Generative AI has notably impacted public relations, revolutionizing how professionals develop and execute communication strategies. Content development is one area of PR ripe for its support. PR pros can leverage tools such as ChatGPT to draft press releases, pitches, thought leadership articles, blog posts and social media posts, which can streamline time investments and boost efficiency.
That said, generative AI is not a magic wand.
In recent media outreach, for example, our team learned from an editor that his publication no longer accepted contributed content due to declining submission quality. The editor attributed the content degradation to the use of generative AI platforms in writing the submissions. This revelation raises intriguing questions about the role of AI in content creation without sacrificing quality and ways that PR pros can strategically leverage the cutting-edge technology.
As a PR pro who relies on ChatGPT to supplement content creation, I’ve summarized my top three tips to streamline development without sacrificing quality.
No. 1: Creativity Assistance
Platforms such as ChatGPT can serve as a starting point for PR professionals to get their creative juices flowing. For example, let’s say you’re tasked with writing a blog post for a client about the advantages of cloud-based solutions for small businesses. You might first Google the top challenges facing small businesses in a particular industry and, based on the results, ask ChatGPT to generate an opening hook that draws readers into the blog.
Here are a few other ways PR pros can leverage tools like ChatGPT to inspire creativity in content development:
- Ask the tool to generate metaphors or analogies to illustrate a point.
- Ask the tool to rewrite a paragraph using a different tone or voice.
- Ask the tool to list suggested titles for the content you’ve developed. (Be careful that you’re not putting any confidential content into the platform.)
No. 2: Outlining and Structure
I’m sure many writers would agree that it’s easier to build upon a foundation than to lay one. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can assist with establishing an initial foundation.
Let’s return to the hypothetical blog post about the advantages of cloud-based solutions for small businesses. A PR pro can ask ChatGPT to generate a blog post outline that touches on three specific sections:
- Introduction and challenges X, Y and Z.
- The role of cloud-based solutions in overcoming these challenges (including subheads).
- Summary, conclusion and call to action.
The result is an outline from which the PR can build and inject company-specific messages and examples.
No. 3: SEO Optimization
The relationship between PR and search engine optimization (SEO) has evolved, becoming more intertwined. Both PR and SEO rely heavily on content creation. PR pros create press releases, articles, blog posts and other content to promote their client’s brand. On the other hand, SEO professionals create high-quality, relevant and optimized content to improve search engine rankings and drive organic traffic to websites. When PR and SEO collaborate, they can align their content strategies, ensuring that the content generated for PR purposes is optimized for search engines, enhancing its visibility and reach.
Generative AI and ChatGPT can support PR pros in developing content optimized for search engines in a few ways. Let’s revisit the company blog post about the advantages of cloud-based software for small businesses.
Upon securing key terms from the SEO team, PR pros can input them into ChatGPT for assistance in generating compelling headlines and subheads. They can also use ChatGPT to generate concise meta descriptions that adhere to SEO terms and drive click-throughs.
When used strategically, generative AI can act as a digital wordsmith, helping PR pros develop original and engaging content tailored to specific audiences. PR pros must never forget that human oversight is essential to ensuring AI-generated content is accurate, well-written and aligned with brand identity.