Why You Shouldn't Be Writing A New Prompt Every Time

A case for a structured approach to prompting with generative AI

a robot confused by your unstructured content

Not a lot of people know the principles behind structured content ... which is why you see a lot of haphazard content out there on the internet ... and one reason why ChatGPT "hallucinates."

AI simply works better with structured content … just like humans digest information better when well-structured. Or in the words of ChatGPT:

AI is like a master chef that can create gourmet dishes from well-organized recipes, but might struggle a bit when ingredients are just tossed into the kitchen randomly.

Tech writers, content developers, and knowledge managers all know this. They've been working with teams and organizations to structure their content for decades. Those who do, get a leg up in their industry, even if it means investing in new tools and training on the front end.

The same will be true now for everyone who deals with content. It doesn't matter if you are a corporate team, solo creator, teacher, or small business owner.

Those who invest in structuring their content and putting into place processes to manage their knowledge and prompts on the front end will save time, money, and hassle in their future AI operations.

Structuring content is for everyone now more than ever.

So what do I mean exactly by structured content ...

Structured content is a systematic approach to content creation that helps businesses and teams be more efficient, consistent, and adaptable.

That seems abstract ... but I assure you that it is anything but!

Here is an example from the most common area where structured content is the industry standard.

Take for example ... SoftwareCorp.

Imagine SoftwareCorp, a mid-size software development company. They produce lots of different content, including software documentation, user guides, blog posts, FAQs, product descriptions, and social media updates.

Before implementing structured content, their process was chaotic. Each team - from product development to marketing - created their content in silos, with no real connection or consistency between them. The product team's software documentation could be highly technical, while the marketing team's blog posts were more informal and customer-focused. This disjointed approach made it hard to repurpose content or maintain a consistent voice across different platforms and teams.

Now, let's introduce structured content into the picture. SoftwareCorp decides to create a unified content structure, defining specific 'chunks' of information, like software features, user benefits, technical specifications, and customer testimonials.

Each piece of content, whether it's a user guide or a social media post, draws from these predefined chunks. This approach ensures that all content is consistent, with the same information described in the same way, regardless of who creates it or where it's used.

For example, when the product team updates a software feature, they update the relevant 'chunk' of information. This updated information is then automatically reflected across all content pieces that use this chunk - from the software documentation to the user guides and the marketing materials.

Now it becomes easy to repurpose content for different platforms. The same 'chunks' of information can be combined in different ways to create a user guide, a blog post, or a social media update.

In this way, SoftwareCorp is streamlining their content creation process, maintaining a consistent brand voice, and making their content strategy more efficient and adaptable - all thanks to structured content principles.

Okay, now let's bring this down to another level.

It is as fun as playing with Legos.

Think of structured content as a Lego set for content creation. Every Lego set comes with a guide that tells you which blocks to use and how to arrange them to build a specific structure, like a house or a spaceship? Similarly, structured content is all about organizing and categorizing information into predefined blocks or 'chunks' based on certain rules or guidelines.

Just as the Lego guide ensures every piece has a designated place and purpose, structured content means that every piece of information you create has a specific role and fits into a larger framework. It could be a blog post, a product description, a social media update, or a customer email. Each piece is created, labeled, and arranged in a way that can be easily located, reused, and repurposed.

Why is this important for businesses, teams (and even teachers and solo creators)? Well, imagine you're trying to construct a Lego tower without a guide, and you've got blocks scattered everywhere. It would be challenging, right? It's the same with content. Without structure, your team could waste time creating new content from scratch every time, struggling to maintain a consistent brand voice, or finding it difficult to adapt content for different platforms or audiences.

In contrast, when you apply structured content principles, your team can easily access and reuse existing content. Instead of rewriting content for every new audience or purpose, content developers can simply arrange blocks they've already created.

So what does this have to do with managing the AI prompting process ... or prompt operations? Read on.

From content operations to prompt operations

Crafting prompts involves creating and managing prompts that guide AI tools, like chatbots or AI content generators, to create relevant and useful output. Prompt operations is how you manage this process across teams and organizations. Treating prompts like structured content will help you manage this process.

For SoftwareCorp, this could mean creating a set of prompts that corresponds to each 'chunk' of information. For instance, they might have a prompt for generating a description of a software feature, another for explaining the user benefits of a feature, and so on. These prompts ensure that the AI-generated content is consistent with the rest of SoftwareCorp's content and adheres to their company standards and style guide.

Having a structured approach to prompts makes it easier to manage and update these prompts across different teams. For instance, if you decide to alter your brand's voice or change a genre, you can simply update the corresponding prompt to reflect this change. All teams can then use this updated prompt, ensuring that the AI-generated content is always up-to-date and consistent across all platforms.

In terms of collaboration, structured prompts create a shared language. Regardless of their specific roles or tasks, all team members are using and updating the same set of prompts, fostering better collaboration and understanding across teams.

A structured approach to prompts also allows for scalability. As SoftwareCorp grows and needs to generate more content, they can easily scale their prompt operations by adding new prompts that align with their existing content structure. This ensures that their AI-generated content remains consistent and relevant, no matter how much their content needs may grow.

Structured content principles provide a framework for prompt operations, guiding how prompts are created, managed, and updated across teams and organizations. They ensure that your AI tools are not just producing content, but producing content that aligns with your overall content strategy and brand voice.

Not just for teams, my creator friends.

Even if you're an individual content creator - whether a blogger, a solo entrepreneur, or that one, single writer your company hired - structured content and prompt engineering can significantly streamline your work process and enhance your content quality.

Just like for teams, structured content allows you to organize your content into specific 'chunks' or blocks of information. For instance, if you're a fitness blogger, your chunks might include workout descriptions, nutritional advice, motivational tips, and personal anecdotes.

This organization allows you to easily reuse and repurpose your content. Say you've written an in-depth blog post about a new workout routine. Later, you could easily pull out the workout description chunk to create a short social media post or the nutritional advice chunk to answer a reader's question in your comments section.

As an individual creator, you might use AI tools to help with content generation, from brainstorming ideas to writing drafts. Having a set of structured prompts aligned with your content chunks can guide your AI tool to produce content that fits your needs.

Continuing with our fitness blogger example, you might have a prompt for generating workout descriptions or another for crafting motivational tips. Using these prompts, your AI tool can generate content that aligns perfectly with your blog's style and voice.

Even as a solo creator, you need efficiency, consistency, adaptability, and scalability. Plus, good prompt operations frees up your time and mental space, allowing you to focus more on creative and strategic aspects of your work.

So, whether you're a one-person show or part of a larger team, these principles can be a game-changer for your content creation process.

Let's build our prompt operations together

If you've been nodding along as you read this post, intrigued by the power of structured content in managing prompt operations, then I have an exciting opportunity for you! I'm currently creating a comprehensive course that will delve deeper into these concepts and equip you with the tools and techniques to harness them effectively.

Whether you're a business leader striving for better collaboration across teams, an entrepreneur looking to streamline your content process, or an individual creator aiming to enhance your content quality and consistency, this course is designed for you.

But I don't want to do this alone - I want your input, your insights, your challenges, and your victories. Together, we can create a course that truly serves your needs and elevates your content game to new heights.

So, are you ready to explore the untapped potential of structured content and rhetoric in your prompt operations? Are you eager to learn, contribute, and pave the way for more effective content creation? If so, I invite you to join me on this journey.

Simply click on here and sign up. Let's revolutionize our content creation together. I can't wait to learn with you and from you!

Use CREATIVEAI for 50% off ... for a limited time only while I build the course. I’ll let you in free if you are willing to meet with me to give feedback.

No time to take a course, but you want to develop your prompt operations and train your team? I'm available to consult you in your prompt operations. Schedule a free hour here.