofreading
Editing your own work can be very difficult. After all, you probably remember the gist of what you’ve written, which makes it easy to simply skim the content and miss out on key mistakes. That’s where ChatGPT tools really come in handy.
And AI tools that help you edit and proofread your content have been around for a long time (like Grammarly). With these AI tools, you can easily correct spelling mistakes, fix weird grammar, and even check your writing for any plagiarism.
But even ChatGPT does a pretty good job at editing and proofreading (but beware of using it for checking plagiarism since it’s not up-to-date on everything on the Internet).
Here’s a prompt you can use.
“Proofread this copy. Check for grammatical, spelling, and formatting errors.”
Meta descriptions
Once you have written your content and are ready to press publish, you’re going to want to create a good meta description to follow SEO blogging best practices to your best ability. And since ChatGPT excels at producing shorter content, it produces good meta descriptions if you use the right prompt.
Here’s one you can use:
“Create a concise meta description for my blog post titled, [title] including the keyword [keyword]. Make it easy to read and add a CTA.”
Bonus tip: This prompt can also be a good way to come up with Pinterest descriptions for the pins you create to promote your blog posts.
Can ChatGPT help you with research?
Who knows what AI will be able to do in the future, but right now, it doesn’t have research updated in real time. As of January 2024, the last update of ChatGPT is updated to only 2023. Not only this, but even old information can be inaccurate, and nothing kills your credibility with your audience more than giving them innacurate information.
So, for now, you shouldn't be relying on these tools for the most accurate information. Keep using reliable websites as your sources, not AI.
Final thoughts
Listen, writing content is easy.
Writing good content?
Not so much.
And writing good content that helps you rank on Google, grow your email list, and sell your offers?
Even harder!
But, lucky for you, I’m here to help.
I have plenty of other blog posts where I go over my best tricks for writing good content.
Here are some of my favorites.
How to repurpose blog content to save time and your sanity