Top tips for using ChatGPT for social media success

You’ve probably heard all about AI and ChatGPT. “The future” is now, and professionals across many industries use these tools to work more efficiently. According to UC professor Jeffrey Shaffer, generative AI is something that students and professionals need to learn. “Students are going to graduate, work for a company and be expected to know how to use this stuff. It's going to be a tool that is ubiquitous,” Shaffer says.

For social media managers, connecting with your audience will always require a human touch. Especially for smaller teams, AI can help spark initial ideas, plan content and save time within your existing workflows.

The power of ChatGPT is all in the prompt you provide. Be as specific as possible when using the tool.

Provide context: “You are a social media manager for [insert industry]…”

Provide background on the project, brand or tone: “The target audience is [insert customer], and the brand voice should reflect [insert your brand tone/voice].”

Ask for set outputs: “Provide five options in a bulleted list,” or “Two paragraph maximum.”

Don’t be afraid to ask it to revise and explore additional results as you go.

Creating and publishing content consistently is a cornerstone of a well-performing social media account. But planning ahead takes time, and an endless list of fresh ideas for content isn’t always on the top of your mind. With ChatGPT, you can help automate this process.

Sample prompt:

1. Act as a social media manager for a tech startup in the financial services industry.
2. Brainstorm a list of content ideas for Instagram, varying in the types of media you recommend.
3. Focus on a balance of entertaining, engaging, and educational content that attracts new potential customers.

Sample results:

• Polls and quizzes related to financial literacy, industry trends, or customer preferences
• Live Q&A sessions with experts from your team answering questions from your followers
• Interactive posts encouraging followers to share their financial goals or money-saving tips
• Share success stories or case studies of how your product/service helped customers achieve their financial goals
• Share a carousel post highlighting the top podcasts, blogs, or books in your industry that your team recommends
• Infographics explaining complex financial concepts or trends in a visually appealing format
• Tutorial videos demonstrating how to use features of your product
• Financial tips of the day providing practical advice on budgeting, investing or saving
• Share a photo of your team participating in a local community event or volunteering activity, emphasizing your company’s values
• Customer testimonials from satisfied users

As a social media manager, staying up to date on the latest trends and platform changes is essential. That article you saved but know you never will have time to read? Use ChatGPT to read, condense, and recap the key takeaways from news stories or articles.

Sample prompt: Review the following news article and recap the top takeaways.

Sample results: Here are the top takeaways from the article:

• Expansion of Ecosystem: The 1819 Innovation Hub, affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, is expanding its ecosystem through strategic partnerships with startups. This indicates a commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the university community and beyond.
• Focus on Collaboration: The partnerships highlight the importance of collaboration between academia and industry. By teaming up with startups, the 1819 Innovation Hub aims to leverage diverse expertise and resources to drive innovation and address real-world challenges.

Have you hit writer’s block? Are you not feeling your most creative? ChatGPT can help get you started by giving you options and starting points for captions. It can also be helpful for repurposing your team’s own news content into social media content.

Sample prompt: Review the same news article above. Acting as a social media manager, synthesize the article into a short, attention-grabbing LinkedIn post to drive awareness and intrigue. 

Sample results: The Hub is growing! We're thrilled to announce the latest expansion at the 1819 Innovation Hub, welcoming five new startup partnerships! Find out how these partnerships are shaping the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Cincinnati region.