AI Prompts for Writing: Generate High-Quality Content Easily

We could talk all day about how AI has revolutionized content creation, but the bottom line is, how can AI help you?

Surprisingly, mastering the perfect AI prompts is a bit of an art. When using AI, it can be easy to ask your questions plainly as if speaking to another person; however, there’s a bit more finesse to it than that when you’re using it for writing. We see it all the time with our self-publishers. They’ll give AI a prompt in hopes of saving time or sparking their creativity, but they end up with a robotic cold response. 

In this blog, we’ll share tips and examples of how to write effective prompts, avoid ineffective prompts, and learn actionable steps to ensure your content is sharp, relevant, and engaging.

What Are AI Writing Prompts?

Sometimes, “techy” words can muddy the water, so to put it simply, AI writing prompts are the specific instructions or questions you provide to AI writing tools to guide your content creation. These prompts allow the AI tool to understand what you're looking for and deliver results accordingly. 

Providing clear direction and training your AI tool to deliver content in a specific tone can help shape the AI tool’s response and may result in high-quality, well-structured content. However, a poorly worded prompt may lead to a generic or off-target response, which is why it’s never too late to learn new tricks.

Examples of AI Writing Prompts

Let’s take a look at a few examples that demonstrate how AI writing prompts guide the quality of the content produced. We'll compare a bad and a good prompt to highlight the difference a well-structured command makes.

Example 1: Bad AI Prompt for Writing a Topic Introduction

"Write an introduction about fitness."

This prompt doesn’t give any context or specificity. The AI tool might generate something generic or shallow because it doesn’t understand what aspect of fitness to focus on, who the audience is, or the tone you want.

Example 2: Good AI Prompt for Writing a Topic Introduction

"Write an engaging introduction for a fitness blog aimed at beginners, focusing on the benefits of starting a home workout routine. Use a motivational tone and highlight the convenience and health benefits."

This prompt is clear and specific, and it provides context about the audience, tone, and content focus, leading to a more tailored response.

Get Rid of the Guesswork

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11 Types of AI Writing Prompts: Know Your Commands

Crafting the right AI writing prompt is like being a film director— guiding the AI, setting the scene, and choosing the right lens for the story you want to tell. Each type of prompt creation has its unique style and purpose, ensuring the AI tool delivers the results you need. Let’s dive into 11 essential types of AI prompts and how they can enhance your writing.

1: Creative Prompts

Imagine giving AI a paintbrush and a blank canvas. It can create a masterpiece as long as you train it to. These prompts spark imagination, encouraging the AI tool to create unique, vibrant content that draws your readers in.

Good Creative Prompt:

"Write a short story about a mysterious figure who appears in a small town every year during a festival. Set the tone as suspenseful and mysterious."

With a prompt like this, you invite the AI tool to set the stage, build tension, and develop an eerie atmosphere. Instead of a generic plot, the AI tool will work to create a story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

2: Informational AI Prompt

Need AI to be your lead researcher? Informational prompts are your best friend. These commands ask the AI to dig into factual data and present it in a clear and digestible way for the average person.

Good Informational Prompt:

"Explain the process of photosynthesis on a 6th-grade reading level as part of an educational science book."

This prompt is specific to both the subject and the audience. Instead of overwhelming the reader with technical jargon, it instructs the AI to break things down for your target audience.

3: Reasoning Prompts

Ever wonder if AI could hold a debate? Reasoning prompts are where AI flexes its critical thinking muscles. These prompts challenge the AI tool to evaluate, compare, or argue different viewpoints, giving depth to your content. It’s like having your very own associate with whom you can mentally spar.

Good Reasoning Prompt:

"Compare and contrast Republican and Democratic parties in the U.S., focus on their stances and policies on economic impact."

This prompt doesn’t just ask the AI to give a basic definition — it’s asking for an analysis, guiding the AI to think critically about both sides of the argument. This can really help avoid unconscious bias within your writing.

4: Listicle Prompts

Everyone loves a good listicle. These prompts instruct the AI to organize content into a list format, making it easy for readers to digest bite-sized pieces of information. Overall, this type of writing can make your content more engaging and accessible.

Good Listicle Prompt:

"Create a list of 5 easy ways to repurpose old furniture for beginners, with each point under 50 words."

This prompt ensures the AI delivers concise, actionable tips. By setting a word limit, you’re guiding the AI to be clear and to the point, which is exactly what listicle readers are looking for. These prompts can also be great starting points for writing a quick, small book similar to what our self-publishers do during our 7-Day Publishing Challenge.

5: Instructional Prompts

Need step-by-step guidance? Instructional prompts can initially turn AI into a virtual tutor capable of delivering clear, logical instructions for various tasks.

Good Instructional Prompt:

"Provide a step-by-step guide for setting up a small home office, starting with furniture choices and ending with cable management."

With a well-crafted instructional prompt, the AI tool delivers structured, easy-to-follow instructions that leave no room for confusion. You can also add more details like budget or source type.

6: Personalization Prompts

Personalization has always been THE industry secret in marketing and communication. Personalization prompts help you tailor content to your audience’s specific needs, interests, or circumstances. This could be anything from a personalized email to a product description or targeted marketing copy. These prompts add that personal touch to make your message resonate.

Good Personalization Prompt:

"Write a personalized email inviting a small business owner to a webinar on how AI can streamline administrative tasks. Make it friendly yet professional."

This type of prompt guides the AI tool in creating a generic invitation that speaks directly to the recipient's needs through one message.

7: Formatting Prompts

Sometimes, it's about more than what you write but how it's presented. Formatting prompts help guide the AI tool as it creates the desired structure for your content, keeping it visually interesting and easy to follow. Bulleted lists, headings, or proper paragraph breaks are just a few ways your prompt can create content that isn't just readable but scannable, which is crucial for online audiences.

Good Formatting Prompt:

"Generate a bulleted list of the top 10 benefits of using AI for content creation, with each bullet point being a single sentence."

This prompt is clear and precise, instructing the AI on the content and how it should be formatted.

Read our full guide on AI book formatting.

8: Structuring AI-Generated Content

Content structure is the backbone of good writing, and with the right prompts, AI can help you break up paragraphs sentences, and create smooth transitions. Proper structuring keeps your writing organized and ensures that each section flows logically from one to the next.

Good Prompt for Structuring:

"Write an outline for a blog post on productivity hacks for busy moms. Include subheaders, bullet points, and brief descriptions under each section."

This prompt gives the AI tool clear direction on laying out the content, allowing it to generate a framework you can easily build upon.

9: Editing AI-Generated Content for SEO

Getting your content in front of the right audience means optimizing it for search engines like Google or Bing. With SEO prompts, you can guide the AI to integrate keywords into your writing without sounding forced or awkward.

Good SEO Prompt:

"Rewrite this paragraph about home gardening, incorporating the keywords ‘organic gardening tips’ and ‘urban vegetable garden’ without compromising the flow or readability."

This prompt encourages the AI tool to balance keyword usage with natural language, avoiding the dreaded keyword stuffing that can hurt both readability and SEO performance.

10: Engagement Prompts

Have you noticed how AI-generated content can sometimes sound unnatural? Engagement prompts can fix that! You can make your content feel more relatable and human by guiding the AI tool to adopt a more conversational or personal tone. These prompts can also direct the AI tool to add anecdotes, rhetorical questions, or interactive elements to keep readers hooked.

Good Engagement Prompt:

"Write a conversational blog post introduction about the benefits of using turmeric in cooking, and include a personal anecdote about how turmeric saved my gut health in just three months."

With a prompt like this, you’re inviting the AI to be a storyteller. Engagement prompts help liven up otherwise flat content into something attention-grabbing and engaging.

11: Summarization Prompts

AI can be incredibly useful when it comes to summarizing long chunks of content into concise, digestible formats. Whether you need a quick recap of an article or to turn a brain dump into something coherent, a summarization prompt can get you what you need.

Good Summarization Prompt:

"In 25 words or less, summarize the key points of my book into a quick blurb to use on the cover."

This prompt type ensures the AI focuses on the main takeaways, leaving out unnecessary details.

Depth Matters in AI Writing Prompts

If you've ever been a passenger on a road trip, you know giving vague directions isn't going to cut it—it's the same thing with AI prompts; the more specific you are, the better the output will be. Here are some tips to help you craft effective prompts more likely to result in high-quality writing.

Be Specific:

Vague prompts lead to generic, shallow responses. Instead of asking the AI tool to "write a 1,000-word article on pet health," break the task into sections. A better approach would be to prompt the AI to craft an engaging introduction. We’ll show you how to build it and what it looks like with each prompt.

Example:

Instead of: "Write a 1,000-word article on pet health."

Try: "Write an introduction for an article on the causes of pet heart failure, focusing on heartworm prevention."

Very different content, huh? By getting specific, you guide the AI tool toward more coherent and meaningful content.

Use Context:

The more background information you provide, the better the AI tool can tailor its response. Context helps shape the content in ways that are relevant and accurate.

Example:

"Write an introduction for an article on the causes of pet heart failure, focusing on heartworm prevention. This will be used to reach pet owners in high-risk areas who don't see this as a priority for their pets. Provide affordable options or at-home prevention methods."

See how specific it’s getting!? Including context in your prompt ensures the AI tool knows which time frame and examples to focus on, resulting in more precise and valuable content.

Incorporate Tone and Style:

Don’t forget to specify the voice or tone you want the AI tool to adopt. Whether you need a professional, friendly, or persuasive style, guiding AI tools will ensure your content fits your audience’s expectations.

Example:

"Write an introduction for an article on the causes of pet heart failure, focusing on heartworm prevention. This will be used to reach pet owners in high-risk areas who don't see this as a priority for their pets. Provide affordable options or at-home prevention methods. Write in a persuasive style using a friendly, compassionate tone."

With tone and style instructions, your AI-generated content will not only be accurate but also engaging in the way you want it to be.

After you’ve nailed down all the details, all that’s left to do is rinse and repeat this process for your key arguments and conclusion.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

When crafting AI prompts, it’s important to avoid overcomplicating things. Asking the AI tool to do too many things at once can result in disjointed or confusing responses. Stick to clear, concise instructions to ensure your request is answered with quality work.

Example of an Overly Complex Prompt:

"Write a 1000-word blog post about tennis for seniors, focusing on health benefits, the effect on bones, safety level, equipment, and how people can start, in a friendly tone, and also use examples and statistics. Make sure to have an interesting hook. Include some bullet point type formatting to make it easier to read."

Instead, break this down into smaller tasks. You’ll get much better results when the AI tool isn’t overwhelmed with too many directions at once.

Recognize AI’s Flaws

While AI is an incredible tool, it isn’t perfect. Watch for inaccuracies or "hallucinations" where the AI tool invents details. This is especially common when dealing with niche or highly specialized topics. Always fact-check and refine the responses to ensure accuracy.

11 Different Ways to Use AI Writing Prompts

AI writing prompts aren’t just for generating articles or blog posts. Lucky for you, they can serve a variety of creative and practical purposes. Here are 11 different ways you can use AI prompts to streamline your content creation process and boost your productivity:

1. Social Media Engagement Post  

"Write a Facebook post that encourages followers to comment on their favorite part in your writing."

AI can help craft social media posts that spark engagement by asking thought-provoking or relatable questions. These prompts lead to interactive posts, encouraging users to share their opinions or experiences, which can boost visibility and reach. 

Pro Tip: Remember, as with any prompt, include your audience type, tone, and style!

2. Interactive Poll for Twitter (X)  

"Create a Twitter poll asking which reading app people use the most: A) Amazon Kindle, B) Apple Books, C) Audible."

Interactive polls are a great way to engage your audience, and AI can quickly generate options based on your input. This type of prompt ensures you’re connecting with followers while gathering helpful insights on preferences or trends that can help you in future marketing goals.

3. Video Script for Content Creation Tips  

"Generate a short script for a YouTube video explaining five essential book development tips."

Video content tends to get more likes, and AI prompts can help you capitalize on that by creating scripts that are interesting, informative, and to the point.

4. Email Subject Line for Content Strategy Webinar  

"Create an engaging subject line for a sneak peek of my book (A Generational Farmer Goes Urban: Create Micro Gardens in the City from a Pro) first chapter: ‘Towering Feilds to Concrete Jungles."

With the right AI prompt, you can craft compelling email subject lines that boost open rates. Whether you’re promoting a webinar or an event, AI can quickly generate several options to catch your readers’ attention.

5. Blog Post Introduction  

"Write an introductory paragraph for a blog post about the importance of time management for freelancers."

AI prompts for blog introductions help kickstart your writing, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the post. By specifying the topic and tone, you can ensure your intro grabs readers’ attention and sets the stage for valuable insights.

6. Facebook Ad Copy for Blog Promotion  

"Generate Facebook ad copy promoting our latest blog post on How to Find Your Writing Style."

If you need quick, snappy ad copy for Facebook or other social media posts, AI can deliver. With a clear prompt, the AI can generate copy that aligns with your target audience and marketing goals, so there is no need to hire a freelancer.

7. Infographic Title  

"Create a catchy title for an infographic on ‘Top 10 Remote Work Productivity Hacks.’"

AI can help you generate eye-catching titles for infographics or other visual content. A well-crafted prompt can lead to content that keeps your leads flowing in.

8. Instagram Caption for a Product Showcase  

"Write an Instagram caption promoting your new holiday coloring book, focusing on the stress-releasing factor and cute design."

AI-generated Instagram captions are perfect for product showcases. Make sure to include tone, as it is very important to be a storyteller on Instagram to capture people's attention as they scroll.

9. Email Newsletter Headline  

"Generate a headline for a monthly newsletter about writing and productivity tips."

A great headline is key to ensuring your email newsletter gets opened. With AI, you can generate a headline that piques curiosity just enough to get them to open your email, and you can then encourage them to dive into the rest of your content.

10. LinkedIn Post for a Company Milestone Celebration  

"Write a celebratory LinkedIn post announcing our 5th anniversary and thanking our customers for their support."

AI can write professional yet heartfelt LinkedIn posts to celebrate milestones, show appreciation, and build a sense of community. With the right tone, these posts can really strengthen relationships with your audience.

11. Book Outline  

"Generate a chapter-by-chapter outline for a self-help book on personal finance management."

For larger projects like book writing, an AI generator for book outlines can assist in creating a detailed structure that organizes your thoughts into a logical book layout. This is particularly helpful for self-publishers who need to map out their content as opposed to jumping feet first into the writing process. Take a look at these other ChatGPT prompts to write a book.

Looking to Earn Money Using AI to Write?

If you’re excited about how AI can help streamline your writing process, why not take it a step further and use it to make money? AI-assisted writing tools offer an incredible opportunity to turn your content into a steady stream of income.

Self-Publishing on Amazon: Turn Your Writing into Passive Royalty Income

Self-publishing on Amazon has opened the doors for countless writers to achieve financial freedom, and AI can help you get there faster. With Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you can upload your eBook, set your price, and reach a global audience in just a few clicks. Best of all, you retain full control over your content and royalties.

By writing effective prompts for the AI software of your choice, you can speed up the writing process, ensuring that your AI or ChatGPT Kindle book is both high-quality and market-ready. Imagine having an AI tool that helps you not only write but also edit, format, and optimize your book for sales—all while maintaining your unique voice. Well... it’s not imaginary anymore; best of all, you know how to use it for your benefit now.

Master eBook Creation with Publishing.com's AIA Course

Ready to take the next step in your self-publishing journey? Publishing.com offers a tried and tested AI Publishing Course (AIA) that has helped thousands become self-publishers and make real money! We cover everything from generating high-quality content to optimizing your book for SEO, making the process easier and more efficient than ever before. But we don't stop there; we also provide other ways you can multiply your income streams! Don’t let the technical aspects of self-publishing hold you back—let us show you how AI can transform your writing into a profitable, additional income stream.