+34 Best AI ChatGPT Prompts for Content Writing

Prompts are like magic formulas.

They need to be framed in a certain way to get you the result you want.

So you better know how, otherwise you’ll end up with disappointing results!

Inspired by my experience, here are the best ChatGPT prompts I use to generate quality writing that fits my expectations.

What makes a good content writing ChatGPT prompt?

However intelligent they might be, LLMs can’t magically guess what you want from them. You have to use the right language to tailor them to your expectations. The engineers behind ChatGPT were some of the first to learn how to frame a good prompt. 

According to them, they include the following components : 

• Detailed query: make sure all your instructions are explicitly stated.
• Persona: tell the AI to play a specific role to understand the context of the query. 
• Example or reference text: help ChatGPT figure out what you want from them from a sample of content. 
• Step-by-step approach: leverage what AI researchers call “chain of thought prompting”, which is a way to break down into identified steps. 
• Desired length of the output: specify the specific number of words you’re expecting to control the level of detail. 

All the prompts I’ll give you include at least one of these features. They are the ones I personally use to create quality content.

6 ChatGPT Prompts for SEO Blog Writing

ChatGPT can write high-quality blog posts. You just have to guide it with the right prompts.

1. Blog writing persona 

With this prompt, you want to define the content writing role ChatGPT will take. The prompt might look like this : 

You are an experienced content writer for your website. You’re writing for an audience of *your audience* who want to *their pain point*. With your content, you’re selling them *your product/service*. Your goal is to create SEO-optimized content that ranks on Google on the specific query we are giving you.

Reply “Ok” if that’s clear to you.

2. Step-by-by style and tone guidelines 

To ensure ChatGPT writing doesn’t sound like everyone else, you want it to have a unique writing voice. Use this structure of prompt to describe your style and tone guideline : 

Each time you’re writing something, follow this step-by-step guideline : 

1. Adopt an engaging, helpful voice, providing actionable and concrete insights, and avoiding buzzwords. 
2. Use concise, short and easy-to-understand sentences. 
3. In your writing, put your readers’ goals and concerns first by adding pronouns like “you” or “your”.

Reply “ok” if that’s clear for you.

3. Blog sample 

ChatGPT needs a writing extract to figure out the right style and tone you’re expecting from it. Here’s a kind of prompt you can provide it : 

Here’s a writing sample to help you determine what kind of writing style and tone we expect. Only reply “ok” if the extract is clear for you. Here’s the extract :

4. Outline Building 

Use this prompt to rely on web-browsing capabilities : 

Draft an outline for an article about *topic* by making research online to come up with relevant ideas

Use this prompt to provide it with your own insights and research on the subject : 

Draft an outline for an article about *topic* by making research online by basing yourself on the following ideas:

5. Section-by-section writing 

ChatGPT can’t write more than 600 words at once. So you must request one section at a time from your blog outline. Here’s how you can do this : 

While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, write section 1. in 300 words.

Write me the concise introduction for this article with a relevant hook to grab content manager’ attention and help them dive into the subject.

Write me the short conclusion for this article including a call-to-action to subscribe to my newsletters about a hybrid AI content process.

6. Rewriting

You won’t necessarily get the best result at the first try. Specify further your expectations with these prompts : 

Rewrite section 8 in 280 words with a structure that doesn’t feel repetitive with the other sections/ with concrete arguments/actionable recommendations/

Rewrite section 8 in 280 words with shorter/longer sentences/paragraphs

+6 AI Writing Prompts for Social Media

Creating effective prompts for social media writing is essential for generating engaging and impactful content. Here are specific examples of prompts for each type of social media platform:

1. Setting up the Social Media Writer Persona

Start by defining the persona for your AI social media writer. Use this prompt:

You are an experienced copywriter for LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter. You’re writing for an audience of your audience who want to their pain point. Answer “ok” if it’s clear for you.

2.Giving Social Media Writing Guidelines

Provide clear guidelines to ensure the AI’s writing meets your standards. Customize these guidelines for each platform : 

LinkedIn

Whenever you write a LinkedIn post, always start with a compelling hook that expresses an opinion or emotion. Tell a first-person account of the point you want to make. Jump a line whenever you end a sentence. Alternate between shorter and longer sentences. Add emojis whenever you feel necessary. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

Instagram/Facebook

Whenever you write an Instagram/Facebook post, always start with a compelling hook that expresses an opinion or emotion. Tell a first-person account of the point you want to make. Alternate between shorter and longer sentences. Include relevant emojis and add a call-to-action to visit the link in bio. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

Twitter

Whenever you write a Twitter post, open your tweet with a statement that surprises or intrigues your audience. Present your main points in a clear, easy-to-read list format. Use relevant emojis to break up text and add visual interest. Create multiple threads that keep the Twitter reader engaged throughout. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

3.Providing an Example of Social Media Writing

Show the AI a sample post to help it understand the desired style and tone. Use this prompt:

“Here’s a writing sample to help you determine what kind of writing style and tone we expect for LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter. Only reply ‘ok’ if the extract is clear for you.”

Here are some well-chose samples that LLMs can effectively imitate for each platform : 

LinkedIn

“I really don’t like the title ‘SDR/BDR’

The reason why is because people treat like that.

A title.

Something that you want to move away from.

In fact most SDRs get that title and their very next goal is to get rid of that title.

SDRing is not a title.

It’s a skill.”

Facebook/Instagram

“When it comes to economic growth, America comfortably beats Europe. Many factors have fed America’s outperformance, from tech innovation to vast oil reserves. ⁠

There is one explanation that seems almost too simplistic, however: that ‘Americans just work harder,’ as the head of Norway’s oil fund put it in an interview last month.⁠

The numbers do in fact bear out this assertion—a rare case of national stereotypes being empirically provable. On average, Americans work 1,811 hours per year, according to data from the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries. That is 15% more than in the EU, where the average is 1,571 hours.⁠

But click the link in our bio to read how remote work is making America’s office workers a little more European, albeit with a puritanical twist.”

Twitter

Every time we have guests from out of state, they come with negative expectations for SF and then end up having the most incredible experience. Here are 10 things you can do to get anyone to want to move to the Bay: 👇

Walk through Crissy Field for killer views of the Golden Gate Bridge 🌉

Bicycle through Golden Gate Park 🚴 and have a picnic in the Conservatory of Flowers then sip green tea at the Japanese Tea Garden 🍵

Hike the trails through Muir Woods🌲

Walk the streets through Chinatown 🏮

Sailboat tour on the Bay ⛵️

Eat clam chowder in the Fisherman’s Wharf 🦀

Ferry Building – Saturday Farmer’s Market ⛴️

Walk through the Palace of Fine Arts 🏛️

Take a ferry ride to Sausalito and grab ice cream 🍨

Drive to Napa for an afternoon to visit some wineries then have lunch in Yountville 🍷

Visit museums: MoMA, Exploratorium, Academy of Science, DeYoung.”

4.Writing Step-by-Step

Instruct the AI to write the social media posts with specific lenght instruction. For example:

“While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, write a LinkedIn/Twitter/Instagram/Facebook post of 200 words about *your topic and your ideas*”

5. Rewriting 

The AI won’t often deliver the perfect result in one shot. You have to repeat and reinforce some of your previous instructions. You can use this prompt : 

Rewrite the post while alternating between short and long sentences/jumping one line at the end of every sentence/being more specific and concrete and less metaphoric/finding a more original and controversial hook 

6 ChatGPT Prompts for books and longer content

Generating a longer content format with ChatGPT is harder, but it’s not impossible. You need a structured prompting process: 

1. Persona 

Let’s start by giving ChatGPT the role of a literary supervisor : 

Your role is to serve as a high-level literary agent specializing in white paper and e-book writing. You want to help the company behind intellectualead.com promote its expertise in AI content creation via its first e-book. You want to write to an audience of content marketers who seek to automate their content process. Please tell me you understand your role.

2. Idea 

Let ChatGPT help us find the right e-book idea with this prompt : 

As a literary agent, your job is to provide ideas to get us inspired. After we supply you with ebook ideas we’re interested in writing, you’ll give your recommendations in list form with as much information as possible. Also, provide an interesting synopsis for each e-book. Please tell me you understand your role and that you are ready for the e-book ideas.

3. Title 

ChatGPT can also provide compelling title suggestions to help you figure out the right angle : 

As a literary agent, your job is to provide compelling book titles that people want to write. After we’ve provided you with book synopses, you’ll give us the most compelling title that best reflect our book idea. Please tell me you understand your role.

4. Structure

Now it’s time to sketch the outline for your e-book. ChatGPT can help you build a structure that doesn’t forget anything : 

As a literary agent, your role is to provide a book structure in a way that is consistent with best-selling non-fiction books. We’ll provide a list of the content ideas we have so far. Please help us organize them into a clear and coherent structure. Under each chapter heading please write a few sentences on the key subjects that should be covered in that chapter. Please tell me you understand your role.

5. Writing 

If you want to use ChatGPT for writing, you might as well tell it to write well : 

As a literary agent, you want to write engaging, easy-to-read sentences. You want to alternate between short and long sentences to add variability. You want to write paragraphs that don’t exceed more than 3,4 sentences. You want to avoid overused and filler words and use concrete and easy-to-grasp vocabulary. 

Following the previous instructions in terms of writing style, tone, and structure, please write section 1. in 300 words. 

6. Editing 

ChatGPT is a great proofread if you tell it to focus on the right thing. Here’s how to do it with this prompt: 

As a copy editor, your task is to provide feedback on our e-book manuscript. When you’re ready, we’ll input a chapter of our manuscript. You will provide a writing report based on the following instructions:

1. Check for grammar mistakes
2. Look for repeated, overused Words, or filler Words 
3. Review sentence length and variability
4. Ensure there are not too many pronouns and transition words
5. Evaluate Flesch Reading Ease 
6. Check for Misspelling

Your goal is to provide constructive feedback to the author, helping them improve their writing skills and create a more engaging manuscript. 

6 ChatGPT Prompts for Emailing 

Emails are also a great use case for ChatGPT. Especially if you have to send recurrent and long emails, it can help save significant time in your writing process. Here’s how : 

1. Persona

Let’s start by defining the writing role of ChatGPT for a newsletter: 

You are a newsletter writer who regularly engages an audience of content marketers. You want to share with them news, tips, and insights about AI and its implementation in content processes. For each email, your goal is to hook your audience’s attention and nurture them to become loyal customers. Reply “ok” if that’s clear for you.

2. Style

Newsletters have a certain feel that other formats of content don’t have. This prompt can help you get closer to it : 

Whenever you start writing an email, remember these 4 guidelines: 

1. Write short, easy-to-read sentences
2. Jump a line whenever you end a sentence
3. Alternate between first-person account and second-person reader addresses
4. Adopt a conversational tone with the reader.

Reply “ok” if that’s clear for you.

3. Sample 

Always join a specific extract of newsletters to help ChatGPT figure out how it should write.

Here’s one good sample taken from Robert Rose, author of the Content Marketing Institute weekly newsletter : 

Here’s a writing sample to help you determine what kind of writing style and tone we expect:  

“Don’t blame yourself (or anyone else)

Regardless of your specific intention or word for 2024, you probably think about it in terms of fixing or improving something you think is wrong.

I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with people who vow to “fix themselves” this year. 

They want to do better, think smarter, feel guilty less often, or change a habit.

Introspection can be positive. 

But it’s easy to fall into a trap, blaming yourself for where you are and punishing yourself with the equivalent of a performance improvement plan. 

Unfortunately, even when you focus on yourself, it’s easy to blame others, even subtly, for getting in the way. “

Reply “ok” if that’s clear for you.

4. Outline 

Newsletters can be especially long, and they are the most engaging when they seemingly switch from one subject to another. So you better first build an outline with this prompt : 

Draft an outline for a newsletter about *topic* that includes the following sections and ideas: 1. Specific hook : *ideas* 2. Section A : *ideas* 1 3. Section B *ideas* 4. Wrap-up

5. Writing

Let’s write each specific section by specifying an exact number of words : 

Write the hook/Section A/Section B/Wrap-up in 100 words

6. Ideas

Feeling uninspired? Use this type of prompt to find the topic of your 10 next newsletters : 

By browsing online, give me 12 news or tendencies around AI content creation that I can talk about in my newsletter 

5 AI Writing Prompts for Creative Writing

Well-chosen prompts are essential for generating imaginative and engaging content. Here are specific examples of prompts for writing novels, poems, and songs:

1. Setting up the Creative Writer Persona

Start by defining the persona for your AI creative writer. Use this prompt:

You are a seasoned poem/novel/song writer. You are known for your famous writing style and successful works. You want to create the next best poem/novel/song for a wide audience. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

2. Giving Creative Writing Guidelines

Provide clear guidelines to ensure the AI’s writing meets your standards for each format. For example, copy/paste these prompts :

Novels

Whenever you start writing, adopt an intriguing, creative voice. Use vivid imagery and emotional language. Focus on storytelling elements like character development, setting, and plot for novels. Use concise, clear sentences to convey your ideas. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

Poems

Whenever you start writing a poem, use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Convey deep emotions through your words, using metaphor and simile to illustrate feelings. Use a consistent rhythm and meter to give your poem a musical quality. Choose each word carefully for its meaning, sound, and impact. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

Songs

Whenever you start writing a song, start with a strong, catchy phrase or chorus that captures the essence of your song. Use your lyrics to tell a compelling story that evokes emotions. Incorporate repetition to reinforce key themes and make your song more memorable. Balance your song structure by alternating between detailed verses and a dynamic, uplifting chorus. The verses should provide context and detail, while the chorus amplifies the main message or emotion of the song. Answer “Ok” if it’s clear for you.

3. Providing an Example of Creative Writing:

Show the AI a sample of an existing piece related to your writing project to help it understand the desired style and tone. Use this prompt:

Here’s a writing sample to help you determine the expected style and tone. Only reply ‘ok’ if the extract is clear for you.

Here are some interesting samples to help AI get the right inspiration : 

Novels

I never believed in Santa Claus. None of us kids did. Mom and Dad refused to let us. They couldn’t afford expensive presents and they didn’t want us to think we weren’t as good as other kids who, on Christmas morning, found all sorts of fancy toys under the tree that were supposedly left by Santa Claus.

Dad had lost his job at the gypsum, and when Christmas came that year, we had no money at all. On Christmas Eve, Dad took each one of us kids out into the desert night one by one.

“Pick out your favorite star”, Dad said.

“I like that one!” I said.

Dad grinned, “that’s Venus”, he said. He explained to me that planets glowed because reflected light was constant and stars twinkled because their light pulsed.

“I like it anyway” I said.

“What the hell,” Dad said. “It’s Christmas. You can have a planet if you want.”

And he gave me Venus.

Poems

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Songs

[Verse 1]

That’s great

It starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes

An aeroplane

Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn

World serves its own needs, don’t misserve your own needs

Speed it up a notch, speak, grunt, no, strength

The ladder starts to clatter with fear fight, down, height

Wire in a fire, representing seven games

And a government for hire and a combat site

Left her and wasn’t coming in a hurry with the Furies

Breathing down your neck

Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped

Look at that low plane, fine, then

Uh-oh, overflow, population, common group

But it’ll do, save yourself, serve yourself.

World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed

Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right, right

You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light

Feeling pretty psyched

[Chorus]

It’s the end of the world as we know it

It’s the end of the world as we know it

It’s the end of the world as we know it

And I feel fine

4. Generating the Creative Writing:

Novel 

While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, draft an outline for a novel about a young wizard discovering their powers and battling dark forces. Include character descriptions, key plot points, and a climax.

Write the first chapter in 500 words. Introduce the protagonist and set the stage for their adventure.

Poems

While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, generate a poem about the changing seasons. Focus on the transition from winter to spring, using sensory details to enhance the imagery.

Songs

While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, write a song about heartbreak. Include a verse-chorus structure, key themes, and emotional highlights.

5. Editing the Creative Writing

AI won’t necessarily get the best result in one shot. You’ll often have to prompt it again to refine the piece of writing : 

Rewrite the text while using a more creative voice, longer/shorter sentences,…

5 AI Writing Prompts for Essays 

The rights prompts are essential in essay writing to generate insightful and well-structured content. 

Here are five prompts to guide your AI in crafting high-quality essays:

1.Defining the Essay Writer Persona

Define the persona for your AI essay writer. This helps the AI adopt the right tone and perspective. For example, use this prompt:

You are an experienced essay writer specializing in *your domain specialization*. You’re writing for an audience of *your audience* who want to know about *niche expertise*. Answer “ok” if it’s clear for you.

2.Giving Essay Writing Guidelines

Provide clear guidelines to ensure the AI produces relevant and articulated essays. For instance:

Whenever you write an essay, ensure it has a logical flow with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Each section should seamlessly transition into the next, guiding the reader through your argument or narrative. Avoid unnecessary jargon and long-winded explanations. Aim for clarity and brevity, making your points easy to understand. Support your arguments with relevant data, quotes, and examples. Reply ok if it’s clear for you

3.Providing an Example of Essay Writing

Show the AI a sample essay to help it understand the desired style and tone. Use this prompt:

Here’s a writing sample to help you determine what kind of writing style and tone we expect : 

“The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has companies scrambling to define AI strategy and find use cases as workers fret that automation is coming for their jobs.

But while AI job displacement will likely be substantial in the long run, the roll out will be gradual. A new working paper, “Beyond AI Exposure: Which Tasks Are Cost-Effective to Automate With Computer Vision,” found that while AI will likely change labor patterns, predictions of rapid, widespread automation do not consider a slow adoption curve and the technical feasibility and economic attractiveness of building AI systems to do a specific job.

Researchers Neil Thompson, Maja S. Svanberg, and Wensu Li of MIT; Martin Fleming of The Productivity Institute; and Brian Goehring of IBM created a new AI task automation model to more accurately predict the pace of automation. Looking specifically at computer vision, they found that technical and cost barriers could leave about three-quarters of jobs unchanged in the near term.

<Our work highlights the importance of moving beyond ‘AI exposure,’ which looks at technologically what might be automated, to accounting for the economics of the adoption decision to know what is attractive to automate,> said Thompson, a research scientist at MIT Sloan and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.“

Only reply ‘ok’ if the extract is clear for you.

4. Outlining the Essay

Prompt the AI to draft an outline based on your topic. For instance:

Draft an outline for an essay about *topic* by making research online to come up with relevant ideas and relying on this draft of ideas : *your draft of ideas*.

This ensures the essay has a logical structure and covers all necessary points.

5.Writing Step-by-Step

Instruct the AI to write the essay section by section. For example:

While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, write the introduction of the essay. Start with a relevant hook to grab the your audience’s attention and set the stage for discussing your topic.

While strictly following the style, tone, and writing guidelines I gave you, write section 1 in 300 words.

Apply these prompts and see by yourself the surprising results they’ll give you!