Communications practitioners across the globe are increasingly looking at how AI can be integrated into their work streams, from the use of ChatGPT for copywriting support to technology that can boost social media engagement.

In this contributed article, Syed Mohammed Idid, General Manager, Strategic Communications & Stakeholder Engagement at the West Coast Expressway shares his tips for PR and communications professionals who are looking to utilise AI in their work

Generating Social Media Content:

• Be clear and specific in your prompts to ChatGPT when seeking content ideas or writing engaging posts for social media platforms.
• Provide context about the target audience, the social media platform, and the brand's voice and tone to get responses that align better with your communication goals.
• Use complete sentences when asking questions to avoid misinterpretation and to ensure the model understands your intent clearly.
• Ask one question at a time when brainstorming content ideas to receive focused and relevant responses.
• Experiment with phrasing to explore various creative angles and perspectives for your social media content.
• Specify the format you want the content in, such as short and catchy captions or informative bullet points.

Crafting Press Articles:

• Clearly state the purpose of the press article and the key message you want to convey in your prompt.
• Provide relevant background information about the topic and the target audience to help ChatGPT generate insightful content.
• Use pronouns and references when discussing specific aspects or previous sections of the article to maintain coherence.
• Ask one question at a time when seeking detailed information for different sections of the press article.
• Experiment with the length and format of the responses to see what works best for different sections of the article.
• Use system messages to guide ChatGPT to provide responses in a manner appropriate for a press article, maintaining a formal and informative tone.

Enhancing Engagement and Tone:

• Encourage the use of polite and respectful language by incorporating these aspects into your prompts.
• Experiment with different prompts and responses to ensure that the tone aligns with your brand's personality and communication style.
• Use system messages to set the tone and style expectations for ChatGPT, guiding it to produce responses that resonate with your brand identity.

Iterate and Refine:

• Treat the process of writing prompts as iterative; if the initial response doesn't meet your requirements, revise and rephrase your prompt until you achieve the desired output.
• Review the responses carefully to ensure they align with your communication goals and are free from any potential biases or inaccuracies.
• Continuously learn from the AI-generated content and iterate on the prompts to improve the model's understanding of your brand's preferences and communication needs.
• By incorporating these tips into your interactions with ChatGPT, you can harness the power of AI to create more effective and engaging social media content and press articles. As AI language models continuously improve, staying open to experimentation and adaptation will be essential to leverage their full potential for PR and communications endeavours.