If writing is part of your job, you know nothing is worse than the blinking cursor on the blank screen. You have so much to say and so much expertise to share through your digital persona, but it can be painful to get the right words out of your brain and into the document. Given these challenges, it’s understandable that everyone is so quick to embrace AI tools for productivity. I mean, they DO THE WRITING FOR YOU!
At first glance, this seems like pure genius.
What’s not to like? This can free up all your time to scroll through social media.
Gossip with coworkers.
Do some online shopping.
Now, you’ll have free time to answer those hundreds of unread urgent emails, solve the affordable housing crisis, and create meaningful engagement with your stakeholders.
Unfortunately, AI writing may be fast and potentially helpful, but even when it is factually correct, it too often sounds like AI writing: Soulless, robotic, and flat
And it’s rarely written for the benefit of those reading it.
Create effective AI personas
If you plan to use AI tools to generate copy or images meant for human eyes, you must spend a little time crafting your AI persona to improve productivity. This takes a little bit of time at the front end, but you will get results that are so much more authentic and effective. Once you have crafted something that works, you can save it and use it over and over again with any necessary tweaks.
The image in this post offers a fun example. I gave Chat GPT instructions to create me as an action figure using a headshot and a description of what I do, but it required several iterations. My prompt included information that I was Canadian, and the figure was originally depicted standing in the snow with a pair of skis on the side. I asked it to change out the very unfashionable briefcase and pair of boots, correct the map on the screen (which depicted confusing geography), and lose the snow.
Define your voice
First, tell the AI tool who you are so that it can write something that sounds like you. Put together a couple of lines that explain your position and background. For example, “I’m a senior-level digital marketing strategist with 15 years of experience working in economic development, helping organizations and companies optimize their use of online marketing. I have a Ph.D. in Communications, with extensive experience teaching and training in public and private settings.”
Next, upload two or three brief samples of your best writing for the AI to consider. Explain that you want the tool to use this as the basis for the material you ask it to generate.
Define your audience
In the prompt, explain who your communication targets are so that you can refine tone and vocabulary. You will get different messaging if you specify that you are trying to reach European C-suite biotech executives or elected officials in your region.
Explain your objectives
Explain in plain language what your objectives are with your message. Are you trying to persuade people on LinkedIn to click through and download your white paper? Or are you trying to communicate an important new internal policy to your sales team? Be clear whether this is intended to sell, explain, teach, persuade, inform or engage.
Refine and rewrite in your own words
This is key. Take a closer look at the results generated by your prompt. If unsure, ask for several variations and explain how you want the tone to change, if necessary. Finally, make the words sound like you. Are there terms you’d never use? Overly formal phrasing? Rewrite it with language that sounds natural to you and will resonate with your intended audience. After all, you may have experience and judgement regarding the subject and audience that are unavailable to any AI tool. The most perfectly crafted phrasing can fall flat without a human touch.
If you would like to learn more about broadening your communication and marketing reach, let’s chat! Click here to schedule a free consultation or email me at alissa@sklar-consulting.com