4 Ways to Use ChatGPT In Thought Leadership (& Only One Is About Saving Time)
Want to be a writer shaping the future of business, but need a shortcut?
Well, sorry. You’re out of luck.
Writing quality thought leadership takes time. Brainstorming, researching, outlining, drafting, revising, and publishing—these tried and tested best practices ensure content is read.
Successful executives with the best insights usually have the least amount of time available to turn their great ideas into compelling content. Fortunately, for anyone looking to build a publishing legacy today, they have two modern advantages:
One: They can hire a company like KNG Services.
Two: They can leverage ChatGPT to do more, better—work faster, review more iterations, generate bigger brainstorms, or refine content to a more elevated state. Take it from someone who has written over 1000 articles on thought leadership, here are four ways ChatGPT can help:
First, let’s make one thing clear
ChatGPT alone does not produce quality writing. No matter how perfect the prompt, its direct output is no more than a superficial overview of everything average—the most generic and unoriginal content imaginable and unlikely to result in engagement.
Knowing what ChatGPT can’t do is the first step in the right direction. What it can do is remove the obstacle of a blank page. From this launching point, start thinking, fixing, adding, tweaking, and moving around until you have a completely unique argument presented in a new way. That’s what readers are looking for!
Next, turn ChatGPT into quality thought leadership
ChatGPT can produce thought leadership content, but it usually takes strong writing skills to edit it into something readable and engaging. Even for those who don’t consider themselves strong writers, ChatGPT can still help to:
Write faster: For me, this is easier said than done. The more specific the prompt, the more reliable the output. But getting specific means prompts can be longer than my final content. Even still, by speeding up everything else on this list, ChatGPT ultimately speeds up my production of better writing.
Write and rewrite: Review more iterations of an idea in less time. One challenge in content marketing is repeating the same message a million ways—tools like ChatGPT make it easier to invent new variations. Even if I only need one version, reviewing more options allows me to create a more precise final result.
Brainstorm: Find an interesting subject, ask about current controversies, and form a unique opinion. Then, ask for ways to present that opinion as a main idea and a list of potential avenues of support. With these building blocks, I can ask for a rough first draft.
Refine: Take your ChatGPT-generated rough first draft and expect to change every word. Cut the fluff and anything that doesn’t contribute to reader comprehension. Too generic? Beef up specificity. Add your spin. Provide anecdotes and examples. Stuck on how to improve a specific section? Ask ChatGPT for ideas.
For example…
Here are two example prompts I used to build an article. Once I knew my main idea and support, I prompted it for a brainstorming draft:
“Write a 700-word article on women by women entrepreneurs. Start with a description of myself and my co-founder, both women, and how our experiences led us to careers amplifying women leadership voices. In section one, describe the history of women writers and the disadvantages they still face in publishing. Then, highlight impactful women thought leaders in history and their contributions to business and society. The final section should emphasize the timeliness of women’s role in business conversations: the internet making it easier than ever to publish and the leadership shift from an ‘old boys club’ toward greater empathy.”
Next, I attempted to change everything, refining with prompts, like:
“Give me two examples of personal and legal barriers that prevented women from shaping public influence.”
“When did Ivy League universities start admitting women?”
“Who is the most famous woman in history to write under a male pseudonym?”
““Name 3 studies linking women and empathy that will support my main idea.”
The results? You be the judge. Go read “Wanted: Women-Owned Business Seeks Women Thought Leaders to Even Out the Digital Playing Field.” These example prompts helped me build that article.
For other articles, like this one, I use no ChatGPT. The inspiration just flows. But to produce consistently compelling content across a blog, website, business and personal branding, and client campaigns, inspiration is an unreliable fuel and easily exhausted.
While executives may have the experience to build an impressive writing portfolio, even with the help of ChatGPT, they may not have the time to do it. Let’s talk—KNG Services can help even the busiest executive leave behind a thought leadership legacy.
