You may be surprised to hear this from a writer (and a very human one at that): ChatGPT can be a useful tool to help create engaging content.
Here are the 3 best uses for ChatGPT when crafting content:
1. Brainstorming ideas
Stuck for ideas for articles, blogs, video scripts or thought leadership topics relevant to your business? ChatGPT can offer inspiration or even generate a list of ideas and angles you may not have considered.
As with all things ChatGPT, the better the quality of information you put into the bot, the better the result. So be as specific as you can about your audience, industry and product or service – and any other keywords you think are relevant. But don’t include any confidential or sensitive information about your business.
2. Building outlines
Feeling overwhelmed by information, and don’t know where to start? ChatGPT can help you structure your thinking by summarising large amounts of information and distilling it into key themes. This can then form the backbone of your content, and you can build and refine it from there.
3. Creating rough drafts
After 20+ years in the business, writer’s block is an old and familiar friend. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. ChatGPT can help you get the ball rolling by pulling your thoughts and ideas into a rough draft. From there you (or your communications partner) can build on and refine the content to ensure its accuracy, alignment with your brand style and tone and fit with the audience’s needs and interests.
There are some ‘buts’…
To create a connection you need humanity.
Why not use ChatGPT for everything, everywhere, all the time, I hear you ask? It’s a fair question.
The answer is humanity. Quite simply, when we read, watch or listen to content, we all inherently pick up on when someone really ‘gets’ us (Taylor Swift’s relationship with her ‘Swifties’ is a great example of this). And it’s this connection – whether you’re a musician or a company – that you need to build with your audiences if you want your content to be effective.
The ability to think about and understand our fellow humans and craft content to which people can relate requires critical thought, strategic insight and above all, empathy.
But I’m conscious my reservations could sound self-serving since communication and content creation are my bread and butter. So, I asked ChatGPT itself what are some risks we need to consider and manage when using the tool to create content. Here’s what ChatGPT told me:
“Accuracy: While ChatGPT strives to provide accurate information and responses, it may sometimes generate incorrect or misleading content, especially if the input data or context is ambiguous or incomplete.
Bias: Like any language model, ChatGPT may inadvertently exhibit biases present in the training data. This could result in the generation of biased or prejudiced content, particularly on sensitive topics or issues.
Plagiarism: Users should be cautious not to directly copy and paste content generated by ChatGPT without proper citation or attribution, as this could lead to accusations of plagiarism.
Security: Sharing sensitive or confidential information with ChatGPT could pose a security risk, as there’s always a possibility of data breaches or unauthorized access to conversations.
Legal concerns: Depending on the jurisdiction and intended use, there may be legal implications associated with content generated by ChatGPT, such as copyright infringement, defamation, or violation of intellectual property rights.
Ethical considerations: Engaging in deceptive practices, such as using ChatGPT to impersonate a human or manipulate online discussions, raises ethical concerns about honesty and transparency in communication.
Dependency: Overreliance on ChatGPT for content creation without critical evaluation or human oversight may hinder creativity, innovation, and independent thinking.”
How to manage these risks
To help manage these risks, I recommend developing an AI use guideline in collaboration with your IT and Legal partners, and make sure anyone who may be producing content on your behalf adheres to them.
There are also some other simple steps you can take:
- Only input public information into ChatGPT – nothing confidential or commercially sensitive
- Fact check the output carefully
- Compare it against your competitors and peers to ensure there’s no duplication of messaging
- Edit with your own audience, brand and voice in mind
So, my take: ChatGPT is a useful tool that can help drive efficiency. But strategic insight and human factors, like empathy, are essential for creating content that connects with your audiences.
Need help building your communication or content program, or just need an extra set of hands to create quality content quickly?
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