The #1 dead giveaway that you're using ChatGPT
Ahhh, AI. It’s simplifying our lives in some ways and complicating them in others. (Why can’t it do our washing? We can handle the writing!)
We love using AI to spark new ideas when our very human brains hit a creative roadblock, especially during that inevitable 3pm slump at the keyboard. It also helps with quick punctuation, spelling checks, and it’s great at suggesting DJ names (win, win, win).
But we do have a few “icks” regarding ChatGPT. The biggest one? A lot of companies are starting to sound the same. Sure, they’re posting more regularly (tick!), but their captions, blogs, and general writing all have a similar tone and structure.
So, before robots strip away all our creative quirks, we want to share a few tips to help you sound more like you, and less like everyone else. While still using AI if you want to, we’re not monsters!
Now, after that intro (proofed by ChatGPT for good measure), here’s the number one dead giveaway that you’re using it... dun da dah da…
The em dash (—).
Writers and journalists have always adored an em dash, editors chastise them for it, and the general public? They barely used it... until ChatGPT came along. Now, the em dash is a dead giveaway that AI had a hand in your writing. Most people don’t use it in everyday conversations or messages. Sure, it’s grammatically correct, but swapping it for a regular dash, comma, or full stop will make you sound more like you, and less like a robot. ChatGPT sure didn’t invent the em dash, but by golly, it loves using it EVERYWHERE.
Now we’ve got that off our chest, here are a few more things to look out for/edit out of your writing when using ChatGPT:
To the chopping block…
- ChatGPT is very excitable. If what it spits out kicks off with “thrilled,” “excited,” or another overused, generic celebratory phrase, maybe ask it for another adjective or keep the entry simple.
- If it’s drowning in emojis, particularly rocket and checkmark emojis, it’s probably worth removing a few.
- If it wraps up with a call to action like a salesman's, “Let’s enjoy the journey together” or “Let’s take a moment to celebrate XYZ (insert 3 rocket emojis),” we suggest changing it up just a little bit.
4 prompts to enhance ChatGPT's responses
- Tell it to write in Australian English so you don’t have to edit out the American “z” s. For example, “organising” instead of “organizing.”
- Give it some text that you have written, that sounds like you, and tell it to match the tone of voice.
- Ask it to follow the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for your target audience. This is a readability test that estimates the US school grade level required to understand a text, with a lower score indicating easier reading. In an Australian context, aiming for a score around 7-8 is generally recommended for broad accessibility.
- And finally, ask it to write shorter sentences. The grade level prompt should stop this, but if in doubt, ask it to keep sentences to around 16 words.
ChatGPT and other AI options are AMAZING tools for saving time, but be sure to maintain your brand's voice and authenticity along the way. We hope these tips help!
Team Kingthing xx
:quality(90))