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!

Cons of Using AI for Blog Posts:

AI Blog posts May Lack Originality

One potential drawback of using an AI tool like ChatGPT to create your blogs is that the content may lack your style, voice, and not seem authentic.  Since ChatGPT is using pre-existing data to create your blog posts, you risk creating content that reads like other bloggers in your space.  

AI tools Requires Editing

Another potential issue that we mentioned earlier is when you use an AI tool like ChatGPT for blogging is that the content will require editing.  ChatGPT is great at generating content.  However, you need to be prepared to make edits and fact-check before posting your blog to ensure it’s accurate and sounds like you wrote it!

Content created is not your own

Content created by AI tools could be very similar or identical to content someone else has created using the same AI tool.  Especially if they are using the same exact prompts you do.  This is often why we ask ChatGPT to generate a few different responses and can then pull the blog together in our own style.

Need More Help with AI for Blog Posts?

AI tools like ChatGPT could be your new secret weapon when it comes to creating all types of content- a marketing strategy, a new business plan, a tagline for your new winter collection!

If you need more help with blog writing or how to use your website to generate leads, let’s chat!  If not, here are a few blogs that can help you DIY:

• How to Get Started Blog Writing
• How to Use Your Website to Generate Leads
• How to Use ChatGPT to Create Social Posts

Thanks for reading and happy blogging!

Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media

generate better leads and grow your business

Want to learn how to use your website to generate better leads and grow your small business or non-profit?  Well, when we begin these projects with each client, we ask them to think about what a “lead” means for their company and how they plan to capture them.

A lead for us is an email address, but for some, it’s a phone call, a contact form completion or a follow on social media.  Be clear on what a lead means to you and your marketing team before you move on to the next step!

How to Spot a Good Lead: The Elusive Mountain Pika

A good lead is like the elusive mountain pika.  Rarely seen in the wild, this creature roams quietly through the rocky talus fields, making itself known only when in need of sustenance or to sound the alarm before diving back into its burrow.

When it finds a spot in the sun, the mountain pika may linger, basking in the glory of its warmth.  When spotted by the curious hiker, cameras and phones come flying out in the hopes of capturing this recluse of the wilderness.

Similarly, when we spot a good lead, we clamor for its attention.  We immediately email, call, InMail or the brave few may show up on their doorstep.  We are not providing the lead with any education or nourishment, we just want to sell, sell, sell.

And just like the shy mountain pika when it feels under attack, the lead disappears back into the wilds of the interwebs.

how do you capture a good lead?

Now that you’ve defined what a good lead is for your brand, how do you capture it?  And once you have it, where do you keep it?  This elusive mountain pika needs food and water, so be strategic with your planning of lead capture and lead nourishment.  Let’s set up your lead capture strategy first.  

Ways to capture a lead for your outdoor or lifestyle brand:  

There are a number of ways to capture a lead, but here’s the most common ways we capture an email address for our clients:

• contact form submission
• event activation
• download of gated content
• website footer – newsletter sign-up box
• landing pages

Where to store your leads

Having a good CRM or Customer Relationship Management system in place allows you to not only store leads, but also track additional information.  This might include how the lead came in and when, what their social handles are, and when your last contact was. 

We use Monday.com or Insightly at Top Rope Media, but have also worked with Blackbaud, SalesForce, Memberleap and Hubspot.  If your organization has a membership component, you seek financial contributions and membership dues, then having a CRM in place is crucial. 

Pro tip: Be wary of the ‘all-in-one’ solutions. 

Many companies will promise their CRM can not only help you track leads, but also manage accounting, do email marketing, social media planning, etc.  After 20 years of working in marketing and fundraising, we’ve learned there is no out-of-the-box solution that will do everything well.  Most larger brands and organizations will require some CRM customization.

If you need help selecting a CRM, or using a tool like Zapier to connect your CRM to say your email marketing platform, send up a smoke signal.  We offer consulting services to help get you moving quickly. 

Generate Better Leads by Producing Better website Content

Several of our clients have asked for a new website design, or major a refresh of their current site.  Why?  They want something more visually appealing, easier to navigate, and easier to help them generate better leads. 

Curious as to one of the primary ways we generate better leads at Top Rope Media?  We create better content.  Where does that content live?  On our website.

We should all be long past the days of buying lists and followers.  And yes, we certainly recommend paid advertising for many of our clients to help generate brand awareness and revenue.  However, we find the best leads come from the playing the long game and creating good content. 

Again, where should that content live?  On your website.

What types of content should you create

Now that you’re onboard with writing good content to help you generate more well-qualified leads, what type of content should you create?  Well these days content comes in many forms.  Video still rank as one the most-consumed pieces of content.  Accordingly to Wyzowl, 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

If you’re new to video, we’ll tackle how to get started in an upcoming post.  For now, let’s talk about what other types of good content you should be creating to generate better leads:

• Case studies
• Infographics
• Blog posts
• Videos or Vlogs (upload to YouTube or Vimeo, and embed the link on your website!)
• Checklists or resource guides
• Comparisons, rankings or reviews
• How-to or explainer videos
• Articles for trade publications, or local/national news outlets
• Press releases
• Podcasts
• White papers or eBooks

How Good Content Can Improve Your SEO

Now that you’ve learned what types of good content you can produce, don’t let your content stream dry up!  By building a library of evergreen content for your readers or viewers, and having it live on your website, you can easily link to these pieces throughout the year. 

All this good content will also help you create better search engine optimization (SEO).  Not quite sure what SEO is?  Read more about it in our Website Design and SEO blog post.  So instead of paying an agency to manage your SEO, save your money and start by writing good content!

content marketing: What to write about or record on a video

What types of content should you produce and write about?  The first step should be to start a list with the top questions you are asked about your product, service or organization. 

For example, if you create a list of the 24 questions people most frequently ask you about your service or product, then an honest and thoughtful answer to each of those questions could be your first 24 blog posts or videos!

Create authentic content that focuses on your audience’s needs and addresses their pain points.  As an example, one of the most frequently asked questions we receive is a form of “What will this cost?”  So instead of hiding that from potential clients until they receive our proposal, we address it on our Services page.

Tools to Help You Write or record Good Content

Where else can you find what written or video content your audience needs and wants and therefore generate better leads?  Through your website or Google Analytics, look at the pages with the most views (besides your homepage) along with the pages people spend the most time on. 

Need help finding more keyword phrases to include in your content?  By using the tools listed below you can create a good list of keywords or keyword phrases that are often searched for in relation to your product or service: 

• Keywords Everywhere
• SEMRush
• Buzz Sumo
• Google Search Console
• Google Keyword Planner

More Tips for Writing or recording Good Content

Be consistent and stay on brand.  As an example, most people come to our website for two separate content tracks: adventure travel and marketing.  Although we personally have an interest in what the Utah snow forecast looks like for this week, or the latest puffy jacket to hit the market, we do not write about it in our blog.

We generate better leads by staying consistent with the content we produce.  So, stay focused on offering solutions to your audience’s most frequently asked or searched questions.

content creation vs. content distribution

So now you know what types of content you can produce to generate better leads. In addition, you learned what to write about or record in those pieces of content.  What’s the next step?  Distributing that content. 

Since you cannot expect people to stumble upon your great content simply through search alone, help them find it through content distribution.  That great blog you just wrote, or that video you just recorded for YouTube (which is embedded on your website) can be shared in a number of different ways. 

Here’s a few distribution channels we use:

• Email: via an email marketing platform like Mailchimp
• Social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn)
• Paid advertising
• Online forums
• Networking groups  

How do we keep track of the content we’re distributing?  We create a content calendar to stay organized and use publishing tools like Hootsuite to track when, where and what we’re sharing.  Examples of other tools you can use to organize your content: 

• Excel, Google Sheets, Buffer, Post Planner, Hubspot

Need Content Production and Distribution Help?

Need help getting started generating better leads, or want us to create and manage your content production and distribution?  If so, read more about our Services and Pricing to see if we’re a good fit for you.  Have a quick question for us?  Send up a smoke signal or leave us a comment below.

Lastly, if you’re seeking more tips on digital marketing, check out these posts:

• 7 Steps to Crafting Your Perfect Email Strategy
• Website Design and SEO for the Outdoor Industry
• 8 Steps to Kickstart Your Online Advertising with Facebook and Instagram

To learn more about what we do on the regular, follow Top Rope Media’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Until next time, happy content writing!

Meredith