Want Better Copy? Use ChatGPT as Your Creative Partner

If you’ve ever opened ChatGPT, typed something in, and thought, “That’s… not it,” you’re not alone. The problem isn’t the tool, it’s the setup. ChatGPT can be an incredible sidekick for brainstorming ideas, writing captions, and crafting content that sounds like you. But first, it needs to actually know who you are. So this is how to use ChatGPT as a creative partner.

Start with Context

ChatGPT isn’t a mind reader. You have to feed it the good stuff: who you are, what your brand is about, and how you want to sound. That’s where Custom Instructions come in.

You’ll find them by clicking your name (or settings) in ChatGPT, then selecting Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions.

Every new chat starts with a blank slate. If you don’t tell it who you are, what you do, and how you communicate. It’ll fill in the blanks, and let’s be honest, those guesses are usually bland at best.

Here’s what to include:

• Your business mission and what you specialize in
• Your tone (friendly, confident, cheeky. Whatever fits your brand)
• Your ideal client or audience
• Key themes you want it to emphasize
• How you want it to respond (short or long, casual or formal, opinionated or neutral)
• Bonus tip: You can’t adjust ChatGPT’s “temperature” in the app anymore, but you can control creativity through your prompt. If you want lively, expressive writing, ask for it directly.

Prompts You Can Steal

Here are a few tried-and-true prompts service providers can use right now:

For Instagram captions:

“Write 3 Instagram caption ideas for a [type of business] that sound friendly, confident, and conversational. The goal is to connect with ideal clients and share value without sounding salesy.”

For blog brainstorming:

“Give me 10 blog post ideas that would attract [ideal client] and help position me as an expert in [your niche].”

For website copy:

“Write an engaging paragraph for my About page that shows I help [who you help] with [what you offer] so they can [result]. Keep it warm, relatable, and genuine.”

For repurposing content:

“Take this blog post and turn it into 3 short Instagram captions with engaging hooks and friendly CTAs.”

Want to polish your writing even more? Check out my post on epic copywriting tips you should be using right now — it’s packed with my favorite tools for crafting stunning, scroll-stopping copy.

💎 Final Gem

Don’t treat ChatGPT like a vending machine. Use ChatGPT as a creative partner The more context, personality, and examples you give, the better your results will be. You’ll stop getting generic fluff and start getting content that sounds uncannily like something you would actually write.