Yes, I’m going to show you how to easily generate content for your blog, step by step, using ChatGPT.
But first, I want to commend you for thinking about how important this is for us entrepreneurs in a very, very noisy marketplace.
Content is SUPER important for any business today. It’s one of the best ways to earn (not get, but earn) the trust of your ideal clients. It’s a way to be super clear about what you offer and who it’s for.
For example, this blog isn’t for everyone.
But if you have a service-based business and want to get right to the point about how, exactly, to use ChatGPT or other AI tools to make content creation quickly and easily (Yes, for real) then this article is precisely for you.
Because I know, creating content can feel like a daunting and time-sucking task.
The good news is that using an AI tool like ChatGPT doesn’t cost you anything and the process isn’t technical at all. It’s an intuitive and conversational process.
It’s not perfect yet, of course. It’s not going to solve ALL your problems. There will still be work to do when you have a business, but this tool really, truly, can save you a lot of time so that you can focus on other areas of your business (and life!)
If you have not had a chance to read part one of this blog, or are not sure why or how AI can help you grow and scale your business, you can read it here.
Now, let’s get to it!
I’m going to get you started with a free tool, and then introduce you to a few other tools that you can check out..
Step 1: Set up an Open AI account.
OpenAI is a platform developed by OpenAI where you can experience the power of AI. The platform involves a series of prompts that the user enters to navigate the platform.
Note: Sometimes, due to demand, the servers are worked to capacity and you may get a message to return later. This technology, and its capacity to deliver, is still in its infancy.
To get started with using OpenAI:
Visit the OpenAI website and complete the signup form.
After completing the form, you will receive an email providing a link to activate your account. Once your account is activated, you will be able to access OpenAI’s products and services, which will help you create and share engaging content with ease. This includes ChatGPT and Dall-E which is a tool you can use to generate AI images.
It’s that simple.
So go ahead and set up your chatGPT account if you haven’t already done so. I’ll wait!
Once you are back, it’s time to get started with the next step.
Step 2: Get used to ChatGPT
It’s kind of like learning to play the drums: It’s easy to learn a basic rock beat, but mastering the instrument is a totally different matter.
Learning how to use ChatGPT effectively, in my opinion, is mostly about learning by doing. By playing around and experimenting, you’ll get a feel for how it works, and how to ask the right questions and provide the right prompts, so that the result is close to what you are looking for.
Begin by creating a test project, such as a blog, and start asking it questions. (I’ll walk you through a scenario in a moment)
Simply click on “New Chat.” (Keep in mind that the servers have been smoking lately, as of this writing, and you may need to wait)
You don’t have to use any code or speak “machine” in order to do this. Ask it any question as you would when talking to another human.
Refine the process by “drilling down” and asking more questions.
You’ll want to continue practicing and mastering the “art of the prompt.”
Step 3: Make sure you do the foundational work FIRST (Branding!)
Don’t expect perfection or for the tool to do ALL the work for you: (Garbage In, Garbage Out Theory)
You can’t use this tool effectively if you don’t even know the right questions to ask.
If you don’t know the “what, why, who, where, when, and how” of your business, this tool is going to be little more than an interesting way to waste a few hours of your time.
It will just spit out generic information that won’t differentiate you from probably thousands of others online.
Let’s say you hired me to create a landing page for your puppy training business.
Would you tell me to “just write a good landing page for my course about how to train puppies?”
Without me knowing what you do, why you do it, what makes you unique, who your ideal client is, your message, your story, your voice, and your brand?
Nope. Nor would I allow that, as it would be wasting my time and yours. It would be a generic sales page that would frankly, suck. At best, it would be a “hit or miss” process that would be a waste of my time, drive us both crazy, and would have me working for peanuts.
And this is exactly what you would be doing to yourself if you skip the foundational work.
YOU, the human, will need to do this work. No machine will take the place of being intentional and strategic about your message and your brand.
If you need help with this step, here’s a good place to start.
Later you can decide to take it a step further. (That’s the beauty of having content to meet your ideal client where they are at!)
I don’t want you to get stuck at this point. It doesn’t have to be perfected or written in stone. Your message and branding WILL evolve. You’ll go back and want to edit old blogs and ABOUT pages and landing pages. This is normal.
So just get started, spend at the very least a few hours giving this some thought, and you’ll be a thousand times more effective in generating, writing, and editing content.
Once you are super clear about your brand, message, and what you want to communicate in your first AI assisted blog, you are ready for the next step.
Step 4: Start building your article with core content based on factual data, then drill down to get more specific.
Here’s the process:
First, use the tool as a prompt to help you generate ideas and brainstorm. This works for titles, headings, subheadings, titles, outlines, copy, and more. The hardest part about writing is staring at a blank screen.
If you are stuck on what to write about:
- Do the foundational work so that your writing comes from a solid place of clarity and purpose
- Keep an “idea bucket” handy so that when you are inspired, you dump it there and go back later to find a topic to write about
- Do some research: What are people posting and talking about on Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook groups, and Amazon reviews? What questions are being asked? What are people complaining about?
- Use AI to generate ideas for you! (Just ask it, in plain English, for “10 ideas for a blog about sleep and aging.” for example)
Then make a pot of coffee and starting prompting/writing!
The key isn’t to just tell it to “write a blog about 10 ways to get a better night’s sleep.” This kind of generic content won’t actually help you stand out from all the noise.
You can make it more original by “drilling down” and getting more specific with your prompts.
Tips for mastering the art of prompting:
- Keep your prompts short and clear.
Give it context, explain who it’s for & what you want to achieve for more relevant and meaningful responses. - Keep your prompts natural, pretend like you’re chatting with a (very smart) coworker. It’s easier for ChatGPT to understand you that way.
- After getting a result, you can give it a follow-up prompt to improve the result. It’s really like a chat.
- Keep “drilling down” till you refine the content, so that it answers the questions or solves a problem your ideal clients are actually asking about.
Here are some ways you can prompt it to be more specific when it comes to data, logic, and objective facts that help define the work you do:
Type: “Take on the role of an expert in the area of _______. My ideal client is (insert details here)”
“Give me 10 topics I can write about regarding _______.”
“Write an outline for the topic _______.”
Can you tell me more about that study?”
“ What are some hormone imbalances that might trigger insomnia”
“ How does blood sugar affect sleep cycles?”
Etc.
Let me walk you through an example.
Let’s try “Give me some ideas for a blog about equine acupuncture”
Here’s what ChatGPT came up with:
Certainly! Here’s a potential outline for a blog post about equine acupuncture:
Title: The Benefits of Equine Acupuncture for Your Horse’s Health and Well-Being
Introduction:
- Briefly explain what acupuncture is and how it works
- Introduce the topic of equine acupuncture and its benefits for horses
- State the purpose of the blog post (to educate horse owners about equine acupuncture and its potential benefits)
Section 1: What is Equine Acupuncture?
- Define equine acupuncture and its origins
- Explain how acupuncture can be used to treat various equine conditions and promote overall health and wellness
- Provide examples of conditions that can be treated with acupuncture (e.g., musculoskeletal issues, respiratory problems, digestive disorders)
Section 2: How Does Equine Acupuncture Work?
- Describe the key principles of acupuncture, such as qi and meridians
- Explain how acupuncture needles are inserted and manipulated to stimulate specific points on the horse’s body
- Discuss the physiological effects of acupuncture, such as increased blood flow, reduced inflammation, and release of endorphins
Section 3: The Benefits of Equine Acupuncture
- List and describe the benefits of equine acupuncture, such as pain relief, improved mobility, and stress reduction
- Explain how acupuncture can be used to complement other treatments, such as veterinary care and physical therapy
- Provide case studies or testimonials from horse owners who have seen positive results from equine acupuncture
Section 4: Finding an Equine Acupuncturist
- Provide tips for finding a qualified and reputable equine acupuncturist, such as checking credentials and asking for referrals
- Explain what to expect during an acupuncture session and how to prepare your horse for treatment
- Discuss the costs of equine acupuncture and whether it is covered by insurance
This is a pretty good start. However, this outline seems more appropriate for an entire course about equine acupuncture.(A course for other acu’s!)
It may be too much for a blog, and it’s likely that it won’t be relevant to the person who lands on you blog, perhaps only wanting to know how they can help their horse who has been acting strangely lately and heard that acupuncture might help.
Let’s zoom in and get more specific. Of course, this blog will also need to be edited and include the voice and essence of a specific brand, a personality, and a unique perspective to solving a problem. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Let’s drill this down a little more:
“Tell me more about the specific benefits for horses who may have emotional or behavioral issues”
The results:
Acupuncture has been shown to have positive effects on horses who suffer from emotional or behavioral issues. Here are some specific benefits that acupuncture can provide for horses with these conditions:
Stress reduction: Horses that experience stress or anxiety can benefit from acupuncture, which can help to reduce cortisol levels and promote relaxation..
Improved mood and behavior: Horses that are moody or have behavioral issues may benefit from acupuncture by promoting the release of endorphins and other feel-good hormones..
Pain relief: Horses that are in pain may exhibit emotional or behavioral issues as a result of their discomfort. Acupuncture can help to reduce pain by stimulating the release of natural pain-relieving substances in the body..
Better sleep: Horses that have difficulty sleeping or staying calm may benefit from acupuncture by promoting better sleep patterns. Acupuncture can help to reduce stress levels and improve blood circulation, leading to improved relaxation and better quality sleep.
Overall, acupuncture can be a safe and effective treatment option for horses with emotional or behavioral issues. By promoting relaxation, reducing pain, and improving overall health, acupuncture can help horses to feel better both physically and emotionally, leading to better behavior and performance. However, it’s important to work with a qualified and experienced equine acupuncturist to ensure that the treatment is appropriate and effective for your horse’s specific needs.
As an acupuncturist, I can start to see where I could take this
I can totally see how this tool can save a LOT of time, both for blogs and more in-depth content, such as an e-book, course, or workshop.
My own real life example
I’ve created my own published guides about how acupuncture works, citing a TON of studies and conducting my own (limited) research. It was more like a meta analysis and guide for existing patients than an academic paper, but still it was a fantastic tool for me to establish authority, expertise, and trust.
Would I have used AI to write it now? Sure. In fact, I may play with creating another edition, using AI.
For this particular subject, (equine acupuncture) there’s a lot I don’t know.
But because I DO know more about acupuncture than the average person and even the average traditional medical experts, (who focus on broad, generic, and “safe” concepts) I know enough to know that I could dig a LOT deeper into this topic.
Translation: I’m guessing you love what you do and could geek out on it all day. If so, you probably won’t be satisfied with the first thing an AI tool presents to you.
Know that you have a starting point for YOUR content, you’ll probably think of ways you can enhance the raw, generated content and make it your own.
If this even just gets your creative juices flowing.. I would call that a big win!
This leads us to the next step.
Step 5: Include your own perspective, insights, and wisdom
Although I’m not an expert on equine acupuncture, the copy generated in the above example could be a great start.
Of course, if it’s just left as is, it’s going to be pretty generic and bland, and honestly, it won’t really help you stand out from the crowd, if equine acupuncture was your niche.
The reason:
There’s nothing included in this copy about YOUR specific philosophy, approach, methodology, personality, new studies, or further training or education you’ve received. (Your brand)
There’s also no specific purpose. Do you want to help the horse owner by showing them a few acupressure points? Questions to ask a veterinarian? What to do about specific issues? Where to get further help?
You can of course, keep asking, but at some point your OWN expertise will take center stage.
Of course, there is a lot more to creating an effective blog post. Like anything else, there’s always more to learn and grow, and more benefits we can gain from it.
I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty about the art of creating an effective blog, but just know that you don’t want to stop at what ChatGPT spits out at you. Even if it “looks good on paper,” it’s only a start, and you’ll need to make it your own.
For now, let’s assume that you have a blog written that “checks all the boxes” when it comes to the general message and info you want to share.
But something else is missing. The language may feel boring. It may not feel like something YOU would actually say. Let’s fix that.
Step 6: Infuse it with life, uniqueness, and personality
So let’s add some personality and color, starting at the “kindergarten” level.
Let’s add another dimensional layer to the original prompt:
You can use it to add more color to your copy.
For example, you can ask it for a list of words that describe the feeling of anxiety.
So now you have a thesaurus.
Example
“Can you give me a list of words that describe anxiety”
Sure! Here is a list of words that describe anxiety:
Nervous
Worried
Stressed
Apprehensive
Uneasy
Tense
Insecure
More words to describe anxiety:
Panicked
Fearful
Agitated
Fidgety
Jittery
Overwhelmed
Anxious
Even more words to describe the feeling of anxiety
Antsy
Restless
Distressed
Hesitant
Edgy
Insecure
I know this is pretty basic, but it can also save you a LOT of time.
I know that I’m fairly articulate, but I rely on the same words and seldome stretch my creative capacity.
Who knows.. This process could make you a better writer, and expand the limited vocabulary you habitually rely on!
Let’s have some more fun..
You could also use the same technique to generate quotes.
“Show me some quotes about overcoming fear from science fiction movies”
Sure, here are some quotes about overcoming fear from science fiction movies:
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
“The only way to deal with fear is to face it head on.” – Keanu Reeves, The Matrix
“Fear doesn’t have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind.” – Doctor Who, Season 10
“Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free.” – Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption
“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” – Frank Herbert, Dune
If you like using quotes to spice up your copy, you have the ability to find something cool at your fingertips.
Let’s add one more dimension:
You can use it to play with the tone and voice of your copy.
For example, I copied and pasted an old blog about foot health into the prompt, and asked it the following:
“Can you write an example using this blog that can be easily understood by an 8 year old?”
THIS is pretty impressive:
Hi there! Feet are an important part of our body, but sometimes we forget how important they are. We put our feet in shoes that sometimes are uncomfortable, and we expect them to keep working for us. However, when we don’t take care of our feet, the rest of our body can suffer too.
Feet are important for balance and agility, which are important for everyday life and sports. The muscles in our feet need to be used so we can move and exercise properly, and avoid pain… etc.
Or..
“Can you make the tone more (Witty, authoritative, warm, etc)
I asked it to add in a touch of warmth and humor. The result:
Hello there! Let’s talk about FEET! (Yes, feet!) They’re important, and let’s face it, a bit under-appreciated. We often force them into shoes that are more like torture devices than anything else and expect them to just keep working for us. But the truth is, our feet need love and attention too! If we don’t take care of them, the rest of our body suffers. That’s why foot health is crucial for athletic performance and everyday life..
This is still pretty cool, but doesn’t really sound like me. I would still want to tweak the copy.
For example, I love to use analogies to illustrate a point. I also love to include nerdy, cultural references and a dash of humor.
This is another ingredient to add to our “content stew” to make it not just more interesting, but uniquely YOURS.
And there’s STILL something vital that’s missing:
Step 7: Tell a STORY. (Your brand story, and the story of your ideal client/hero)
This is probably one of the most important elements of not only content creation, but modern marketing in general.
Yes, it’s a buzzword, but storytelling has been around for ages.
Human brains are simply wired to remember narrative and stories more than the bullet points and factual information we’ve uncovered so far.
This is something that AI is unable to pull off. It can’t read your mind or know your story, your brand story, and the nuances that connect you and your ideal clients.
Rather than talk about it here, you can read more about Storytelling in this blog.
Or more about the limitations of AI here.
I also teach these concepts on a deeper level in some of my courses and workshops, and memberships.
Bottom line: These tools can provide a fantastic head start. However, I don’t advise using the copy generated as is, without some editing, enhancement, infusion of your own personality, and some storytelling.
Step 8: Add some images
Speaking of telling a story, pictures, as they say, can tell a story of 1000 words.
Visual information has IMPACT.
Adding images to your blog also makes it much more interesting and readable. I highly recommend adding 1-5 images to your blog, depending on length, subject matter, and how much visual information you may need.
For example, in my industry, screenshots are very helpful for showing step-by-step instructions.
Other times, a graph or chart may be appropriate.
Even images that simply enhance the reading experience and provide a nice place for the eyes to rest and pause for a moment, are useful.
Images, with proper ALT tags and descriptions, can also help your SEO!
Generating Images using AI
For images, you can check out another Open AI tool called Dalle-E-2.
I briefly talked about this in the previous blog. As of this writing, image generation still has a long way to go, but you can start playing with some of the Open AI tools now. You may just find the perfect image!
The process is very similar to generating text. You simply type in a prompt, such as:
“Bouquet of white roses in oil painting style”
“Realistic photo of a horse receiving acupuncture”
“Steampunk image of woman working on a laptop”
I can’t say that these images are perfect or will work for every brand, but steampunk is already based on fantasy, and the steampunk aesthetic is part of my brand. So I may be able to use some of these AI generated images, even though it’s obvious that they are AI images.
Some of the image generation is downright weird. Like it’s been smoking something. It’s come a long way, but still has a long way to go. (How fast this will happen I can’t say.. It could be years, months, or even weeks)
Update: I have yet to improve my prompting skills with image generation but for fun, I decided to keep some of weird results I came up with when I first started playing with this tool. Here’s what it came up with for equine acupuncture:
You can also generate charts, graphs, and other visual information. (I have not fully explored this option yet, but will update you soon!)
In the meantime, Pexels, Unsplash, and Canva are great resources for free images.
Sometimes it’s worth it to pay for a good image. Shutterstock is a good source for high-quality images.
Step 9: Optimize for SEO
Don’t stop there.
Now that you’ve worked so hard, you want your content (blog/article) to be FOUND.
You want to optimize it for SEO.(Search Engine Optimization) so that the right people can find you in a search. Generally, for a blog, this includes Google. (Pinterest is another search engine but I’ll talk about that in another article)
Good news: You can use AI to optimize your copy for SEO.
I’m not going to dive into the SEO weeds in this blog. You can read more about it here.
Just know for now that we want to use strategic keywords, so that our ideal clients can find us in a search. We also want to check off a few items to “optimize” our content (blog/article in this case) for SEO.
If this sounds like vague information, it’s because it IS. I don’t want to leave you hanging with this “non-advice.” But I’ve got you covered!
More good news: A good tool will guide you by providing a built-in checklist. This isn’t about the technical part of SEO, but about the actual, written content, and making it easier for real humans to find it, read it, and get their questions answered.
When you look at it this way, (helping your ideal client) it may change the way you look at SEO.
The checklist includes optimizing for:
- Word count
- Meta description (The description of your page that shows up in the SERPS or search engine results pages, usually around 150 characters)
- Keyword usage
- Formatting: Use of titles, headings, and subheadings to organize information
Use of images
..and more.
A good tool will guide you through each, by suggesting best practices and providing an easy, visual, alert system if something isn’t “check off” or optimized.
I also find it useful to do some research to discover:
- Which keywords are getting a good amount of search volume but also aren’t so competitive that it would be impossible to rank for
- The keywords my competitors are ranking for
- “Long tail” keywords that I may not have thought of. These are typically longer phrases that may have less search volume, but are less competitive, more “niche” and more likely to attract a very specific person with a specific intent.Example: Instead of ranking for “Equine acupuncture” you could rank for “How to help your horse relax with acupuncture”
Yes, great, but HOW? Great question.
Usually, this means hopping in and out of tools like Moz and SemRush, which are great, but can be expensive for entrepreneurs just starting out, and can also be very labor intensive.
Which usually means that we as content creators end up..
Well, not creating content but putting it off.That’s not good. What’s the point of having one good tool if there’s a bottleneck somewhere else?
The cool thing about these tools is that they will also teach you some SEO best practices. (Keeping in mind that these DO change, and that’s just the nature of the SEO beast)
Since many entrepreneurs give almost no thought to optimizing their content for search, you’ll be at an advantage.
My solution for streamlining the ENTIRE process
ChatGPT is a great tool, but it’s limited.
For creating an entire blog from start to finish, I like to use a tool like ScaleNut as kind of a “one stop shop” which not only helps me write content, but can also give me more insight on what titles and keywords might work as well as a checklist for optimizing each blog.
It’s $39 per month. It may be worth it, but keep in mind that you can also batch your written content for the next 1-6 months (a year might be a bit much) if you wanted to.
This way, when you first start out you can invest in a month and create a good part of your core content. With this, you can schedule your blogs, and be done with it till the next round.
Note: I don’t think we necessarily need to blog every week. I create a few blogs per month but they are comprehensive. Instead of constantly creating new blogs, often I just update the older ones, which also provides a good user experience and is equally good for SEO.
These “epic” blogs are usually repurposed and broken off into smaller, satellite pieces of content, such as social media posts, live broadcasts, podcasts, or short-form video. No WAY am I going to start from scratch with something new, for all these channels, every day.
This is also something I teach inside my courses and workshops.
This is what works for me. You will have your own rhythm.
To make it all even easier..
It just so happens that tools like ScaleNut and Jasper can assist you in writing emails, subject lines, social media posts, video scripts, and almost any other kind of content you can think of.
I don’t have a big marketing team, and I’m guessing you probably don’t either, so we need to find any way we can find to make this whole process easier.
I also get that when starting out, you may be on a budget. You can start with free trials, batching, and getting the general hang of creating content in a way that is easy, efficient, affordable, and yes, even enjoyable for you, and these tools can certainly help.
As you grow, you can always invest more in tools or building a team that will help you put most of your content creation on autopilot, so that your ideas can get out into the world instead of remaining stuck inside your head.
Other AI tools
Other tools I’ve used so far include Jasper. As of this writing I’m’ still trying new tools that not only help me write great content quickly, but also help me optimize for search.
I have not found ChatGPT to be very helpful for SEO optimization.
Keep in mind that both AI and I BOTH have a lot to learn!
Conclusion:
I know this process works. I just wrote 2 in depth blogs in a few hours. In the past, I’m confident that it would have taken much longer.
But it’s not just about cranking out as much as you can, just because you can.
Quality, relevance, and connection is the first priority. From there, we can streamline.
Keep in mind that this will be a process.. You’ll get better at clarity, defining your niche and message, researching, prompting, writing, expressing yourself, and doing it all even more efficiently over time.
With practice, of course.
Sometimes we all need a little help. That’s why we take classes and workshops that will accelerate this process and make it easier for you. Check out the resources below
Through this journey you’ll also expand your knowledge/expertise, have more share, and generally become a better writer and storyteller.
This is why I don’t think that AI will completely replace human intelligence. In fact, I think that people will want MORE human connection and insight, not less, as the technology progresses.
It’s up to us to be proactive about how we want to use it.
I’ll certainly need to keep these blogs updated as the tools improve, and keep you posted on new discoveries, developments, insights, and tips.
I’ll also be exploring how AI can be used in other areas of your business.
Need help with smart content creation?
Content drives your business, there’s no doubt.
Creating content isn’t about just writing what comes to mind in the moment.
Although great content comes from your expertise and passion.. ultimately, your blog, videos, podcast, or whatever, are not your journal.
Each piece of content you write needs to have a purpose, direct traffic to your website, and serve you long past the point when you upload your creation to the world.
(Hooray.. this means you don’t need to dance on TikTok everyday!)
I’m guessing you don’t want content creation to take over your life.
I can help you with this. It could be something I have for free, a low cost membership, a workshop, a course, or coaching. It has to make sense for you and where you are at right now.
Let’s figure it out together (No hard pitch) by answering a few short questions below, (It’s my coaching application) and I’ll direct you to the best option for you via email.
Sound good?
