As a technical writer, being able to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT can greatly enhance your productivity and allow you to create higher quality content more efficiently. In this article, I’ll share my top tips for crafting effective ChatGPT prompts specifically for technical writing projects.
Define Your Objective Clearly
The key to getting good results from ChatGPT is providing a clear objective upfront. Be as specific as possible in stating what you want the AI to generate. For example:
Write a 300-word overview of the key features for a new accounting software app. Focus on 3 main benefits: automation, analytics, and collaboration. Use simple, non-technical language suitable for a small business owner audience. By clearly laying out the length, topic, key points to cover, target audience, and tone, you make it much easier for ChatGPT to produce on-target content.
Provide Background Context
Don’t assume ChatGPT will automatically understand the background needed to complete your request. Give a 1-2 sentence explanation of any key concepts, products, or services mentioned.
Nutshell is a new cloud-based accounting platform designed for small business owners. Write a 250-word blog post introducing Nutshell's invoice automation feature, explaining how it works and top benefits.Providing this quick context helps ChatGPT generate more accurate, relevant content.
Use Markdown Formatting
Apply markdown formatting in your prompts to have ChatGPT return content structured properly. This saves you cleanup work later.
For example:
### Heading
Paragraph introducing the key points of the new policy.
- First key point
- Second key point
- Third key pointChatGPT will return content formatted properly with headings, paragraphs, and lists.
Refine Through Multiple Tries
Don’t expect perfect results on the first try. Use multiple, iterative prompts to improve quality.
If the initial results are off-base, rephrase your instructions and try again. Or take the best parts of the content generated and ask ChatGPT to build on it further.
Check Accuracy
While ChatGPT produces very readable content, always double check accuracy and correctness before using. The AI may inaccurately explain technical details or concepts in some cases.
Useful Websites
ChatGPT Prompts Hub – Searchable database of prompts
PromptHero – Prompt templates and ideas
By following these best practices in crafting highly-targeted ChatGPT prompts, technical writers can save tremendous time while also using AI to improve overall content quality. It does take practice, but the payoff is immense!