I think it’s the most used phrase when it comes to AI. Because it is SO easy. Despite the fact that text generated by AI can be so convincing, AI can also be very convincingly wrong. Not for nothing did Amy Webb, in her talk at SXSW, warn about the abundance of bad or erroneous information we can rapidly generate with AI.
Recognizing that the use of AI and ChatGPT is inevitable in my profession, I decided to embrace it. By testing tools, immersing myself in the technology behind AI and learning to prompt properly (working on it), I came up with a customized roadmap for using AI to lay a good foundation for a text.
- Create your tone of voice
- Write a prompt tone of voice proof
- Edit!
Create your tone of voice
Of course, this is always important, even when you are not going to write content with AI. Personally, I always see tone of voice as part of a brand. Just like your logo or corporate identity. It should be consistent, have personality and show what your brand stands for. By establishing your tone of voice, you ensure consistency in written texts. Whether written by you, your colleague or AI.
Prompt proof
Unfortunately, you cannot (yet) upload a tone of voice document in ChatGPT. So you need to be able to prompt your tone of voice in order for AI to work with it. A prompt is basically the question you ask AI. A fun language fact is that the English verb “prompt” is already widely adopted in the Dutch language in the context of AI. If you want to prompt a tone of voice, it helps to work with the tone of voice yourself first. For example, rewrite your work or client’s home and about us page to discover how the tone of voice expresses itself there. Then you can stylize the tone of voice into a set of core values or points of interest that you can incorporate into a prompt for AI.
Your prompt in practice
Let me give you a practical example. For a media partner, I needed a short text about my employer Endeavour. My first question to ChatGPT:
You can see that ChatGPT is taking a big step in the right direction; this is not a 13-in-a-dozen text. It’s a good starting point. Of course, you can play with this prompt. What happens if you choose a synonym for core values? Or designate a different target audience? Not for nothing, you can already buy prompts online to lay a certain foundation with AI to which you can then add your specific brief. Test until you get to a prompt that you can use every time. That will save you a lot of time in the future.
Edit!
Now it’s time to take a critical look at the text and edit it. To do this properly, it is important that you have a good command of the tone of voice yourself. As you note, AI distinguishes awkwardly between words that describe the tone of voice, and words that should be referred to literally. For example, saying you are inclusive or writing inclusive are two very different things. Therefore, I edit as follows:
End result: Endeavour is the digital marketing agency that focuses on orchestrated digital marketing. As a brand, with us you can count on one partner working with you on all your digital marketing. We start at digital media, where we achieve the best results with innovative and creative digital solutions. We understand your vision and goals and work together to achieve them. We go to great lengths to create the best digital marketing experience for your brand.
The shortcut
So writing with AI according to the right tone of voice has saved me a lot of time. But are you now thinking, “this all sounds like a lot of work”? Then there are two options:
Creating 13-in-1-dozen content by not prompting properly – hopefully you don’t choose this option.
Outsource working out your tone of voice and prompt – that’s an investment now, which you can then use to create content yourself.
Writer of this article:
Janneke Bladt
Content Marketeer & Copywriter
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