How to Get the Best Out of ChatGPT as a Writer - Advice from Zainab Akram

How to Get the Best Out of ChatGPT as a Writer - Advice from Zainab Akram

How can you use AI without losing your own voice? Zainab Akram’s Tips for Writers will show you how to create great content by mixing AI with your own creativity.

By following these simple tips, you can make your writing better and more original. Start using AI like a human, and you won’t have to worry about Google or anyone else penalizing your content.

So, let’s get started!

The Very First Point

First, make sure you have this thought firmly in your mind—-No tool can ever truly compete with the human mind and its capabilities.

So, guys as a writer, it’s essential to first grasp and learn the basics of content writing.

Start with the Basics

Begin by learning the basics of content writing. YouTube has countless free resources. Find a playlist with good reviews and learn from it.

Once you understand the basics, you can move on to practical experience.

Gain Practical Experience

Look for an internship as a writer, even if it’s unpaid.

Focus on writing manually, without the help of any tools. This is crucial for improving your writing skills. Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes at this stage—you’re here to learn.

After completing these steps, you can start calling yourself a skilled writer—but only if you’ve gone through the process I’ve outlined above.

Now, with AI dominating every field, how can you, as a writer, use it effectively?

Let’s discuss that.

Use ChatGPT to Enhance Your Writing

After gaining some experience, it's time to use AI tools like ChatGPT to improve your writing.

Whenever you start writing, you first need to create a content structure. ChatGPT can help you generate this outline.

Creating a Content Structure with ChatGPT

Start by searching for your keyword on Google. Look at the top-ranking sites and study their headings to see what points they cover.

Then, prompt ChatGPT: "This is my primary keyword [insert keyword]. I need a blog post outline covering this keyword from every angle. Please provide a detailed structure with clear and concise headings."

ChatGPT will generate a blog post structure for you. But don’t just copy and paste it. Compare the AI-generated structure with the headings from your competitors, and then create your own unique structure by combining the best of both worlds.

Writing Content for Each Heading

Start with the opening paragraph. Again, look at how your competitors are crafting their opening and hook paragraphs. Then, think about how you would introduce this keyword.

Write a simple paragraph in your own words, even if it’s in broken English, and feed it to ChatGPT with this prompt: “Here’s my opening paragraph idea. Please generate three variants of this paragraph, using simple English and targeting the keyword (Insert your Primary Keyword).”

AI will give you three options. Choose the one that feels best to you.

Now, how do you make the AI-generated content feel more human?

AI often doesn’t use phrases like “my dear readers,” “my friends,” “guys,” or “my champs.” Simply add these types of phrases in your opening paragraph, and it will instantly feel more human-written.

Use the same process for generating content for every other heading.

But be sure to include a personal recommendation at the beginning or end of each section. This human touch will make your content more engaging. For example, start a section with, “In this section, we will cover…,” or end it with, “The next part will dive into….”

This blend of AI and human input creates content that’s both effective and unique.

Proofreading

Once your content is written, the next step is proofreading. If you don’t have a paid Grammarly account, there’s no need to worry!

Select all your content, paste it into ChatGPT, and prompt: "Proofread my content and highlight all the mistakes according to each heading." ChatGPT can often outperform Grammarly’s paid version.

Optimizing for SEO

Now that your content is written and proofread, the next major step—which many writers forget—is to optimize it for SEO and set the right tone for your audience.

In your opening paragraph, you targeted your primary keyword. Make sure to include your primary keyword at least two to three more times throughout the content:

Once in the opening paragraph.

Once in a heading or FAQ.

Once in the conclusion.

When giving ChatGPT the prompt for the conclusion, remember to mention: “Target the primary keyword once in the conclusion.”

Final Check

After all this, read your article yourself. If you can understand it easily, so will your readers. If you find it difficult to read or understand, then it’s likely you’ve created subpar content.

If there are any words or sentences that could be made easier to read, copy the content and give ChatGPT this prompt: “While maintaining the length, make the vocabulary of this content easier to read and digest.”

Avoiding Plagiarism

One last thing: Google doesn’t have a problem with AI-generated content, but it does have a big issue with copy-pasted content.

To ensure your content is unique, invest in the “Turnitin” software or use Grammarly’s plagiarism checker.

Run your content through one of these tools, and if any plagiarism is detected, use ChatGPT to paraphrase those sentences with this prompt: “Paraphrase this content and generate five unique variants.”

Choose the version that appears most unique.

Wrap Up

Based on my hands-on experience with ChatGPT and other top AI writers like Jasper, I can say that each tool has its own strengths.

However, ChatGPT offers special features that are not available with other AI bots or Google's AI services. This blog post provides an overview of how you can use AI to generate great content for your site.

But don’t stop there—use ChatGPT in your daily routine to get even more benefits.

Simply use your own ideas and command ChatGPT in the language you’re comfortable with to make the most out of it.