The Role of ChatGPT in Content Creation

by Max Allegro | August 1, 2023

Generative AI and ChatGPT have been all the rage in 2023. They have captured the attention of the digital marketing world with every marketer eager to test it out, find use cases, develop processes, and stay ahead of the curve.

While the full power of generative AI and ChatGPT is yet to be fully realized, countless use cases have emerged. It’s proven to be an amazing tool for anything from creating blog articles and summarizing data to writing code and even writing Eminem rap songs about cats.

But it is just that– a tool. And tools only work if the person using them knows how to use them.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to incorporate ChatGPT into your content creation process and wield it appropriately by answering a few key questions:

What are the best ways to use it?
How should it not be used?
And how can it be used responsibly?

Let’s jump in.

What is ChatGPT and generative AI?

ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI, capable of generating human-like text based on the prompts provided. Generative AI is a subset of artificial intelligence that generates new and original content, mimicking human creativity and decision-making. It focuses on producing outputs based on patterns and learns from data sets as it goes. ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Bard are a few examples of generative AI applications.

Best Ways To Use ChatGPT For Content Creation

ChatGPT can be used in thousands of different ways and really depends on how creative you want to get with it. If you’re looking to incorporate it into your content creation process, here are a few ways you can do so.

Ideation

One of the best ways to use ChatGPT is for idea generation. Use it at the beginning of the content creation process to generate topic ideas or unique angles for blog posts. Generate a list of ideas and ask it to dive deeper into one that you like. For example, you can say:

Topic Coverage

Once you have your idea, you can use it to explore all of the subtopics you’ll need to cover in your content. This way you’re ensuring nothing gets missed, which will lead to a more comprehensive piece. Let’s say you choose the topic, “Sustainable Cooking and Food Choices.” Your next prompt might be:

Keyword Research

Similarly to topic research, keywords can be found with ChatGPT. Once you’ve chosen your topic, ask for keywords to include. These will help guide you (or ChatGPT) when it comes to writing. It’s important to note that ChatGPT is not a replacement for traditional SEO keyword research, and tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush should still be used to view data. For example:

FAQs

Discovering the questions being asked about a topic can go a long way toward creating a piece that truly resonates with your audience. ChatGPT is great for generating a list of questions that your customers may have about a given topic.

Pain Points

Similarly to FAQs, asking for customer pain points is a great way to understand possible issues or obstacles customers are facing. This will help guide the tone and details of your content.

Content Outline

Content outlines are a great use of ChatGPT. If you’ve started with all of the previous prompts, you’ll have prepped it with good background information to guide a more accurate outline. When asking for a content outline, make sure to give it parameters for what you’re looking for.

Content Drafts

Perhaps the most exciting use of ChatGPT is writing drafts. ChatGPT has the ability to take your outline and turn it into a first draft. Whether the draft is useable or even accurate is debatable. However, ChatGPT can do a lot of the initial heavy lifting to get a very rough draft on paper.

As with the outline, you’ll want to give it some parameters for what it outputs. Without good prompting, the draft will be a pretty poor version of the final product. But you can use this as a starting point:

Revisions & Rewrites

If you take the first draft ChatGPT spits out, that’s on you– but it would be a mistake. The real magic happens when you ask it to rewrite and refine outputs. There you can shape the content into something that’s workable. Keep playing with it until you get it right or take different outputs and blend them together to create your own.

Introductions & Conclusions

Where ChatGPT also shines is with introductions and conclusions. Once you’ve asked it to list all the details an article should include, it’s easy to ask it to boil those details down into an intro paragraph that hints at what’s to come, or a conclusion that offers final takeaways.

Titles, Headings, and Subheadings

People skim. It’s hard to capture their attention with compelling headings that also describe what a section is about. Especially as their eyes are flying down a page. ChatGPT can help craft interesting headings based on the subject matter in the section.

Titles & Meta Descriptions

Titles and meta descriptions are another simple way that ChatGPT can assist. Whether it’s spitting out a dozen options for titles, or summarizing an entire blog into 160 characters, ChatGPT can do that.

Analogies

Lastly, asking for analogies is a fun way to help you describe something in a new way. Maybe you want the perfect analogy to describe what something is like. ChatGPT can help you brainstorm ideas for how to explain complex things simply, and in ways your readers will understand. For example:

Common Pitfalls of ChatGPT

ChatGPT, like any other AI language model, comes with certain pitfalls that you should be aware of to ensure responsible and safe use. Here are some common pitfalls of ChatGPT:

Biases

AI language models like ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, which can contain inherent biases present in society. As a result, the model may generate biased or prejudiced responses on sensitive topics like race, gender, or religion.

Misinformation

ChatGPT can generate text based on the patterns it has learned, but it doesn’t have a built-in understanding of truth or facts. This means it may unintentionally produce incorrect or misleading information.

Plagiarism

ChatGPT may inadvertently generate responses that closely resemble existing copyrighted content or the work of other authors. If users copy and use these responses without proper attribution or permission, it can lead to plagiarism issues.

Lack Of Empathy And Understanding

ChatGPT lacks genuine emotions and empathy, so it can sometimes respond insensitively or inappropriately to users’ emotional or personal concerns.

Security And Privacy Concerns

Sharing sensitive or personally identifiable information with ChatGPT can be risky, as AI models may retain and use this information in unintended ways.

Excessive Wordiness

AI language models like ChatGPT often produce verbose or long-winded replies when shorter, more concise responses are needed.

Robotic Tone Of Voice

Responses generated by AI can sometimes sound mechanical, monotonous, or overly formal, rather than a true human-like response.

Inability To Provide Expert Insights

While AI models have access to vast amounts of information, they cannot replicate the expertise of subject matter experts or experienced professionals. Their responses lack any real insights or novel ideas.

It’s essential to understand ChatGPT’s shortcomings in order to use it responsibly.

Tips for Using ChatGPT Responsibly

Don’t use ChatGPT if you’re not going to use it responsibly. It will cause more harm than good. And the only way to use it responsibly is to review all outputs before using them. This goes for accuracy of information, inherent biases, plagiarism, etc. The responsibility is on you.

Here are some tips for using ChatGPT responsibly:

Trust, but verify. While ChatGPT’s responses might seem accurate, it’s critical to verify the information. Don’t rely on it to be 100% accurate. Always fact-check and verify with reliable sources.
Scan for bias. Review content for bias and be mindful of how you prompt it. Just because a doctor is referenced doesn’t mean that he/him pronouns should be used. Challenge it and point out the biases when you see them.
Don’t share personal information. Be cautious with personally identifiable information. Avoid sharing sensitive information with ChatGPT or any AI model.
Use it to improve, not do, your work. ChatGPT is a tool that can be used to expedite, improve, and assist in content creation, but shouldn’t be the only tool used.
Establish guidelines. Set rules for how and what ChatGPT can be used for. Establish a governance structure that ensures everyone is on the same page at your organization.
Avoid unnecessary requests. ChatGPT’s energy usage is staggering. Just in training GPT-3 alone, Microsoft consumed roughly the same amount of water as a nuclear reactor to cool their data centers. Be mindful of the environmental impact of AI usage.
Add a human touch. Add your own anecdotes, insights, creativity, or spin on ChatGPT outputs. This ensures your content is truly unique.

Miswielding ChatGPT can lead to at best, poor quality content, at worst misinformation, and a damaged brand. As we explore the future of ChatGPT and content creation, these responsible practices will be instrumental in shaping the ethical use of generative AI.

The Future Of ChatGPT & Content

ChatGPT will allow for more time to be spent on the strategy, editorial, and distribution side of content, rather than the actual creation of it. ChatGPT is a productivity tool capable of speeding up work, improving overall quality, automating tasks, or even taking tasks off of people’s hands. Right now, it’s a tool to support workers, not replace them. However, over time that might not always be the case.

Roles like technical writers, copywriters, and translators that are centered on language and are repetitive and predictable, may be in jeopardy as Large Language Models develop and improve. In content creation, this will mean choosing between a human copywriter or a generative AI application in combination with a skilled prompter. The need for skilled prompters, or those proficient in generative AI applications will rise.

Along with skilled AI users, the demand for subject matter experts (SMEs) will also rise. Those with experience, expertise, and authority in an industry – who therefore are trustworthy – will become highly sought after. What generative AI lacks is human experience and the ability to produce expert insights. Integrating SMEs into the content creation process to supplement generative AI efforts will be the best way to produce and scale high-quality content.

The Bottom Line

As you venture into the realm of AI-generated content creation, remember that what will always rise to the top is expert-level, high-quality content. Be creative, but be responsible in how you use ChatGPT. Verify information, be vigilant against biases, and infuse your unique human touch as much as possible. As marketers, it’s up to us to shape a future where AI is harnessed responsibly and ethically for content creation purposes.