Whether you’re working on an article, tutorial, or in-depth piece, every writer knows the pain and effort of writing longer content. So, if you are one of us (yes, believe it or not, we also struggle), it’s time to call a friend —ChatGPT.
What Is Longform Content?
Let’s discuss first what long-form content is.
Long-form pieces can be guides, tutorials, long blogs or articles, ebooks, and any other longer piece of writing. The specific amount of words that qualify content as “long-form” depends on who you ask. However, many sources say its content is 1,000 words or more.
Our opinion? A piece of content with a word count of over 1,200 words is long-form.
Using ChatGPT to Write Long-form Content
Now, as we’ve mentioned in the intro, ChatGPT can be your lifeline when every word that comes to mind is pure gibberish (we’ve been there!).
In order to fully harness ChatGPT’s power in long-form content assistance, follow these steps:
Step 1. Create an Outline
Outline? Yes, an outline for the first step. Why? It’s easier to put your ideas to paper if there’s organization.
Of course, this is assuming you already received a topic to write about from your editor or client. No topic yet? Use this prompt:
I'm writing a longform content about [insert your idea], aimed towards [insert your target audience]. Can you generate ten topic ideas that that breaks a broad concept into unconventional subtopics? Once you have a topic, you can begin using ChatGPT to create an outline. You can do this by first telling ChatGPT your topic and asking for up to two different outline ideas.
I'm writing a long-form content about [insert your topic], aimed towards [insert your target audience]. Can you generate two outline ideas? The outlines don’t have to be 100% what you want them to be, but they should be close.
Tip: Longform content receives 77.2% more backlinks compared to short articles and is great for search engine optimization (SEO). However, you will need to make sure that your outline is using the right keywords.
Step 2. Choose the Outline
With two AI-generated outline options at your disposal, you can choose which one you are going to show the front door.
But don’t welcome the winning outline with open arms just yet —make any necessary adjustments as you see fit. You can do this either on your own or with ChatGPT. Whatever you choose, here are several things you should watch out for:
- Repetitive or redundant ideas
- Header names
- Flow of information (from introduction to conclusion, of course)
Step 3. Generate Content One Section At a Time
“One section at a time?! I’m saving time here!”
We know, but would you rather get an AI-generated long-form full of nonsense, or would you rather have something that is insightful? We thought so.
So, don’t put out the pitchforks just yet. Tackling one section at a time is beneficial to you (and ChatGPT’s sanity):
- ChatGPT has a limited length of text that it can generate at once. For example, if you ask ChatGPT to write a 1,500-word article, it might generate 1,000 words of it.
- Smaller sections help ChatGPT stay focused and go deeper into each part.
- It also keeps the AI from going off on tangents or repeating itself like a broken record.
Tip: Vague prompts encourage ChatGPT to go off-track. But don’t overload it either — giving too much info at once can confuse any AI.
Please generate the content for [insert section name from your outline]. My preferred writing style and tone is [insert style and tone]. Repeat this step until you reach the conclusion.
Step 4. Refine the Output
The last and final stage is refining the output because:
- ChatGPT can generate outdated or inaccurate information.
- AI has a large vocabulary of words it likes to reuse. Some of its most common words include ones like “tapestry,” “delve,” “navigating,” “crucial,” “unleash,” and the list goes on.
Keep in mind that rewriting your AI-generated text does more than just avoid common issues for phrases and factual information. While ChatGPT can do the revision for you, manual editing comes with several other benefits:
- AI content that sounds like you is more natural, engaging, and relatable.
- Correcting logic issues and verifying facts helps build trust and shows you know your stuff.
Overcome Longform Content Obstacles
Writing long-form articles is always going to be a struggle, but hopefully, we’ve lifted a portion off your shoulders with this guide.
Comment below if you found this article helpful or if there are any additional tips you think we’ve missed.