Garbage in. Garbage out.

It’s true for almost everything in life. Your diet, business, and personal life, and now for everyone’s new favourite internet tool: ChatGPT.

For many, when they first launch the page, it’s just a blank page with a blinking cursor. You need to know how to use it correctly to get the desired results. Personally—I’ve been using it extensively. At first, I was getting just ok results. 

Then it hit me.

Treat it like the intern who just graduated high school with no experience but is good at taking direction. Don’t treat it like an expert. Give it the constraints and information it needs to do well.

Your prompts shouldn’t be one or two sentences; they should be lengthy and detailed (the longer, the better.)

Every prompt should include who the audience is. The audience you’re telling it should be more than “people in Saskatoon.” 

Give clear, specific instructions

Go more in-depth. For example: “Audience: People who own a home in Saskatoon and are running out of room due to a growing family. They need a bigger home with more bedrooms and a bigger yard. They don’t know where to start because the process of moving is overwhelming to them.” 

Then tell it the tone to write in. You can get really detailed and ask it to write in the voice of specific people, or what has worked well for me is saying, “Tone: Professional yet friendly.” 

You can go more in-depth and have fun with it. It doesn’t always work, but for example, I’ve had decent results saying, “Tone: Write in the tone of a hybrid of Ryan Reynolds and Ted Lasso.”

For this post, I asked what a Ryan Reynolds-Ted Lasso hybrid would say about writing good ChatGPT prompts, and it said:

“Well, look at you! Writing good prompts is a lot like being a good teammate, isn’t it? You gotta keep it clear and concise, like passing the ball to a teammate who’s open for the shot. You don’t wanna confuse anyone with long-winded sentences, just like you don’t wanna pass the ball to someone who’s double-covered. Keep it simple, my friend, and we’ll score some goals together!” 

Give ChatGPT examples

You can take it a step further. Feed it content you really like already. Do you have an example of 50 to 200 words you already love? Paste it, and write your prompt saying, “Analyze the content here and write in a similar tone and style.” 

Give ChatGPT a persona, too. I’ll tell it who to act as. If I’m writing a direct response ad, I’ll say, “Act as the world’s best direct response copywriter,” but for another, I’ll say, “Act as a project manager.” 

Who would put out the best content on the topic I’m having it help with? Tell it to act like them.

Then finish it by giving ChatGPT the specific task. I will write, “Task: Do X in Y format.” Your prompt should read like a full brief. If you don’t know what goes into a brief, ask ChatGPT to create one for you.

Want to see it in action? Here’s how I’d write a prompt for a home evaluation ad:

Audience: Homeowners in Brandon, Manitoba, who are thinking of selling their homes; they aren’t sure what their home is worth, but to figure out what type of home they can afford, they need to know what it would actually sell for. The uncertainty is hard.

Context: This ad is going to be placed on Facebook. Once they opt in and leave their contact information, we’ll ask them a couple of questions about their home and produce a home value report that will tell them what it would sell for if they were to list it for sale today. 

Tone: Professional but friendly.

Task:

1. Act as the world’s foremost expert on direct response copywriting.
2. Write a Facebook ad using the AIDA copywriting formula for a home value report for homeowners in Brandon, Manitoba.
3. Include both the headline and body copy for the Facebook ad. 

Here’s what it spat out in 5 seconds:

Headline: Get a Free Home Value Report Today and Sell Your Home with Confidence

Body: Are you a homeowner in Brandon, Manitoba, thinking about selling your home but unsure of its value? Don’t let the uncertainty hold you back any longer! Our team of experts can provide you with a FREE home value report that will tell you exactly what your home would sell for if you were to list it for sale today.

With our home value report, you’ll have the confidence to make informed decisions about your home and what type of home you can afford next. Simply opt in and leave your contact information, and we’ll ask you a couple of questions about your home to produce a comprehensive report tailored to your unique property.

Our professional and friendly team is here to help you every step of the way, from determining your home’s value to getting it ready for the market. Don’t wait any longer to sell your home with confidence. Get your free home value report today!

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.