I make no apologies that I’ll be writing a lot about AI this year, because otherwise I’d be doing a great disservice to our area of conversation. It’s the hottest topic, and one which will affect our jobs.
If you’ve tried ChatGPT (and you really should), it was probably without much purpose – beginner mode, in other words. Let’s get a bit more sophisticated.
You want it to write something, but you want it in a particular style (yours!). How do you define this style, and get it to write a longer article on the same subject in that style?
It turns out, you can just ask. Thanks to Rob Lennon for this.
What you do is to give it a sample of your writing. Tell ChatGPT:
“Analyse the text below for style, voice, and tone. Using NLP, create a prompt to write a new article in the same style, voice, and tone:” (then paste in a summary of the desired article, in the desired style).
I did this, using the command above and then pasting in this entire short blog post from a few weeks back about keeping copywriting interesting.
ChatGPT’s response was this:
Write an article discussing the importance of crafting compelling and engaging marketing content, even for products or services that may not be inherently interesting or exciting. Utilize examples and anecdotes to illustrate the principles of crafting compelling marketing copy, such as highlighting benefits and using visually appealing formatting techniques like bullet points. Emphasize the importance of honesty and authenticity in marketing, and provide tips and strategies for making complex or technical information more engaging for a general audience.
What ChatGPT is saying is: if you want me to write an article on that subject (which it had identified as being about engaging marketing content), here’s what you should ask me.
So I did.
And here’s the article it wrote:
Marketing is all about convincing potential customers to take action, whether that’s purchasing a product, signing up for a service, or simply learning more about what you have to offer. But how do you effectively market products or services that may not seem inherently interesting or exciting?
The key is to remember that even the most mundane products or services have benefits that can be highlighted and communicated in a compelling way. Advertising legend David Ogilvy famously said: “Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.” In other words, it’s important to be honest and authentic in your marketing, but you also need to find a way to make the truth interesting and engaging for your audience.
One way to do this is by focusing on the benefits of your product or service. Instead of simply listing its features, think about how it can solve a problem or improve someone’s life in some way. For example, a boring office supply like paper clips might not seem very exciting on its own, but if you focus on the benefits of its durability and reliability, you can make it more appealing.
Another effective technique is to use visually appealing formatting, such as bullet points, to make your message more digestible and memorable. In the world of marketing, these highlights are often referred to as “fascinations.” By pulling out the key benefits or features of your product or service and presenting them in an easy-to-read format, you can help drive home your message and make it more compelling.
Of course, it can be challenging to make complex or technical information engaging for a general audience. In these cases, it’s important to find ways to simplify and explain the information in a way that is easy to understand. This might involve using analogies or examples to illustrate your points, or breaking the information down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Overall, the key to crafting compelling and engaging marketing content is to find a way to make the truth interesting and relevant to your audience. By focusing on benefits, using visually appealing formatting, and simplifying complex information, you can create marketing materials that are both serious and fascinating.
I leave it to you, dear reader, to decide if that’s a good revision and expansion on my original article, or if you think it’s in a style that’s appropriate to this blog. If you don’t think so, at least remember we’re only at the very early stages of this technology.