The world of AI-generated content is moving forward at the speed of light. As a content creator, you’ve been bombarded with ads touting the game-changing power of AI. You’re cautiously exploring this new tool so that you can use it to attract readers and achieve high search engine rankings. The secret lies in sharpening your skills in the mechanics of crafting AI prompts. As with all technology, it’s only as good as the human who’s directing it.

The Generator’s Output is Only as Good as the Prompt You Ask It to Perform

Below are several terms that need to be defined before moving on to the nuts and bolts of designing prompts.

What is an AI Prompt
As defined by CoSchedule an AI Prompt is any form of text, question, information, or coding that communicates to AI what response you’re looking for. Adjusting how you phrase your prompt, AI could provide varying responses.

Fundamentally, AI is similar to teaching a child through questioning. Just as a well-thought-out question guides a child’s thought process, a well-written prompt can guide an AI model toward a specific output.

What is Prompt Engineering
According to datacamp, prompt engineering is the practice of designing prompts—questions or instructions—to elicit specific responses from AI models. It depends heavily on Natural Language Processing (NLP).

If you’ve ever interacted with Alexis or Siri, you’ve engaged in a basic form of prompt engineering. For instance, if you ask Alexa to “play Christmas music,” you’ll get traditional Christmas songs. But, if you ask Alexa to “play pop Christmas music,” you’ll get more contemporary selections. By adjusting your input, you’ll get the desired output.

What is Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing is a very complex branch of computer science and is playing a growing role in enterprise solutions. However, this blog covers only the application of it to AI.

Simply stated, it enables computers to process human language. You may have interacted with NLP in the form of voice-operated GPS systems like Waze, customer service chatbots, and speech-to-text dictation software.

Best Practices for Writing AI Prompts for SEO Optimization and Engaging Content
Creating an effective AI prompt is a balancing act. Being clear, specific, and creative will generate unique and engaging content.

The content creators at FineView Marketing have leveraged the power of AI to design content that will reach your audience and elevate your business.

Identify Your Objectives
Before writing your AI prompt, you should have a clear vision of your goal. Are you creating a blog, an email, or a social post? What should your target audience know after reading this content?

Each of these content types has a unique style, and the generated response will be accurate only if you focus on your goal.

Defining your objectives guides the AI tool in generating optimal content and streamlines the entire process.

AI Prompts: Provide Clear, Specific Instructions – Avoid Ambiguity

Prompts should be straightforward and easily understood. Avoid vague or ambiguous prompts by clarifying your desired outcome. Don’t describe your task until you ask yourself these questions.

1. Do I want my response to be a certain length or format (headings; number of sentences, words, or characters; bullet list; numbered list, etc.)
2. Do I want my content written in a certain tone and style?
3. Do I want my audience to take a certain action?

Example prompt: “Create a blog post for (company) titled “What are the Benefits of Climate-Controlled Self Storage.” Write it in an informal tone using active voice. Write 1,000 words. Use an engaging, relevant heading for each section. Each section should have a minimum of two paragraphs. Include the following keywords (climate-controlled self storage, climate-controlled storage unit, benefits of climate-controlled self storage).

Ask Open-Ended Questions
Asking open-ended questions gives your AI tool the freedom and space to answer using more detailed information.

Instead of asking “Is self storage investing right for you?”, try asking “What are the benefits and risks of investing in self storage?

Proofread and Edit for Grammar and Spelling

Proofread your AI prompts to ensure that they are free of grammatical and spelling errors. You can do this either manually or by using automated spell checkers, grammar checkers, or style guides.

If you don’t take the time to review and edit your prompts, the AI tool may be confused. The result will be inconsistent content that doesn’t reflect your vision.

For example, “She enjoys cooking her family and her dog.” should more accurately read, “She enjoys cooking, her family, and her dog.”

Include Contextual Information
By identifying your target audience and providing background information, AI will be able to generate more accurate content.

Ask yourself the question, “Who is the intended recipient of this content?”. Include information about the topic, the essence of the desired output, and any specific details that you want AI to consider.

The more context you provide, the better the AI tool will be able to comprehend and address your request.

Don’t Neglect the Human Touch
Using AI saves time and energy. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that content requires a human touch. AI isn’t capable of showing nuance. As technology advances, there may come a time when it will be able to convey subtlety of meaning and expression. This isn’t the case presently, but it will doubtless happen in the future.

Until then, use AI as a jumping-off point, while continuing to add human emotion to your writing.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to blame the AI prompt generator when your content misses the mark, but the machine output is only as good as the human input.

If you want to optimize your content for audience engagement as well as SEO, it’s critical to master the mechanics of crafting AI prompts. Keep best practices top of mind when you’re constructing prompts if you want to captivate your audience with accurate content.