Have you ever shouted at an object for not working properly?

I certainly have.

In the past, I have loudly cursed a car that won’t start in the morning.

I once yelled at a toaster that wouldn’t pop-up my toast. 

And I’ve publicly berated a desktop computer that froze in the middle of an important piece of writing. 

There are few bits of technology that have escaped my wrath.

TVs, smartphones, pay-and-display machines, self-service tills at supermarkets, car park barriers….

You name it.

When these things don’t do what they’re supposed to do, they get a good piece of my mind!

The crazy thing is, shouting and complaining does absolutely nothing to correct the situation (other than release a bit of stress, perhaps).

I wish I could pick up that faulty pair of Bluetooth headphones and use my powers of persuasion to convince it to connect to my tablet.  

But alas, no. 

It has no brain. 

It cannot think. 

It does not understand. 

Instead, it just sits there in my hand…. a lump of plastic with a tiny flashing light… utterly unheeding of my complaints. 

Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT can also cause frustrations when they don’t work exactly how you want them to.

I’ll give you a case in point….

The Long Copy Problem

A few months ago, I embarked on a mission to get ChatGPT to write a professional quality ‘long copy’ sales promotion.

You’ll have come across many of those before – they’re the long sales promotions with a big headline, a ‘dear friend’ and lots of content that dives into the benefits of the product, with an offer at the end.

Now, I LOVE ChatGPT, and believe in the potential of A.I. to give ordinary people the power to create and run online businesses without the usual skills and training.

And when it comes to short tasks, like getting it to script a Facebook ad, write an email to a supplier, or produce an Amazon listing, it does the job quickly and to your specification.

But when it comes to something longer and more complex, it’s not always straightforward.

You can’t just tell ChatGPT to ‘write me a long sales copy promotion for my product’ and expect a result.

It won’t deliver a long, detailed sales letter in a compelling human voice. 

Even when you give it a few more pointers, and do it in smaller sections, it gets the wrong end of the stick.

Examples include…

It slips into jargon… it forgets to write in first person… it invents details without telling you…. it keeps trying to close the sale when you don’t want it to… 

Sometimes A.I. is like an unruly, petulant child who rebels against you for the sake of it. 

It can really BOIL MY BLOOD!

Believe me, I’ve been experimenting with A.I. for almost 18 months and shouted at the computer screen many times.

But here’s the difference between A.I. and, say, a toaster or a set of headphones.

You CAN reason with it.

You CAN communicate with it.

And you CAN make it understand.

It just requires you to use a few processes and get a few systems in place first.

This is something I’ve discovered how to do after months of trial and error (and lots of shouting at a screen) – and now I am at the stage where I can confidently train people how to use my methods of A.I. prompting.

So what’s the secret?

It’s all about the BRIEF.

How to Brief Your A.I. to Deliver What You Want

I’ve trained dozens of copywriters since the mid-1990s in the art of long copy.

It’s not always been easy.

Because there are certain quirks of long copy sales writing that aren’t instantly obvious to most people. 

Firstly, there are principles to know about the structure, the style, and ‘the voice’…. 

Secondly, there’s a lot to get across in a long sales piece, including the unique selling proposition, the big benefits, the guarantee, the offer and ‘call to action’.

Which is why even the most experienced copywriter needs a detailed brief – a set of instructions, goals and parameters that they need to stick to.

Well, it turns out that A.I. copywriters are a lot like human ones.

It’s crucial to explain exactly what you want – and firmly set the rules – before you get it to produce a great copy.

Then you need to give it all the necessary details. 

The more relevant this information is, the better the end result will be.

Which is why I recommend that you feed ChatGPT a detailed brief that includes: 

• AUDIENCE: The person you are targeting, including their goals, desires, values and beliefs, along with things that cause them problems or pain right now. 

• PRODUCT: What your product is, what it’s called, and the benefits of your product for the user – including specifics about how it will improve their lives. It should also include a Unique Selling Proposition (what makes your offering uniquely valuable to your audience).

• CREATOR: Who you are, why you are writing to them, and why you have created this product. Basically, you need to provide the details of your backstory, including any experiences that led you to the creation of this business, product, or service.

• PROOF: Evidence that the product works, including results, trials, testimonials, income, media coverage, awards and accolades. 

• OFFER: What they’ll get in the product/service, along with the price, the discount, the guarantee, the bonuses and what they need to do in order to purchase. 

Now, if this all sounds like a difficult task for you as a beginner, please bear in mind that you can get A.I. to create and write this brief for you!

In other words, AI can brief itself!

How cool is that! 

Which means you can create your own sales brief without marketing skills or copy writing experience.

Once you collect the information, you put it in ONE DOCUMENT, then  upload it to ChatGPT or your chosen A.I. tool to read before you ask it to write a single word.

Just like a human copywriter, it can then get to work according to your instructions.

Yes, you’ll still need to nudge it in the right direction and make sure it stays on track.

But this briefing document will eradicate a lot of the hair-pulling and frustration that most people experience when trying to get A.I. to carry out complex tasks. 

Plus you’ll get a far better result – a promotion that hooks into the target reader, gets across the benefits and sounds like a genuine human.

Want to know more?

I am shortly about to teach paying members of Heloise’s ProsperAI service the art of AI-powered copywriting using my new briefing method.

So if you’re a member, then you’ll get the complete training very soon! 

Unfortunately, the doors are closed to new ProsperAI members right now. 

However…

If I was to develop a standalone A.I. copywriting programme, would you be interested?

It would be a step-by-step system (with templates and prompts) that allowed you to create pro-level sales copy for absolutely any product or service.

It could even allow you to become a copywriter yourself and make a part time income from your services.

If this is something you’d be interested in, please leave a coment on this post to let me know.