It’s funny how quickly we can get frustrated at something that didn’t exist just a short time ago, something that, like magic, saves us so much time and brainpower.

But like any other tool, you have to know how to use ChatGPT properly for it to be effective — knowing how to create prompts that generate the content you’re looking for is a skill of its own.

Crafting an effective prompt for ChatGPT is a bit like striking up a conversation with a child. It involves being clear and specific, and understanding exactly what you're hoping to get from the interaction. And you can’t bribe it with candy.

The integration of AI tools in schools, such as ChatGPT, can certainly enhance your work efforts, but remember, they’re there to assist and empower, not to replace the human touch — that’s an essential component.

Leveraging AI can significantly enrich the brainstorming process, but it’s your expertise, creativity, and insight that will ultimately connect your content with your audience. You're guiding an advanced AI language model to provide the information or response you need, and it doesn't happen by accident.

Let’s review how to create a prompt for ChatGPT for your school.

How to Write Chatgpt Prompts | Best Practices

Before you fire all your interns and fully integrate ChatGPT and AI into your school’s communication plans, it's essential to understand a few things...

1. Know your audience

First, define the quality and depth of content that aligns with your audience. From your school’s weekly newsletter and blogs to emails and social media posts, effective communication has always been about understanding your audience’s interests, concerns, and aspirations. In order to create effective prompts, put yourself in your audience's shoes.

2. Don’t forget about your school’s brand

Remember, you're the keeper of your school’s brand — AI is there to empower, not replace your voice. Rather than using it for complete creation, think of it as a tool for execution, not your strategy. Now that everyone has access to these tools, there will be a wave of mediocrity headed toward the web. It’s now up to you to let your voice shine.

3. Don’t expect it to do all the work for you

Don’t expect AI to do 100% of the work — instead, use it to assist with the brainstorming and then, apply your own expertise, creativity, and insight to help it cross the finish line.

Leverage it to spot your blind spots. The prompts process is crucial: craft, fine-tune, and perfect them. Prioritize the tasks you want to control and remember, the process still needs a human touch.

Keep Reading: AI for Schools: Time-Saving Tips for District Communications

4. Confirm and review

Lastly, always cross-check AI-generated content with a content expert, like a division head or administrator. Also, be sure to run it through many of the plagiarism detectors out there on the web, and always, always, always proofread for grammar and mechanics. ChatGPT loves to “hallucinate” and produce bad information.

Keep Reading: How AI is Shaping the Future of School Marketing

Now, let’s get into how to nail those prompts!

How to Write Good Chatgpt Prompts for Your School Marketing Strategy

1. Be clear and specific

Your prompt must be clear and concise. You should provide enough context and details to make it easier for the AI to understand your query and the specific response you're seeking. Imagine you're asking a friend a question – the more information you provide, the more accurately they can answer.

Example: Instead of asking, "What's a charter school?" a better approach would be "Provide a brief history of charter schools, focusing on how charter schools are using funds to tackle learning loss. Explain it in simple terms and write it in a list."

2. Use keywords

Including relevant keywords in your prompt is a powerful strategy to guide ChatGPT in generating a response on your intended topic. Keywords act like a road map, directing the AI to better comprehend your query and return accurate information.

Example: When you’re asking questions about open house planning, using keywords like “inquiry,” “campus tour,” “ families,” or “schedule,” can help provide a more focused and useful answer.

3. Set the format

If you’re looking for a specific format for the response, like a list, bullet points, voice-over, or a step-by-step guide, indicate that explicitly in your prompt. It provides an additional guiding principle for the AI system.

Example: "Create a list of the steps for adopting a net tuition revenue model for a blog post" will likely yield a well-structured list-style answer.

4. Ask for details

When you need a detailed response, explicitly ask the AI to elaborate or provide examples. This instruction encourages the model to generate a more comprehensive answer.

Example: If you didn’t get enough detail in the net tuition example above, you might say, "Elaborate in detail on the steps of adopting a net tuition revenue model for your school, providing examples where possible."

5. Control the response length

You can have a good degree of control over the length of the response by guiding the AI with specific phrases.

Example: For shorter answers, phrases like "in a nutshell" or "briefly explain" work well. Conversely, for more detailed responses, use phrases such as "in detail" or "provide a comprehensive explanation."

Pro Tip: This is also a great strategy for brainstorming content with character limits, like social media posts, subject lines for emails, and news story headlines.

6. Address potential biases

Artificial Intelligence models, like ChatGPT, can sometimes generate biased responses. If you're concerned about potential biases, you can include instructions in your prompt to ensure neutrality or balance.

Example: "Provide a balanced overview of the advantages and drawbacks of attending a private school."

7. Test, experiment, and iterate

Crafting the perfect prompt is often trial and error. Don’t forget the importance of reviewing, and refining to find the perfect balance. Try different phrasings, approaches, or even tones to get what you’re looking for. The more you interact with ChatGPT, the better you'll become at creating effective prompts.

8. Chain your prompts

ChatGPT can use information from previous interactions to inform its responses. If you need the AI to recall specific information from a previous response, use the chaining technique and incorporate the previous responses into your new prompt. If chaining isn't working, start a new chat, and try going back up top to edit your initial prompt to include more detail and different parameters.

9. Set a creative tone

ChatGPT isn't just for dry, boring background information — it's also an excellent tool for generating creative, wacky, out-of-the-box content. If you want the AI to produce imaginative responses, use prompts that encourage it to think outside the box or provide creative solutions.

Example: A prompt like "Suggest 5 exciting and interesting options for a short, but descriptive name for a new school district podcast branded around “X” theme. Make the title creative enough that students will want to listen.”

Key Takeaway

If the end goal is to have AI assist you in the brainstorming of new ideas, concepts, and processes, the journey starts with a well-crafted prompt. Successful school marketing and branding are not about using AI to do all the work for you; it's about harnessing the power of AI and combining it with a human touch — your touch.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.