Mastering Chat GPT prompts

Chat GPT is quickly becoming a go-to tool for many marketers. You can ask it almost anything – about math problems, history, advice on various topics, or just to chat. If you ask it a question, it can write a response that feels like it’s coming from a human. The better your Chat GPT prompt is, the more comprehensive a response you will get.

I asked Chat GPT to provide me with some tips for writing better prompts. I also asked it to gear the advice specifically to marketers in the field of the performing arts. Here’s what it came up with:

1. Be Specific: Rather than asking “Tell me about Shakespeare,” you might ask “What are the primary thematic differences between Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies?” This way, GPT can provide a detailed and focused comparison.
2. Provide Context: Context can guide GPT to provide the most relevant answer. For example, instead of asking “What’s the history?” you might ask “What’s the history of Broadway musicals in the 20th century?” This provides clear context for a precise response.
3. Use the Correct Format: If you require an answer in a particular format, include this in your prompt. For instance, “List the main characters in the musical ‘Hamilton’ and a brief description of each,” or “Write a brief summary of the plot of the ballet ‘Swan Lake’.”
4. Guide the Tone: If you want a response in a specific tone, specify this in your prompt. For instance, “Explain the role of lighting in theatre productions in a way that a novice to theatre would understand.” This guides GPT to produce an answer that’s suitable for someone new to the subject.
5. Prompt Length: While it’s usually best to be concise, a longer prompt can sometimes help with adding context or specificity. However, avoid making the prompt unnecessarily verbose. For example, rather than asking “Tell me about plays,” a more detailed question like “Can you explain the evolution and influence of Greek tragedy plays on modern theatre?” would provide a richer response.

It’s important to remember that Chat GPT is not an all-knowing Genie. The machine learning model developed by OpenAI generates text based on patterns in the data it was trained on. It’s been taught by reading lots and lots of information from books, websites, and other sources, but there are also important gaps in its knowledge. While Chat GPT may offer some very useful and even insightful responses, there may also be serious errors or omissions.

Treat AI like a junior intern

Chat GPT doesn’t understand the text in the way humans do. It just predicts what comes next in a piece of text based on its training. When Chat GPT doesn’t “know” the answer to something, it will often guess. Its answers may seem convincing even when they are wrong.

The technology is evolving fast, but at at this point it is best to treat anything it produces like an assignment completed by a junior intern. Check every fact. Question every statement.

To get good results from Chat GPT you need to ask the right questions, and think critically about the answers it generates. Often, you’ll want to revise or rewrite what it provides. Still, it can be a speedy way to go from an idea to a decent first draft.

Chat GPT prompt examples

To use Chat GPT, you enter a prompt. This can be a question or request. Here are a some useful examples to get you started. The list is by no means exhaustive!

Tip: Keep track of your favourite prompts with PromptDrive.ai. It’s free to use and makes it really easy to organize your prompts by category or tag so you can find them later.

Universal Chat GPT prompt framework

Here is an example of a detailed Chat GPT prompt that can be used for any question. The more context you can give the AI the better. If the answer doesn’t hit the mark the first time, reply with further instructions or rewrite the prompt to provide more context to your request and try again.

As a {{describe role/persona}}
{{Describe your task}}
Follow the following steps to complete this task: {{outline steps}}
Context: {{add notes on context: eg The show is aimed at families with kids under six}}
Constraints: {{add constraints: eg The tagline should be 2-6 words. Do not use the word ‘green’.}}
The goal is: {{Specify the goal}}
Format the output as {{a list, article, outline, using markup, etc. Include notes on length, tone & style if desired …}}

Prompts for persona development

The following prompts can be helpful to kick-start persona development. Use what you know about your target audience to give Chat GPT enough context to tell you a story about a typical person who is emblematic of that audience. Compare the results to what you know about your audience, and revise as needed!

• Using the empathy mapping process, define a core persona for a {{defined target audience}}
• Using the empathy mapping process, explain what {{persona}} would think, feel, say, and do
• Create a list of 20 concerns {{persona}} might express when considering {{desired action}} – make it emotional and use the first person.
• List 10 search terms {{persona}} would be likely to use when researching {{topic}}
• List the content and features {{persona}} would be looking for if they visited {{your website}}
• List the social networks {{persona}} would be most likely to use

Prompts for content creation

Chat GPT is much better at short form content and outlines than drafting long posts. It’s also a helpful tool for brainstorming and editing your work.

• Suggest 10 catchy alternatives to this blog post headline: {{current headline}}. Suggestions should be designed to inspire readers on Facebook to want to click.
• Suggest 5 alternatives to this blog post headline {{current headline}} that would have a high CTR for people searching for {{focus keyword}}
• Topic: {{topic}}. For this topic, give examples that contradict the dominant narrative. Generate an outline for thought-provoking content that challenges assumptions.
• As a journalist, outline the main points of a {{target word count}} article about {{topic}} for {{target audience}}. The goal of this {{article, blog post, newsletter …}} is {{goal}}. Use bullet points, plain language, and format with markup.
• As an editor, provide comprehensive suggestions to improve the readability of the following text in the form of a bulleted list. Include any notes about grammar or spelling errors. The text I want you to review is: {{text}}
• What are 10 frequently asked questions by {{target audience}} about {{topic}}?

Prompts for social media

• Create a list of 10 {{social media platform}} post topics that could be used in marketing {{your organization, product, or show}} to {{target audience}}. The posts should be {{educational / playful / clever / engaging…}}. For each topic include a detailed description. The goal of these posts is {{description}}
• Act as a social media manager for {{your industry}} and create a detailed outline with descriptions for each element for a 90-day editorial calendar, including social posts on {{social media platform}}, videos, and email newsletter topics. Add more detail to each tactic. The focus of the content on this period should be {{description of key themes or topics}}.
• I’m feeling stuck with my social media posts about {{topic}}. Could you generate some creative ideas that contradict the dominant narrative for me to use on {{social media platform}}?
• I need to sell tickets to an upcoming performance of {{showname}}. Can you provide me with a list of 25 suggestions for social media posts to promote the show on Facebook? The target audience for this show is {{description}}.

Prompts for SEO

Chat GPT’s ability to quickly generate a cluster of ideas connected to a prompt or topic makes it ideal for generating keywords that can help you with search optimization.

• Act as an SEO consultant and create a list of 10 primary keywords for  {{your industry or topic}}
• Create a list of 5 SEO keywords related to the following event description: {{add event description}}
• List 5 popular questions related to {{keyword, industry or topic}}
• Suggest 5 keyword strategies for {{your industry or topic}}
• Suggest 10 blog post titles for the keyword {{add keyword}} targeted to appeal to {{your target audience}}

What experiments have you tried with Chat GPT? What prompts have (or haven’t) worked for you?