How to write the best AI prompts

According to Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 78% of not-profit and grassroots organisations use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in some capacity – the main reasons being to work more efficiently and to cut down on costs.

 

But the key to getting the best out of AI tools is to write effective prompts. A prompt is the information and instructions you give to ChatGPT, Midjourney, or other AI tool, to get a response. 

 

And a word of warning, while generative AI can be helpful, always carefully review and edit any AI-generated output. Take a look at our ‘How to use AI responsibly’ checklist.

 

 

Think before you prompt!

 

Before launching in, think about what you actually want the AI to do. Generate ideas? Summarise a document? Rephrase some stodgy copy? As with any briefing, be clear about your intention before you start.

 

 

Whose viewpoint do you want to write from?

 

If you’re asking AI to create some copy, include whose viewpoint you want it to be written from. For example, if you’re drafting some FAQs for your website, you might want to say: “Please take the role of a friendly, helpful professional”.

 

 

Who is your audience?

 

Similarly, describe who your audience is. If you’re reshaping some formal copy for service users, include detailed information about who they are (for example, “young people aged between ten and fifteen, who care for a family member”).

 

 

Be comprehensive and give detail

 

Including clear, detailed information is the key to any good brief. Be specific about the format, as well as the content you need included. Instead of asking for a blog, ask for “an eight-paragraph blog of around 700 words in total”.

 

 

Take it step by step

 

If you’re asking AI to create a more involved output, then it can be helpful to break it down into chunks. For example, instead of asking AI to write an article from the word go, first ask what it thinks are the five most important topics within the subject to cover.

 

 

Provide examples of style, with care

 

Tone is as important as content, and you’ll want to outline your tone in the prompt (for example, “friendly but professional”, or “write in the tone you would to a colleague”). Another way is to include an example. If there’s an email subject line that’s had a particularly high open rate, you could include that in the prompt. Be careful not to upload any examples that include confidential, sensitive, or financial information.

 

 

Use adjectives when creating images

 

Using AI to create images raises ethical issues for charities. If you do decide to use it, include adverbs and adjectives to create images with the tone you’re after. Providing an example image of the style and palette you’re looking for will also help to create an image that hits your brief. Again, be aware of confidentiality and choose images that you upload with care.

 

 

Try the Charity Excellence Framework prompts

 

Take a look at the Charity Excellence Framework ChatGPT prompts and training. They’ve put together a list of 60 ChatGPT prompts for charities and non-profits, that you can edit to fit what you need. For example:

“Make a list of 10 different subject lines for a UK charity  on the subject of  that will particularly appeal to  and encourage them to . Keep the subject line to under 50 characters. The tone should be .”

 

 

Ask for a second (and third) draft

 

It’s unlikely you’ll get what you need on the first try. When you have your first output, you’ll want to refine it. Use follow-up prompts to reshape what you’ve been given. You might want to add in a specific reference or give a stronger definition of your audience. 

 

 

Experiment with your prompts

 

Play around with your prompts and get curious about what gives the best results for you. Keep note of what works and what doesn’t and start compiling a list of prompts that you can use repeatedly.

 

 

Include the human touch

 

AI is a work in progress, and there are lots of concerns around its use – particularly for charities, who rely on the public’s trust. You can read more about generative AI and issues around misinformation, plagiarism and quality.

 

Always thoroughly check any outputs that have been created using AI – for fact, bias, and importantly for tone. Good quality charity comms relies on emotional connection between one human and another – something AI has yet to grasp. So review, edit, and finetune AI-created content, using your ever-precious human experience.