Getting the most out of AI writing tools

AI writing tools are fast at first drafts and uneven at everything else. A little structure in how you use them goes a long way.

Give context up front

State the audience, the goal and the tone before you ask for text. A prompt like this works far better than "write a blog post about our product":

Audience: small business owners new to bookkeeping
Goal: explain what an invoice is in under 150 words
Tone: friendly, no jargon

Work in passes

1. Ask for an outline and fix it.
2. Draft one section at a time.
3. Edit by hand for voice and facts.
4. Run a final pass for grammar and clarity.

Keep your voice

Paste in a short sample of your own writing and ask the tool to match it. Then rewrite the opening and closing lines yourself. Readers notice those first.

Looking for a tool to try? Browse the writing category and compare a few on the same prompt.