What is prompt engineering, and why every copywriter should learn it

 

We all know that very specific ick we get when a bad brief hits our inbox.

That’s what AI tools like ChatGPT, Clade, and Gemini must feel when they get a poor prompt.

 

The ability to communicate effectively is a skill that will get anyone far, but it’s especially critical as the AI revolution inches closer. Whether it’s reactive content or having to churn out content through a creative block, knowing how to get exactly what you want from an AI tool is worth its weight in gold (or crypto, perhaps).

 

As more businesses weigh the cost benefits of AI over human talent, knowing how to work with AI can keep it from taking over your role.

This is where prompt engineering comes in. And it’s a bit more of an art than just pouring your stream of consciousness into ChatGPT, and hoping for the best.

 

Let’s start with what “prompt engineering” means

 

Prompt engineering is the art of drafting effective inputs – these are your “prompts.” You have the world’s smartest system (besides the human brain and nature) at your fingertips. But the results you get will only be as good as the prompts you put in.

 

And if you’ve ever torn your hair out over mediocre ChatGPT results, it’s down to two things – the quality and depth of your prompt, and the fact that ChatGPT is an extremely literal thinker. That’s why you have to spell everything out for it.

 

Prompt engineering involves:

– Choosing the right tone, style, and structure

– Providing clear instructions, examples, or constraints

– Iterating and refining until the output matches your brief

 

It sounds simple on the surface, but it’s the difference between something vague like “Write a short product description about this perfume” and “Write a punchy 100-word product description for a luxury perfume targeting affluent Gen-Z consumers”.

 

Still not getting the results you want? Try thinking laterally and invite your AI tool to do the same. Sometimes, the richest ideas come from playful exploration.

 

Why prompt engineering is the evolution of copywriting

 

For decades, great copywriting has been about understanding human psychology, choosing words with intention, and driving action. None of this has changed. What has changed, however, is how these skills are applied. With generative AI, copywriters are now the creative bridge between human and machine. And that’s exciting!

 

Copywriters who embrace AI collaboration have loads of perks to look forward to – saving time by generating high-quality drafts faster, brainstorming support (although from personal experience, AI still has a long way to go here), scaled up content creation, quick refinements of tone and language.

 

While it can be tempting to go ahead with the first (or third) draft your AI tool gives you, this is only half the work. With millions of AI users around the world, what keeps your content from sounding like everyone else’s? Your creative touch.

 

Now that AI has done the legwork for you, it’s time to put a personal spin on it. Copywriting can try to mimic the legendary styles of Ogilvy and Sugarman, but this is what you’d expect a machine to do. It’s not a brilliant copywriter, you are.

 

So transform the bones of your AI draft into something with the power to evoke real emotion and drive real action by reworking, or editing, your AI-generated draft.

 

At SOCIATE, we work closely with people and still use AI lightly. When we do use AI, it’s always ethical.

So if you have a deadline looming and your AI tool just isn’t getting the brief, get in touch at [email protected] for copywriting and content writing support.