The message is simple. Maybe even boring. But here it is...

Just show up

Not per se every day. Not even twice a week. You don’t need a rigid, color-coded content calendar that haunts you.

What you need is consistency.

Show up like you’ve got something worth sharing, because you do. Say it again and again until it becomes unmistakably yours. That builds trust and shows you care.

Here’s how I’ve shown up every week without fail since December 2022.

Tip 1. Failing to plan is planning to fail

Yes, it’s a cliché. Yes, it’s still true.

If you don’t have a solid content plan and a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG), then you’re not setting yourself up for success.

Pick a drumbeat and plan.

How to plan

Use Notion. Use Excel. Use a napkin. It doesn’t matter. List out 8 weeks of content, whether you publish daily or every other week. Write down the title and a one-liner. Then, every 4 weeks, refresh it. Keep it simple.

And if you miss more than a week, revisit your plan.

Miss once and that’s life. Miss twice, and now it’s a pattern. Miss three times and the plan needs a makeover. See tip 3.

Tip 2. Keep content in stock

This is my secret weapon. And most brands ignore this. It’s always nice to have something in reserve for when you need it.

Build a list of 10 content pieces you can refresh and republish. There is no shame in repetition. Just don’t copy-paste your way through it. Update it. Polish it. Show that it still matters.

How to build your content vault

Use your data. Look at what performed well and what didn’t. Then add content you actually liked making. The kind that sparks and feels worth repeating. Space it out with at least 3 months between re-posts.

There is nothing wrong with repeating.

There is nothing wrong with repeating.

Tip 3: Never miss twice

Life happens. You’re human. Things go off the rails.

But don’t miss twice.

Discipline is not about punishing yourself for messing up once. It’s about bouncing back quickly.

But if you’re missing repeatedly, the problem is not you. It’s your strategy and planning, see tip 1. Adjust your pace.

Because long-term consistency is not about being perfect.

It’s about making the work sustainable.

Final Thoughts

Consistency isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t always get likes or go viral. But it builds trust. It builds momentum. It builds something real.

Intensity is being loud. Consistency gets you results.

Credits and inspiration: Chaz's 100 things a planner should know, Arnold's Pump Club

Want to become as consistent as I am?

Let’s connect and keep the conversation going.

If I can make it work since December 2022, reaching over 100,000 readers a year in just 8 hours a week and a humble €750 in out-of-pocket costs a year, so can you.

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Learn from my mistakes, so you don’t have to make them.

Before we start, the main reasons why it’s so hard to move from experimental to structural.

• Change requires courage, from both management and the team
• Security and compliance in AI are often handled with fear-based restrictions rather than education, due to limited expertise and capabilities
• Management bottlenecks adoption by not allocating time, budget, or resources. Not because it isn’t important, but because of limited in-house expertise and a lack of urgency

3 lessons I’ve learned on integrating AI and making it a natural part of daily work. I’ve applied these with multiple clients, both in my role as a strategist and as part of collaborative teams.

1. Get a project manager on board
2. Spend significant time on configuration and training, repeat frequently
3. Rebuild your AI tech stack every once in a while

The result? You’ll structurally free up time within your team, so you can focus on elevating content quality, not just increasing quantity.

Let’s dive in.

Lesson 1. Get a project manager to become even more efficient

This one is what surprised me the most. I didn’t see it coming, yet it’s so obvious. Having a project manager to ensure the configuration and training take place, to safeguard the processes, and keep track of the progress, makes the difference between good and great.

By using AI for content production, the production process becomes more complicated. You’re adding more steps for reviewing and approval. Next to that, you’ll be working on multiple pieces at once.

At the same time, because you’re using AI, you tend to forget what you did faster and lose track of where you are.

Finding out the hard way

You need someone to keep you on track and accountable. Speaking from experience here. We found out the hard way.

You’ll keep up in the first weeks, but as you progress, it also becomes more complicated. We were working on so many pieces simultaneously and had additional reviewing and editing steps that we lost the overview. 

To do: get a project manager

As mentioned, this project manager helps you to progress and keep track. This role is not a side hustle or something you are just adding to the already full plate of a content producer. 

It’s a dedicated job that needs focus and time allocation. For an SME that produces and distributes 2 to 4 content pieces a week, I’d say 8 hours a week would do.

My advice is to have a project manager who’s familiar with the content processes and has an interest in AI. By preference, someone from the existing team, whom you can free up for at least 20 to 25% of their time for this role.

Lesson 2. Spend serious time on configuration and training to become more efficient

As most teams struggle for time, it’s our natural behavior to dive in immediately and get things done. However, with AI, the magic is in the configuration of the tools that speed you up. Not in grinding the work.

How much time you should spend on configuration

Good to know that the configuration is the most overlooked part of AI. Mostly, you upload the brand guidelines and think that you’re good to go. 

It doesn’t work like that. You must write detailed instructions and give examples to feed AI to get your desired output that takes little review and editing.

From experience, I spend at least two full days on the configuration and another two days on testing and refining, so that I can produce content in minutes. I have done this for multiple clients, and time after time, this time investment pays off double in the efficiency gains.

→ The more time you spend upfront, the more you’ll save on editing and reviewing

For your AI content configuration, there are 3 types of input needed:

• Brand voice, lexicon, and writing rules, drilled down to the specific details, whether you use a capital after a ‘:’, using punctuation in lists, and when to use jargon or when not.
   
• Structure of content: predefine the storyline of your blogs, whitepapers, or socials. A clear framework ensures each piece follows a consistent logical flow and narrative, remains recognizable, and maintains the same level of operational detail. 
  
  For example, I always use the structure ‘problem – solution – benefit – deeper benefit’ combined with ‘to know – why it matters – to do’.
   
• Use best practices for writing social copy: feed AI what works on social for your industry and audience. For example, I always copy and paste the 20 best hooks for LinkedIn and use them in my instructions.

There’s a lot more to this, and it’s a bit more extended and complicated with instructions, GPTs, and AI assistants, but for the sake of clarity, I simplified it a bit.  

Training on data safety, compliance, and ethics

There is no such thing as training once. Keeping your IP, data, and confidential data safe and secure is non-negotiable. Yet, you do need to repeat this message over and over again, just because we tend to forget in the heat of the moment.

→ Besides, as AI improves every day, you’ll need to keep up.

The training is also a great moment to share experiences and insights within the group. Use training sessions to learn from each other, not just top-down updates.

To do; my 2 tips

• Spend significant time on the configuration and testing of your configuration. Retest it frequently to keep up to date with new functionalities and features. For an SME, around 4 to 5 days to configure and test, and 1 day every two months to (re)test and update.
   
• For the training, besides the kick-off, I advise having monthly meetings to update on new features, policies, learn, and share experiences.

Lesson 3. Periodically step back and rebuild to become resilient

As AI progresses daily, you should review your AI tech stack accordingly. As we know, new functionalities and features are added, and AI continues to improve, becoming better, faster, and stronger.

→ How you’ve set up the processes and stack can become outdated in a few months. 

Stepping back and rebuilding refreshes systems and approaches, ensuring long-term resilience and relevance.

From experience: Q4 2024 versus Q2 2025

How I’ve set up the production process with GPTs at the end of 2024 is suboptimal for how AI works in 2025. Therefore, before handing over the work, I rebuilt everything in a new setup to fit the latest AI developments.

To do: make the project manager responsible

The best thing you can do is to assign the project manager to this. It’s his or her role to keep track of developments and signal timely when the AI stack needs reviewing and rebuilding

Wrapping it up

If you want to scale from experimental to structural use of AI in your content processes, the first thing you need, besides the C-suite buy-in, is a project manager.

The project manager can also help you with the configuration of your AI tech stack. And keeps the overview, keeps track, keeps you accountable, plus signals timely when it’s time to update your AI tech stack.

All in all, a project manager pays for itself because you save time and costs in reviewing and editing, and you stay up to date on the tech, rules, and regulations.

Let's connect

If this helped you think differently about scaling AI or looking for someone to help you integrate AI, I’d love to connect.

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1. Ask AI to roast you and your work, bring back some fun, and get a fresh perspective with new insights. The ‘why’ and the ‘how’ explained
    
2. Extend your prompts: the more detailed you are, the better the response. 6 Tips to re-formulate your generic prompts

Let’s dive into some details.

Why AI roasting works wonders for your content

Getting roasted by AI is one of the best ways to improve your content immediately and unveil what you are missing. 

It’s the most overseen and brutal hack; AI is not lighthearted and doesn’t spare you. From my own experience, AI’s bluntness is precisely what I need to level up.

These are the reason why it’s so damn good:

• Sharpens your thinking and exposes all your blind spots
  Getting roasted shines a light on the flaws in your thinking. Where you are biased, or it reveals where you are stuck in your own head and reasoning.
   
• Finds new, fresh, and different perspectives
  This is in line with being biased. When you ask AI to roast you, it always comes with new, fresh, and different perspectives on the topic that you probably didn’t even think of. ‘Audi alteram partem’ which means to ensure all that different viewpoints are an equal part of the discussion.
   
• Checks the flow and logic
  Often, in our enthusiasm about the topic, we can cut corners, skip steps, or be overly simplistic or rushed and not consider all necessary details in the reasoning process.

How to get AI to roast your content

These are my three prompts to ask AI to roast you.

1. Get criticized by ChatGPT
Let’s start with an easy prompt with a placeholder for your content. You paste your content or idea on the blank line. 

I want you to act as a critic. Criticize my idea and convince me why they are bad. Let's think step by step. Consider I am a pro, and don't spare me. My idea: _________  

2. Use roleplay and RICE
The most simple prompt is just to ask ChatGPT to roast you. 

‘Roast me. Input: _________’

However, if you make a bit more effort, AI will reward you with much better output. Currently, the RICE method is my favorite. Please, be aware that there are so many models for prompt writing, pick the one you like.

• Roleplay: here, you describe how AI should act and you can be a bit harsh. ‘Act as if you hate me and you are my worst criticaster’
   
• Instructions: write what you want AI to do. ‘Try to find the flaws in my thinking, where my logic or reasoning doesn’t make sense, where I cut corners, or where I might be biased. Use trustworthy sources only for your feedback’
   
• Context: this is where you give a bit more background information. ‘I want to use this writing to convince the CEO to do XYZ. Therefore it is important that you stick to a strategic level and align your feedback with how it influences the business case and business objectives.’
   
• Examples: if you have any examples, list them here. If you don’t have examples, you can include your tone of voice as the last part of the prompt and how you want the output to look like. ‘Please, use a clean, clear, short, sweet tone of voice, as if I’m your business friend. Don’t use jargon or buzz words. Use bullet lists where possible. As short as possible, as long as needed. B1 intermediate English, reading level 8.’

3. Additional tip: Explain it to me like I’m a beginner
This is not really roasting, but it does help in sharpening your thinking and having multiple perspectives on the topic.

Can you explain _________ in simple terms? Explain to me as if I'm a beginner. Please add a 10-word explanation at the start. Can you add the common mistakes and pitfalls for beginners and advanced? If you add online sources, please include the link.

Extend your prompts, 6 tips to re-formulate your generic prompts

The secret is in the details. The more specific your instruction, the better AI knows what to do to help you. 

1. Force deep analysis
Instead of: Make this sound better.
Ask: Break this down like a writing coach. What’s weak, what’s strong, and how can it be improved?

2. Challenge assumptions
Instead of: Write a persuasive argument.
Ask: Play devil’s advocate against my argument. What flaws can you find, and how would you counter them?

3. Refine step by step
Instead of: Rewrite this post to sound engaging.
Ask: First, improve clarity. Then, add storytelling. Finally, boost emotional impact.

4. Reverse engineer
Instead of: Write a viral post.
Ask: Analyze the top viral posts in (niche) and craft one using their structure and engagement triggers.

5. Make it think in layers
Instead of: Make this copy more effective.
Ask: Give me three rewrites: one concise, one storytelling-driven, and one with psychological triggers.

6. Forcing a unique perspective
Instead of: Explain this concept.
Ask: Explain this as if you were a TED speaker, simplifying it for a global audience.

Source ChatGPT Tips
 

Conclusion: burn it down and bring back the fun

How to go from mediocre to great content with just a few tricks and tips? Easy: roast and sharpen. 

3 Reasons why to roast your content

1. Sharpens your thinking
2. Finds new, fresh, and different perspectives
3. Checks the flow and logic

How to get roasted by AI

• Ask AI to criticize you
• Use a more extended roleplay
• Ask AI to explain it to you like you are a beginner

Asking AI to roast you can give you some pleasure, improve your content immediately, unveil what you’re missing, and sharpen your thinking. Win-win with a smile.

A little warning: AI is not lighthearted and doesn’t spare you. 

Promised.

And remember, the secret is in the details of your prompts. The more specific you are, the less generic the output. Try the 6 tips from above yourself and find out. 

And please, don't forget to have some fun along the way. Your user will notice when content is created with a smile. 

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The main question for brands is how do you ‘rank’ in AI search? And how do we (not) measure that?

I'll explain the differences in content by example in a search for ‘best running shoes’.

For the sake of clarity, let’s assume you don’t know anything about how SEO and AI search collect their data. I’ll simplify it and skip some details; there's much more to search than content and copy. 

In this guide:

1. AI search versus traditional SEO
2. How to make your content AI-friendly
3. Explained by example
4. Update your KPIs

1. What is AI search?

AI search is exactly what you think it is. Using AI to search, for example, asking ChatGPT a question like ‘What are the best running shoes?’ Google launched AI Overviews in May 2024 and rolled out in over 100 countries in October; it’s expected any day in the Netherlands now.

The main difference between traditional SEO and AI search is the focus, from keyword to user intent. User intent is the underlying reason behind a search: what the user truly wants to know.

• In SEO, you search for ‘best running shoes’, and your query is just a few keywords. 
• In AI, you search ‘What are the best running shoes?’ in a more natural, human, and conversational language. 

How your user searches impact how you, as a brand, need to write your content. Let’s start with the differences between SEO and AI search.

Traditional SEO: keyword matching

Keyword-based
Traditional SEO targets specific keywords. Content repeats these terms to rank better, often without context. SEO experts target high-volume keywords to rank well, often writing content that repeats these words exactly.

It is good to realize that the question by the user is also in keywords, not in a natural language. For example ‘best running shoes’

Exact matches, less insight 
The search ‘best running shoes’ returns results with that exact phrase but not much else. It’s about matching words, not understanding needs. It's straightforward and doesn’t dive into why they’re searching or what they’re actually looking to solve.

Less focus on intent and context
Doesn’t dig deep into what the user actually wants. This means users often need to dig deeper to find what they really want, For example, a search for "best running shoes" may show results with that exact phrase but doesn’t consider whether they’re looking for shoes for marathons, trail runs, or casual jogs.

AI search: intent-focused and context-driven

Intent-based, understanding why you’re searching
AI-based search. AI looks beyond words. It tries to understand the user’s intention, and even if not directly stated, it picks up the underlying purpose behind a search.

A search like “how to stay fit on a trip” gets practical tips about travel workouts, healthy snacks, and routines that fit into busy schedules. The AI search engine thinks along with them.

Context over exact terms
AI considers synonyms, meanings, and even previous searches and where someone is, showing relevant content even if exact keywords don’t match. It’s about relevance, not exact matches.

2. How to make your content AI-friendly

To feed AI search, you’ll need to adapt your content, especially your copy, from keyword-based to user intent-based. That means putting your customers’ central matters more than ever, focusing on their needs instead of the general descriptions, and adding some FAQs from their perspective.

The 3 switches in the copy

• From keyword repetition to user focus: don't repeat product names; address user needs. In the example below, the intent-based copy helps readers find the right shoe for their specific goals.
   
• From general to more personal advice: where a keyword-focused copy gives general info, the intent-based copy offers tailored suggestions for different types of runners.
   
• Add FAQs to the basic descriptions: a keyword-focused copy sticks to descriptions, and the intent-based copy adds FAQs to answer practical questions.

What you need in your copy

• Have a clear structure to your content. If you have a solid and predictable structure to your content, it's easier to scan and find the answers. This also helps AI find and distill the answers. 
   
• Write simple, write for humans and busy readers. Complex and long writing gets ignored by humans and AI. Simple, human writing not only makes it easy to read and has higher engagement, it also shows who you are, that you care, and are an authority because you make the complex easy to understand. 
  
  Writing in a style that’s easy to read is not necessarily easy to write.
   
• Be non-commercial. It’s about giving information, not closing a sales deal. This is another no-brainer. Content used by AI to provide answers is, by default, information-driven and not sales-focused. 
  
  AI is not a sales machine for your brand (yet). AI is here to help humans to find answers.

It sounds vague and is best explained by example. Please note this is a completely fictional imaginary example, not existing copy.

3. Explained by example: keyword versus user intent copy

What is the true impact on how you write your copy?  

• First example, the keyword focus. It is quite the standard copy you would expect on an e-commerce brand page about running shoes and the specifications of the shoes.
   
• Second example, the user intent focus on user experience, needs, and advice and includes frequently asked questions that address practical concerns. The copy addresses different goals, like long-distance or short-distance running, and helps users choose based on personal preferences, such as comfort, stability, and terrain.  

Keyword-focused example

Best ON Running Shoes for Runners
ON Running shoes are among the best running shoes for runners looking for comfortable, durable footwear. Known for their CloudTec® technology, ON Running absorbs shock and ensures a smooth run. Whether you choose the ON Cloudswift, ON Cloudstratus, or the popular ON Cloud X, you’ll always get a high-quality running shoe.

These ON shoes offer great support, ideal for both beginners and experienced runners. The ON Cloudstratus and ON Cloudflyer are especially popular with long-distance runners, while the ON Cloud X is loved by runners seeking more flexibility. Check out the ON Running collection now and choose your perfect running shoes!

User intent-focused example

How to Choose the Best ON Running Shoes for Your Training Goals
If you’re looking for running shoes that are both comfortable and innovative, ON Running offers a range of options to improve your running experience. Known for their unique CloudTec® technology, ON Running shoes provide a soft landing and powerful push-off.

Need shoes for long-distance training? The ON Cloudstratus and ON Cloudflyer are ideal choices, offering extra cushioning and stability so you can run longer without strain. For shorter runs or gym sessions, the ON Cloud X is a flexible, lightweight option that supports natural movement.

But which shoe is right for you? Consider the surface you run on (like pavement or trails), your running style (neutral or overpronation), and your goals. ON Running has a shoe for every type of runner, so you can train comfortably and efficiently. Check our guide to find the ON Running shoes that best match your running style.

Frequently Asked Questions About ON Running Shoes

• Are ON Running shoes waterproof? Most ON models are not waterproof, but the ON Cloud Waterproof offers light rain protection.
• Can I wear ON Running shoes for everyday use? Absolutely! The ON Cloud series is popular for its comfortable design, suitable for both athletic and daily wear.

My secret tip to understand the user intent

The easiest trick and simple check is to put yourself in their shoes and ask, ‘What do I want to know if I’m searching for the best runner shoe?’ and ‘What are the relevant and related questions I might have?’ 

And based on that answer, you write your content.

4. How to measure; update your KPIs

Another thing that matters is how to measure all this. You'll need to update your reporting and prepare the C-suite for a shift. 

You will lose traffic from SEO and no more vanity metrics in unique visitors. The traffic you used to get from SEO now stays on the AI search page. 

But you'll gain visibility and leadership in the AI search responses. 

How to measure that? I don't have the answer, except zooming out to a 12-month overview with the overall sales and your content efforts plotted against that. 

Besides, it's always good to realize that not everything that can be measured should be measured and reported. 9 out of 10 times, we don't act upon that micro and vanity data and make no changes to the daily operations. 

Sometimes, you just have to accept that you can't measure everything, and some things will stay in the dark. 

Frequently asked questions about AI search

• What happens if I don't update my content for AI search?
  
  Nothing, it's not the end of the world. Next to lower SEO traffic, in the long run, you might also have lower brand awareness and recognition, which might result in lower sales.

• How and where to start to update my content for AI search?
  
  Make it a project; it's not a side hustle job. First, update your brand voice to make it more human and apply writing for busy readers, then audit and pick the top 10 most visited pages and update those. If you do that, you're already doing more than your competitors. And you can take it from there. 
  
  There is no need to update all your old pages; just pick the most important ones and make sure you apply this to all your new content. 

• How do I know what the FAQs are?
  
  Simply place yourself in your customer's shoes and think of questions you might have and how you'd use AI to search for answers. 
  
  Please don't use your standard brand and customer care FAQs; often, those are superficial and more about the brand. These specific FAQs are to feed AI search with detailed and practical questions your user has.  
  
  And if you can't think of any questions, leave them out. Answering any potential questions is a service, not an obligation. 
  
  Note that I use human, natural language in my FAQs, and how I write the question is almost like the prompt you would use for AI. Plus, I use a clear structure with a header and formatting.

Key takeaways

If you want to ‘rank’ in AI search, you better step up and adjust your content accordingly. The AI search is a different game from the traditional SEO search. 

Main differences

• From keyword to user intent focus
• From exact match to context and underlying needs
• From basic standard description to FAQs

The easiest trick and simple check is to put yourself in their shoes and ask, ‘What do I want to know if I’m searching for XXX?’ and ‘What are the relevant and related questions I might have?’ And based on that answer, you write your content.

Also, keep in mind that your KPIs need an update as well. You will lose traffic from SEO, but you'll gain visibility and leadership in AI responses. 

Need help to start with AI today?

If you need any help setting up this new process and getting your team started while hitting the ground running, don’t hesitate to drop me a DM on LinkedIn. 

If I'm not your designated person, I can certainly recommend someone in my network who can help you.  

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But a shocking 75% of marketers mention a lack of AI training (source). And to my big surprise, some employees still don't embrace AI and stick to their usual way of working. Maybe it’s fear or ignorance, or perhaps it’s because we don’t love what we don’t know—who can tell?

AI is here to stay, and it's about time to take it seriously. Do you want to know how to start with AI in your team and organization? Then this is for you. 

• The 2 mistakes in AI adoption: IT-only and siloed
• What to do instead: bottom-up and top-down approaches for success
• Frequently asked questions about AI adoption and training

Credit where credit is due, thanks to Arne Mosselman for writing ‘From the Ground Up.’ All content below originates from Arne’s whitepaper, and I have added some of my insights and experiences.

Let’s dig in.

Avoid these 2 mistakes in AI adoption approaches

Knowing what not to do is as powerful as knowing what to do. These are the two common missteps in adopting AI.

Mistake 1. Treating AI as an IT-only project

When AI is treated solely as an IT initiative, we miss its creative and human potential. This approach is too focused on cost-cutting and tech management. 

For the boomers amongst us, remember how we started with ‘the internet’ back in the days in that same IT department? And look at where it is right now, for and by everyone in the organization. 
 

Mistake 2. Innovation in silos

Isolating AI within a specific department creates a scattered effect, doubles the work, and prevents sharing experiences, learnings, and knowledge. You’d be amazed at how many companies implement AI only within a single department.

What can you do to successfully adopt AI? Go bottom-up and top-down. 

Bottom-up: innovation on the work floor

Change always comes from two ways: bottom-up and top-down. These are the recommendations from the work floor. 

• Creativity for everyone across teams
  AI sparks and fuels innovation in every department, much like social media did for content creation across marketing, communications, corporate, sales, customer care, and HR.
   
• ⁠Low-cost experimentation, high revenue
  AI licenses are affordable, with major time savings on everyday tasks. For about €350 per year in license and training, each employee could save around four hours. That’s a whopping ~10% time gain for ~1% of the brutal annual salary. Smart investment, right?
   
• ⁠⁠Let AI champions lead by example 
  Employee see, employee do. When they see their coworkers embracing AI with enthusiasm and success, that inspires them to give it a try too.

Now, let's look at what needs to be done by the leadership, top-down. 

Top-down: leadership support for growth

You can't lead if you don't know what you're talking about. So the leadership team has to learn to work with AI as well and create a safe environment to experiment. 

• Leadership commitment: they have to set ambitious, realistic goals, legitimize AI use, establish ethical boundaries, and give guidance to AI adoption easier. 
  
  Next to that, they themselves have to lead by example and also learn to work with AI. Monkey see, monkey do.
   
• Change Management: they, the leaders, have to realize AI is a change and needs change management, not just the rollout of a new tool. They have to guide and support the integration of AI in the daily work processes and facilitate a safe environment to experiment and learn to work with AI while they break the vertical and horizontal silos to share learnings and knowledge.

This is the strategic framework that the leadership team has to give.

• Clear objectives
  To measure is to know. Besides, it helps to mitigate employee fears and highlights the productivity benefits of daily tasks.
   
• ⁠⁠Training
  This is a no-brainer. 75% mention they lack formal and continuous training. It's good to realize that ‘one training is no training’; you have to set up a program with multiple sessions and share experiences and knowledge. 
   
• Internal communication
  The best way to succeed is to highlight small successes and share the daily struggles and fears and how other employees overcame them. Sharing is caring. Don't keep it secret.
   
• ⁠Encourage experimentation
  This experimentation is so important that I will mention it for the third time. You must foster and encourage a culture of structured experimentation to explore and scale AI. Fail fast, learn faster, and dare to experiment, be innovative, and dare to make mistakes.
   
• Measure Impact
  In line with the objectives and internal communications, measure and share. Nothing is as sticky and inspiring as success with new technologies.

Frequently asked questions about AI adoption and training

• What if I just start small with AI in marketing?
  
  Well, at least you're starting; that's good. But do you want to keep AI exclusive and secret for marketing only? 
  
  Or do you want to empower other employees as well to work more efficiently and faster, so they have more headspace to improve the quality and not just the quantity of their work? 

• How do I begin with AI if I don't know where to start?
  
  Then, call Arne. He's the one who can help you and guide you on how to set this up in a solid and measurable way. He's your strategic counterpart for AI. 
  
  I highly recommend him because he's good and brutally honest in the typical Dutch way, not a self-proclaimed guru or cowboy. Just to let you know, I'm not affiliated, nor do I get a fee; I recommend him because he's one of the best and, above all, a really nice guy and easy to work with. 

• What makes good AI training for my marketing team?
  
  ‘One training is no training.’ What I hear from many marketing and comms people is that they feel their AI training is either too technical or too high-level, packed with impressive capabilities but lacking practical steps and a follow-up to keep it going. Often, they feel super inspired but don't know how to start using AI in their daily work. Without clear, hands-on tips and tricks, they scratch the surface of AI and give up when their results don’t give them the excitement they felt during training. 
  
  My best-kept secret for good training: small groups, 4 to 8. Let them bring their struggles with examples to the training. Start with the overview of what they need to know and what they can forget — followed by how to prompt and the reason behind the structure of a good prompt. Hands-on practical fun pushing and poking AI around gets them started. And follow up with a shorter session to ask questions and dive a bit deeper where needed. If you also want to have a training like this, contact me.

Wrapping it up

Implementing and adopting AI makes me think back to the days when we took our first steps with websites. And when we embraced social media, every department jumped on the content creation. We came from far and let’s use those lessons learned to embrace the exciting future ahead.

What not to do in AI adaption 

• Make AI an IT journey
   
• Start in a one siloed department

How to set up AI adoption for success

• Bottom-up: empower creativity and innovation for everyone, against low experimentation costs with high revenue, and give stage to AI enthusiasts to inspire others.
   
• Top-down: lead by example; leadership has to work with AI as well, treat it as a change and not a tool, give objectives, measure and communicate them, provide training, and again, encourage experimentation.

If you want to know more about this, contact Arne Mosselman. He knows. Download his whitepaper, 'From the Ground Up: How Generative AI is Revolutionising Industries, and discover how to build an AI-powered strategy that upskills teams and fosters innovation.' 

If you want to know more about how to use AI for your marketing and content team, then, quite biased, of course, contact me.

Need help to start with AI today?

If you need any help setting up this new process and getting your team started while hitting the ground running, don’t hesitate to drop me a DM on LinkedIn. 

If I'm not your designated person, I can certainly recommend someone in my network who can help you.  

Stay ahead: subscribe to my newsletter

If you want to stay up to date on AI, content, and marketing based on insight and how it matters to you, subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter. And you'll receive my monthly update on the LinkedIn algorithm automatically in your inbox. 

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For 2024, it's all about the ‘comment' and not about the ‘like’. If you think about it, that really makes sense. A ‘like’ is like a polite nudge of approval. A ‘comment’ is engagement and interaction. And LinkedIn is all about connecting people. (Source, page 69, 70)

A ‘comment’ has 15x the importance of a 'like'

Check out these eye-opening stats (Algorithm Insights 2024 Report, source)
1. Comments pump up your post's reach by a whopping 15 times more than a mere like.
2. They're 5 times more effective than sharing someone else's post with your own thoughts.
3. And they outshine a simple instant repost by 2.5 times.

It's good to know that a comment of 15 words or more is valued higher than a shorter comment. Looks like the LinkedIn algorithm favors in-depth insights and points of view. 

How to get a comment? 

There are several ways, I'm not sure what works best. You can be very polarizing in your statement and provoke a counter opinion, you can ask a question (just don't be lame), or you can write something that incorrect that people have to correct you. Or maybe the best way is to share your insights and vision and ask for other people's opinions. I don't know. 

What I do know is that simply putting up a recap of what you've written doesn't work. Yes, speaking from experience. I quite destroyed my algorithm reach and going to improve my caption skills. 

How to write a comment and also boost your own reach

Your well-written comment can help the original poster get more reach with his or her valuable insights. Nice side effect: LinkedIn will give you some more reach, too. 

A great comment is longer than one or two words and shows you actually read the post from the beginning to the end. Share your thoughts, add remarks, or make people and poster wonder. 

No sh*t, be a Sherlock. A ‘great post’ or ‘I agree’ comment will not do. 15+ Word comments are favored by the algorithm. 

And please, please stay away from AI. Keep it personal; write your own comments; it’s not that difficult.

In this December update with secrets to the LinkedIn algorithm, I once again steal-with-pride the content from Richard van der Blom. He posts great stuff, too good not to share. Check out his original post for more of his insights and recommendations. 

I edited his original overview and created my lists below.

Top 3 Do’s in writing a comment

1. Actually read the entire post and comment on the content, not just the headline. 
2. Give a compliment or an insight; don’t stick to the obvious ‘great post.’ Or ask a question that makes the original poster think. Make an effort with your comment and show that you read it and that you care. A comment should be minimal, about a sentence long. In Richard’s words, be a Sherlock or play detective. 
3. Have fun; keep it light yet professional. 

Top 3 Don’ts in writing a comment

1. Refrain from copy-paste others or sticking to your one-word comments. Or be too extensive in your comment. As Richard states, ‘It’s a comment, not your autobiography.’ 
2. Don't share your own links or elevator pitches and promote yourself or your business. It's not about you. 
3. AI. We notice. Giving a comment is about connecting. Keep it personal. And if you can't make the effort by writing your own comment, better don't do it at all. 

Don’t forget to comment first and like or love the post second. LinkedIn values your very first interaction, and commenting still ranks higher.  

Monthly updates and insights with LinkedIn's algorithm secrets 

Check out my monthly update on the LinkedIn algorithm.  A few topics in previous updates: Why video is not the best content format for your LinkedIn post, the most recent changes in the algorithm (2023), my lessons learned in 2023 with 100+ newsletter posts, and how to favor or annoy the LinkedIn algorithm in 2023.

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If you want to stay up to date on AI, content, and marketing based on insight and how it matters to you, subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter.

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Disclaimer

The content on this page is part of my February 2024 LinkedIn algorithm update. As this is one of my best-read pages and ranks very high in SEO, I decided to give it its dedicated page to keep it available for you. 

Working with AI is great and very powerful. It can enrich your output by 10x. Yet as for everything, also here, ‘sh*t is sh*t out’. The quality of the AI output is defined by the quality of your input, the prompt. 

→ How do you get from a plain prompt to really use AI to your advantage? 

Let’s get real about writing prompts and prompt engineering. It sounds complicated and expensive; in reality, it's nothing more than writing down your ask, undressed,  naked, and stripped of all jargon and buzz.  

On this page, I hope to inspire you to use AI, have some fun with it, and discover the possibilities and options. 

Humblebragging: everyone who attended my ‘AI and content’ workshop started using AI differently, with more pleasure and better output.

For simplicity, I’ll stick to ChatGPT on this page. There are many more LLMs (large language models), such as Bard, Meta, Alexa (voice control), CoPilot, and so on. The way you create your prompts is more or less the same for every LLM.

Here's what you'll learn on this page:

1. What is a prompt, and what’s prompt engineering
2. First tip: long, specific and detailed prompts
3. Second tip: prompt on prompt chains
4. Say ‘hi,’ ‘please’, and ‘thank you’
5. Use your knowledge and creativity
6. Use Custom Instructions
7. Keep your prompting skills up to date

Let's go!

1. Decoding prompt engineering; the what and how 

What’s a prompt?
First, the basics. What is ‘prompt’? The prompt is your ‘ask’, the instruction you give; it is the words you type in ChatGPT to get output. It's the same as you do with keywords in Google, only now it’s in human language, more detailed and longer.

For every new ask to ChatGPT, you start a new chat. Don’t continue in your previous chat if the topics are not related. Open a new chat and start with a clean slate.

What’s prompt engineering?
Prompt engineering is the art of writing prompts. Sounds expensive and complicated; in practice, it’s playing around with prompts to get your desired output.

The better your prompts, the better the output. And this is why you’ll still have a job in a few years. All you need to do is to learn how to prompt, use your knowledge and expertise, and add some creative thinking. And you’ll set yourself apart from mediocracy and others who use AI.

The most important thing for the right prompt is that you have to know the problem you’re trying to solve.

AI and generative AI
For you, as a normal human being, marketer, or content maker, there’s no need to know the exact differences between both. 

All you need to know is that AI generates new content based on existing content. AI uses predictability and probability to answer your ask. 

ChatGPT echoes what’s already there — no new insights and strategies, unbiased without an own point of view.

Difference with Google search
And that’s the biggest difference with Google SEO. In Google, you search on a few keywords, get a list with websites and videos, and dive into those. In ChatGPT, you ask for information and inspiration, and, in a chitchat way of communication, you’ll get to your answer. You have to know where you’re heading, and along the way, ChatGPT feeds you with more information, things you never thought of, and together you dive into it.

ChatGPT and prompt engineering are less about the technology and more about the challenge or problem you’re trying to solve.

You can’t break AI
Don’t be afraid to play and fool around. The more fun you’re having, the easier it gets. It takes practice and time before you get it; you have to write your prompts to get your output.

The good news is that when you f*ck up, you can start over in a brand new chat.

2. First tip: writing effective prompts, length, and detail matter

Detailed prompts matter to get the right output. The more extended your prompt, the better it is. The more specific you are, the more accurate the output. 

Feed ChatGPT as if you’re talking to a 5-year-old; explain exactly what you want it to do, give details on how to execute it, and describe how you want it delivered.

There are so many formulas and models to write a prompt; this is my preferred one. I've seen this one somewhere online, I can't find the original source anymore. 

1. Task: Clearly define your end goal. Here, you can add a specific channel for which you want to use the output; ‘Write this as a blog post for my newsletter,’ or ‘Write this as an Instagram feed post’.
   Example: ‘Write a short, friendly guide on how to bake chocolate chip cookies.’
    
2. Context: tailor your response and give more details of the setting.
   Example: 'Considering a home baker's kitchen, write a guide on how to bake chocolate chip cookies.'
    
3. Examples: give an example to mimic style, structure, and tone.
   Example: ‘Like a cooking show host, write a short, engaging guide on baking chocolate chip cookies.’
    
4. Persona: embody a specific expertise.
   Example: ‘As a professional baker, write a guide on how to bake perfect chocolate chip cookies.’
    
5. Format: specify your output; bullet points, top list, table, etc. Here, you can also add ‘in 500 words’ to get something more in-depth. Or ‘in 50 words’ to get something short and sweet. 
   Example: ‘In a list format, write steps for baking chocolate chip cookies.’
    
6. Tone: add a layer of emotional context.
   Example: ‘With enthusiasm for baking, write a guide on making chocolate chip cookies, focusing on the joy of baking.’
    

This results in your first prompt: 
‘Write a short, engaging guide on how to bake chocolate chip cookies as if you are a professional baker in a home kitchen setting. Use a list format to detail the steps and convey your deep enthusiasm and joy for baking throughout the guide.’

Clean and clear grammar
For your prompts, it’s important to use clear language and proper grammar so ChatGPT understands you. Of course, it can read over a typo, yet write your prompts in the same way you would ask a co-worker. Respectfully and with dignity.

The only exception is when you can use jargon in your prompt, such as when it’s very domain-specific, and you need this knowledge to write the right prompt.

Use ‘quotation marks’ where needed
Lastly, use ‘…’ to indicate specific words, examples, or text fragments you want to use for input. Using quotation marks helps AI to differentiate between your ask and your input.  

Example: how do you say in english 'start met een schone lei'

No need to squeeze all into your first prompt
There is no need to squeeze in all 6 elements in your first prompt. It's perfectly fine to get more detailed in your next prompt. Or to finetune the format of the output in the third prompt. Or even to specify the audience in the fourth. It's important that you cover all elements in your chain of prompts. 

I use Custom Instructions in ChatGPT-4 and define my tone and expertise there to personalize the output. That's why I can leave out tone and persona, as ChatGPT already has this information. 

→ This brings me to the next best practice, the chain of prompts: prompt on prompt. 

3. Second tip: prompt chaining for better output

The added value of AI is the conversation you’re having; ChatGPT is called like that for a reason: it’s a Chat you have with a Generative Pre-trained Transformer. Together, you dive into the topic and create an answer to your ask.  

Prompt on prompt
Simply said, you get your best output if you put a prompt on a prompt. There is no such thing as a one-perfect prompt to get your answer.

You have to break things down into smaller parts to get a thorough, narrow answer. You start big and explorative, and along the way, you get more specific and into details. Usually, my chats consist of a minimum of 3 to 5 prompts before I have my output. More often, it’s about 8 to 10 prompts to get really nerdy and detailed.

This is also why you need to start a new chat if your ask is about a different topic. Start with a clean slate.

Important last step
The last step in the process is that you make it yours and give it some more human touch. Copy-paste the output, edit, tune, tweak, and refine. 

You always do the final review yourself and never upload or publish non-reviewed AI content. People notice.

There’s no shame in using AI; there is shame in being lazy and making the output yours.

And as OpenAI itself states in every chat window, ‘ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.’ You are responsible for what you use and publish. Always check on validity and sanity.

Example: try it with these prompts 
Use this prompt: ‘Write a short, engaging guide on how to bake chocolate chip cookies as if you are a professional baker in a home kitchen setting. Use a list format to detail the steps and convey your deep enthusiasm and joy for baking throughout the guide.’

Once you have the output, get more specific with this prompt: 'Can you rewrite this recipe for an absolute rookie in the kitchen who's discovering the pleasure and mindfulness of baking for the first time?'

Finally, make it suitable for Gen Z with this third prompt: ‘Thanks, can you now make it suitable for Gen Z and using emotions where needed?’

Try it yourself and see what happens to the output. 

4. Say ‘hi,’ ‘please’, and ‘thank you’

This is one of the best tricks to get more out of ChatGPT. And it's not that AI gives a f*ck if you're polite or not; it's about you and your mind. Seeing AI as an equal partner in the conversation sparks your mind and creativity in prompt writing. 

You can see in my prompts that I ask ChatGPT to do something for me. Most of my prompts start with a ‘Can you…’

Read more on ‘Unlock the power of ChatGPT by saying ’hi' and ‘thank you’

5. Leverage your knowledge and creative thinking in the age of AI

These are the two reasons why you’ll still have a job in a few years: your knowledge and creative thinking. You being authentic and showing your expertise.

You do you, with a little help from AI.

It’s good to realize that generative AI echoes what’s already there. There’s nothing new, no new strategies, no new insights, all unbiased and without a point of view.

With every prompt you write, you can dive deeper into the topic to reveal what matters. No matter if it’s an ‘easy-to-follow recipe for chocolate chip cookies’ or an extended breakdown of ‘why every company should have an agnostic silo-independent content strategy.’

And it’s also you who does the creative thinking — thinking differently, displaying a unique point of view, explaining the complicated in an easy way, and highlighting what matters most at that moment, for that topic in that context.

Anyone can type in a prompt; a few can create prompt chains and get the desired output that stands out and makes the complex understandable.

6. Use custom instructions in ChatGPT-4

Stepping up your game is getting a paid subscription and to get access to ChatGPT-4. Yes, there’s a big difference compared to the free version. More accurate, better details, real-time search in Bing via the app, and much more. Honestly, if you don’t master the art of writing better prompts first, save your bucks and efforts, and don’t go for ChatGPT-4 yet.

Use Custom Instructions 
The hidden and best feature of ChatGPT-4 is the ‘Custom Instructions’ to get personalized output. The only limit is your imagination and the 1.500 character count.

Here's what you need to do.

1. Enter ‘What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?’
2. Tell ‘‘How would you like ChatGPT to respond?’

Read more on Custom Instructions and the details on how to personalize it.

Be aware of what you share
Keep in mind that ChatGPT-4 saves your data, builds a profile, and probably is going to use that for (commercial) objectives. You voluntarily feed the AI with your most personal and private data.

7. Keep your prompting skills up to date

What works today can be totally different in two weeks. How you write a prompt, what you put in a prompt, or how you chain prompts evolves over time. As AI changes on an almost daily basis, so should your prompt engineering knowledge. 

It's up to you to stay on track, learn, and grow together with AI. 

Wrapping up, in summary

When you master prompts and prompt engineering, you'll experience the real added value of using AI and how it can help you and enrich your output by 10x. 

As said, garbage in is garbage out. It’s you, with help from AI, that creates the magic and the output. All you need to do is show your expertise, knowledge, and creativity when writing the prompt while chatting with ChatGPT.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. What is a prompt, and what’s prompt engineering
2. First tip: long, specific and detailed prompts
3. Second tip: prompt on prompt chains
4. Say ‘hi,’ ‘please’, and ‘thank you’
5. Use your knowledge and creativity
6. Use Custom Instructions
7. Keep your prompting skills up to date

And remember, you can’t break AI. Have fun. Play and fool around, give it a try, and be surprised.

Always. Always do the last check yourself. Not only to make it your own, also to triple-check the validity and sanity.

Now it's up to you! Start, have fun, and discover your and AI's potential!

Disclaimer

This page was originally published in November 2023 and updated in February 2024.  Exactly as mentioned in that last paragraph, prompt engineering changes by the week, so should your skills and my tips. 

And if you have some patience, you can multiply that even more.

AI-powered, you do the thinking
And the good news is that you can keep your authenticity and personality in all your content assets if you do your setup correctly and use AI to power up your content instead of generating it. 

This only works if your content stays of high quality, and that comes down to you, who does the strategic thinking. 

The 3 benefits

• This all results not only in getting more value for your content budget; 
• you can speed up by using templates to save your team’s precious time as well.
• Lastly, the side effect is that your message will stick better; after all, you always need to repeat your message 5 to 7 times before it lands, just like those annoying repetitive TV ads.

Let me reveal the trick.

The magic behind multiplying content

It’s quite easy, these are the steps

1. First, you create one piece of content for .com
2. Then, you pivot that into multiple variations,
3. and per variation, you create multiple assets for your distribution on social and email marketing,
4.  that you post asynchronously over time,
5. and you use data to repeat what works.

In my case, that’s 1 x .com with 6 x distribution x 3 variations, and all of this, you repeat at least 1 time = 42

Let’s dive into the details.

1. The non-negotiable basics for the foundational first piece

First of all, your content must be truly audience-focused. Your content is not about you or your features and benefits; it’s about your audiences’ problem, and how your product is going to solve that.

High-quality content with a simple yet solid structure. In line with the above, I always use the ‘problem-solution-benefit’ structure combined with ‘what to know,’ ‘why it matters,’ and ‘what to do.’

Once you have these six elements thought through and written down, it becomes very easy to create multiple variations.

2. Create multiple variations to amplify reach

It’s perfectly fine to create multiple variations of one content piece. By adjusting titles, reshuffling, and playing with the structure and order of the paragraphs, you can create at least 3 variations from just 1 content piece. 

I have 1 + 2 pages on free AI courses. All three have the same content blocks, and in every variation, I have a slightly different angle.

• The 4 best free AI courses for marketing and content 
• Improve your prompts with these 4 free AI courses
• The 15 best tips to master prompt engineering for marketing and content

More details on multiplying and the 7 must-know tips and essentials for repeating your content effectively.

3. Create engaging content assets fast and easy in 15 minutes

Once you have all your variations, it's time to create your social assets plus email marketing.

For the caption, I go with the flow. Usually, I grab a provoking line from my content; you want to spark conversation and engagement – not just giving a recap or repeating the title. 

The visuals are a derivation from the header visual and thumbnail I already created for my .com. By working smarter with templates in Canva Pro, creating all these visuals and animations takes me about 15 minutes maximum.

4. Posting asynchronously for even more reach

My best tip for more reach is to never fire on all cylinders or come out all guns blazing. You can get significantly more reach with the same content by posting asynchronously. 

There’s a big chance your audience scrolls through Instagram story and feed in one session, checks LinkedIn, and opens their email on the same day. Don't count on the ‘maybe they don’t see it, so I post on every channel.' If they don't see it on their Instagram story, they probably don't see it on the feed as well. If they do, you'll become annoying. 

If you spread all of your posts over a few days, weeks, or even months, there is a bigger chance you’ll reach a broader audience, and they may even see it twice – repeating your content makes it stick. 

You can use tools like Notion it’s very easy to keep track of your planning and postings.

5. Use data to repeat your content (or not)

In line with the above, never presume your audience has seen your content the first time you published. It’s the same with those annoying TV ads; they are repeated over and over again to make them stick.

On LinkedIn, if you’re lucky, 10% of your followers see your post. If you’re posting from a business page, it’s even lower.

If it’s good, it’s worth repeating it. All you need to do is to check your data and analytics to discover what works. Read more about the 5 step guide to recycle and republish your content.

You don't need any complicated or fancy tools; just the very basics already give you some great insights into what content resonates and what does not. 

Prerequisites for repeating your content

• If you republish existing content, always update the copy. Visuals matter; nothing looks as brand new as a new visual
• What was the initial date of publication? Before you recycle and repost, I advise you to have a minimum of three months in between.
• If your data s*cks, it's not worth repeating. Then, you can rewrite, update, dust, and repost to improve engagement. 

AI-powered not AI-generated

For engaging content, it's indispensable your content is authentically and recognizable to you. The right way to use AI is human - AI - human, not AI - human - AI. 

The first is AI-powered, the second is AI-generated.

If you do the thinking, set up the structure, and use AI to improve and speed up, followed by you again to give the content some human touch and love, it's AI-powered. Your personality will shine through as you are the main driver. 

However, if you use AI to fully generate your content, no matter how much you prompt on your tone of voice, your content will lose a part of your identity. And your audience will notice in some way that the content is AI-generated. 

Daily love for maintaining quality and reach

The biggest mistake in content is that you think you can get away with some attention every once in a while. That's not how it works. 

Take your time; content is not a start-stop campaign and should be given some daily love or at least a weekly basis. I know that's quite an effort within your team, but that's what's needed to keep it alive. 

By giving my content a bit of attention every day, I keep the workload low and still have over 25.000 unique visitors a year and 1.000 subscribers to my email updates. 

Conclusion: unlock your efficiency and amplify your reach

In summary, if you work smarter, not harder, you can save yourself some serious budgets and your team's valuable time.  I really don't get why not more brands are applying this trick to create multiple variations, with several assets posted asynchronously and repeat what works. 

Small side note: AI is not your rescue here. This only works if your content stays of high quality, with personality and authenticity. And that comes down to you, who does the strategic thinking. Then, you jump to AI to power up the process and improve what you already have. 

The trick on how I get:  1 x .com with 6 x distribution x 3 variations, and each you repeat at least one time = 42 content pieces

1. First, you create one piece of content for .com
2. Then, you pivot that into multiple variations,
3. and per variation, you create multiple assets for your distribution on social and email marketing,
4.  that you post asynchronously over time,
5. and you use data to repeat what works.

Now, it’s up to you to expand your content's lifetime and get more out of your time and budget investments. Try it yourself and let me know what you think.

Need help to start with AI today?

If you need any help setting up this new process and getting your team started while hitting the ground running, don’t hesitate to drop me a DM on LinkedIn. 

If I'm not your designated person, I can certainly recommend someone in my network who can help you.  

You can skip all other (free) courses and training; these are all directly applicable to your daily job without getting too much into the technical details. 

1. ChatGPT & Google Bard for increased productivity, the basics of the basics, all about predictability and probability
2. Google’s generative AI learning path, a little more in-depth basics; you can skip this course if the first is already detailed enough for you
3. LinkedIn’s career essentials in generative AI, on how to overcome AI fear and how not to normalize mediocracy in AI output
4. Learn to Prompt, my favorite!

• Mastering prompts: the key lessons collected from these courses

Grab a cup of coffee and speed up those videos to 1.25 or 1.5x (you'll thank me later). 

1. ChatGPT & Google Bard for increased productivity 

https://www.udemy.com/course/exploring-chatgpt-an-introductory-guide-with-use-cases/

• A foundational course to understand the absolute basics of ChatGPT and AI
• Learn how to interact with the tool, craft specific prompts, and maximize its potential

2. Google’s generative AI learning path 

https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/journeys/118

• A great starting point for basic knowledge about AI, a bit more in-depth than the first course
• The origin and growth of AI, some more details
• There is also some overlap with the first course

3. LinkedIn’s career essentials in generative AI 

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/paths/career-essentials-in-generative-ai-by-microsoft-and-linkedin

Very nice, detailed training with great insights. Yet, not all chapters are equally relevant and interesting. Pick to your liking. 

How do we overcome the fear, judgment, and prejudice about AI? AI is a tool in the service of humanity. Broaden your perspective (do your research), start making things, and stay creative. 

Overcome the normalization of mediocrity; if you become lazy and rely on machines without staying creative, you receive outcomes that are devoid of the sparkle of human ingenuity. That will be noticeable in your output and content.

A few highlights and key learnings 

• The output of generative AI can be entirely new content, not just a collection of existing content.
• Learn that GPT (Generative Pre-trained transformer) is a sophisticated natural language model.
• Delve into the nuances of VAE and anomaly detection, which has vast applications, especially in detecting medical conditions or fraud in various industries.
• Gain insights into more creative applications of AI and understand the difference between tools like Midjourney (more creative focus) and Dall-E (more technical focus)
• Discover real-world applications, such as how Heinz uses Dall-E for creative campaigns

And remember, you are the power behind AI; your knowledge and creativity make the difference between mediocre, good and great output. 

4. Learn to Prompt 

https://www.udemy.com/course/chatgpt-101-the-complete-beginners-guide-and-masterclass/learn/lecture/37450596#overview 

 This is my favorite of these four courses, where I learned the most and significantly improved my prompts.

A hands-on guide to the basics of prompting with some useful tips and tricks. The key videos to watch:

• Video 1: 'Useful features for marketers'
• Video 4: 'Top tips to create good ChatGPT prompts'
• Video 5: ‘Train ChatGPT to write email like me’

Mastering prompts: the key lessons 

Below, you find a collection of all lessons on AI, ChatGPT, and how-to prompt — a combination of the courses above and what I found elsewhere. 

In summary, prompts are not just asking a question; ask it well. The magic of prompts is in giving the feedback and the type of answer you want. The more background you give on your prompt and the more specific you are, the better the output. Takes practice. Iterate, analyze, and refine.

Remember, garbage in is garbage out

• For the right prompt, you have to know the problem you’re trying to solve. ChatGPT and prompt engineering are less about the technology and more about the challenge or problem you’re trying to solve.
   
• Be specific and provide context. Treat ChatGPT as if you give orders to a 7-year-old; very clear and specific with details.
   
• Write what type of answer you expect, e.g., ‘in table format’ or ‘top ten most…’ or ‘a bullet list’ and ‘in 500 words’.
   
• Break things down into smaller parts to get a thorough, narrow answer.
   
• Use clear language and proper grammar, except if it’s very domain-specific and you need your knowledge to write the right prompt.

Experiment

• Experiment with the role-play scenario; ‘imagine you are an expert marketer…’ so the engine takes over the persona. Or ‘act as a travel agent … ‘. ‘Explain to me just like I am 10 years old.’
   
• Or include a debate style in your prompt to ask about the pros and cons related to your query; you can ask for arguments for and against a specific topic. E.g., ‘present arguments for and against…’
   
• Or you can use an analogy to explain complex ideas. E.g., ‘Explain quantum physics using a sports analogy’.
   
• You can also do a creative exercise. Ask ChatGPT to brainstorm or ideate a fictional narrative related to your query. e.g., ‘I’m writing a story about traveling to a parallel universe. Help me brainstorm some unique laws of nature that this parallel universe might have.’

Include these in your prompt

• And include the audience in your prompt ‘My audience is marketers who use to work with agencies’.
   
• Include what sources you want ChatGPT to use, e.g.,’ Include reliable sources like TripAdvisor or reliable sources’ or ‘rank them accordingly to Google review.’ If you want to go all out, add here the ‘in a table format with the columns place, trip advisor ranking, google review ranking’. Try this and be surprised by the output.
   
• Experiment with all sorts of ways to write your prompt. Often, slightly changing your query leads to different responses and levels of creativity.
   
• Define the tone of voice of the output, e.g., formal, fun, include emojis, etcetera. Read more
   
• Don’t forget to say ‘Hi’ and ‘thank you’. That does something to your brain, and you’ll get even better output. Read more

Last but not least, don’t be afraid to say that you used AI.

More AI courses that are worth your time

Microsoft's ‘Transform Your Business With AI :

• Grasp the ethos behind Responsible AI
• Discover all about CoPilot, Microsoft’s AI tool

Check out this link with 50+ free courses from Mashable.  

My selection process: curating the best for marketing and content people

How I created this list… I scanned, clicked, and stole from all LinkedIn posts, emails, newsletters, peers, friends, and foes. Over the past weeks, I completed over 30 training courses—some with pleasure and adding to my knowledge, others with anxiety and adding unnecessary complexity.

My starting point in the review and recommendations is what you need to know as a strategist, content producer, marketer, brand marketer, project manager, or any other manager.

• No in-depth details on how AI exactly works, its origin, and its features and releases. Only the basics to explain the downfalls of AI so you can use that to your advantage.
• No focus on different types of AI, generative AI, discriminative AI, general AI, VAE, and anomaly detections. Only what you need to know for your daily job: some ChatGPT and CoPilot-like features.
• No visual AI like Dall-E or Midjourney. Quite amazing, but please leave the visual design up to the visual designers.
• No deep dive into AI for voice, like Alexa with conversational speech recognition using LLM and giving output in natural AI-generated conversation
• No need to have a daily changing list of apps and tools. All you need to know for now are the big players. And to buckle up for the AI rollercoaster battle in 2024 between Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and OpenAI.

Final words, embrace the AI revolution

Enjoy. You are the power behind AI. 

‘AI will not replace your job; you will be replaced by someone who uses AI’

AI is a great opportunity to dive into your knowledge and show your expertise. You write the prompts; AI does the rest.   

So what are you waiting for? These are the four courses worth your time. Start with the first and end with the last. 

1. ChatGPT & Google Bard for increased productivity
2. Google’s generative AI learning path
3. LinkedIn’s career essentials in generative AI
4. Learn to Prompt