Using AI for Blog Posts: 5 Steps to Get Started with Content Creation

Using AI for blog posts + Content creation

Can and should you use AI for blog posts and writing other content?  Yes!  As blogging evolves, it continues to play an important role in driving traffic to your website and search engine optimization (SEO).  Since we are always looking for new and efficient ways to create content that engages and resonates with our audience, this is where AI tools like ChatGPT comes in.

If you are not familiar with using AI tools, in this blog we will show you how to use it to create your blog posts and write better content.  We will also go over the pros and cons of AI.  Let’s get started!

5 Steps to Getting Started with AI for Blog Posts

1. What is AI? what is chatgpt?

Before you ask an AI tool to write a blog for you, you might want to know a little about it.  AI is artificial intelligence and ChatGPT stands for Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer.  It’s a chat language-based module from Open AI that launched in November 2022.  ChatGPT is the AI tool we will focus on for content writing, however, there are several others- Jasper, Copy.ai, Google Gemini.  In addition, most are available as plug-ins for your WordPress website, or through a mobile app!

A core feature of AI writing tools is to mimic human conversation.  Yet AI can also be used for so many other business applications:

• Writing computer programs
• Creating a business plan
• Draw up a pros and cons list
• Write essays, resumes or cover letters
• Create social media posts (with hashtags and emojis included!)
• Help you plan your next vacation!

2. Choose Your AI Blog Post Topic

Before getting started with AI for blog posts, you’ll need to decide what topic you want to write or have an AI tool like ChatGPT write about.  In addition, you can use ChatGPT to create short-form content, like social posts.  We’ve written about how to do this in our last blog!

If you’re just getting started with blog writing, this blog will help you dial in the particulars.  However, once you’ve identified the topic you want to create content about, below we walk you through how to use an AI tool like ChatGPT!

3. Access ChatGPT

To access ChatGPT, we recommend using OpenAI.  You will not need to pay to access Open AI’s ChatGPT, but you will need to create an account and provide your email address.

4. Create Your ChatGPT Prompt

The next step is to create a prompt for ChatGPT.  A prompt is a sentence or phrase that gives ChatGPT context for the content you want to generate.  Therefore, try a long-form question and write out how you would like to see the response.  Keep in mind, this is not Google Search.

Example: If you’re creating a blog post about the best winter vacation spots, your prompt could be “Write a 1,000-word blog about the best winter vacations, listing the Top 10 spots, and include details like how to get there, where to stay, what to see and do, and list books or websites where you can learn more about each destination.”

Include specific parameters in your prompt, or define things such as:

• Length of the response (number of words or characters)
• Style and tone
• Ask for an opinion or advice
• Ask a question
• Compare and contrast two items
• Solve a problem
• Ask ChatGPT to mention keywords or keyphrases throughout the blog

Example: Here’s another option to try “Create an 800-word blog post that advertises the products and services offered on my website to drive back to the website.”  Include the link you want to be referenced.

5. Review and Edit Your AI Blog Post

While ChatGPT is great at generating content, it’s not perfect.  Expect to do some editing to ensure that the blog content is accurate and relevant to your audience.

Once ChatGPT has generated a blog for you, transfer it to a Word doc or Google doc and then take some time to review and edit it.  You may need to revise your prompts several times to get the responses you want or expect.  In an AI tool like ChatGPT, you can click ‘regenerate response’ if you’d like to see a new reply. 

Pros and Cons of Using AI for Blog Posts

Pros of using AI for Blogging:

Saves You Time and Takes Very Little Effort

One of the biggest advantages of using AI for blog posts is that it saves time and effort.  With an AI tool like ChatGPT, you can generate high-quality content in a matter of seconds, rather than spending hours brainstorming and writing blog posts from scratch!

Increases Your Productivity

AI tools can increase your productivity by allowing you to create multiple blog posts quickly and easily.  This means you can focus on other important tasks, such as creating email campaigns or attending events and conferences!

Provides You with New Ideas

AI tools like ChatGPT can provide you with new ideas for your blog content.  New ways to talk about your products and services.  This is especially helpful if you find it hard to self-promote!  By testing out different prompts, you can generate a wide range of content that’s tailored to your audience and goals for the blog.

Improves Engagement

When you use AI for blog writing, it can improve engagement by creating more compelling and relevant content.  When your audience reads a blog post that is interesting and relevant to them, they’re more likely to engage with your brand and share your content with others!