By Sunil Saxena
Gen AI is about to render another skill redundant: prompt engineering. Ironically, this skill came into existence because of Gen AI only.
Soon after the launch of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022, young individuals were encouraged to pursue prompt engineering as a promising field with significant job potential. Many did so too.
The blogosphere was filled with posts about prompt engineering. Tech wizards shared their insights on how to write effective prompts. Social media influencers contributed to the excitement. Soon, a small cottage industry grew up around this skill.
Gen AI enthusiasts were advised to write prompts that were specific. They were told to include context and indicate the required mood, style and tone. Examples of good prompts and bad prompts became widely available on the net. Some educationists even proposed adding prompt engineering to school and university curricula.
The euphoria around prompt engineering was understandable. Designing the right prompt was a struggle for beginners and professionals alike.
That struggle is now over. And your saviour is none other but Gen AI itself.
You can now turn to Gen AI and seek its help to create model prompts. The process is simple and needs no special expertise.
How I created my model headline prompt
It was an accident. One day, when I could not find a headline for an article I wanted to publish on Medium.com, I turned to ChatGPT in desperation, and sought its help.
I submitted: “I am a blogger, and I struggle with writing clickable headlines. Please help me craft a suitable prompt that can help me create killer headlines.”
ChatGPT’s response was swift and stunning. It was like an answer to my prayer.
Without much ado, it announced:
Here’s a custom, power-packed prompt you can use again and again to generate killer, clickable headlines for your blog posts:
It then published a generic prompt which ran thus:
“Act as a seasoned digital copywriter and headline expert. I’m writing a blog post about: [Give topic]
Generate [Give number] highly clickable, curiosity-driven blog post headlines that:
— Hook the reader in the first 5 words
— Use power words and emotional triggers
— Avoid clickbait but spark curiosity
— Are under 15 words (ideally)
— Are optimized for SEO (real self, who are you, who am I,)Categorize the headlines under different styles like:
“How to” headlines
— Question headlines
— Contrarian or myth-busting headlines
The instruction was complete. I now had to fill in the blanks regarding the topic and the number.
This was easy. I inputted the topic as “I wish someone had told me that I am not what I think I am. You too find out who you really are.”
Then I asked ChatGPT to generate ten headlines.
ChatGPT did more. It created ten headlines and organised them in five categories, describing the impact of the headlines.
“How To” Headlines
These promise value and transformation:
How to Discover the Real You (Not Who You Think You Are)
How to Unlearn the Lies About Who You Really Are
Question Headlines
These spark reflection and emotional curiosity:
What If You’re Not Who You Think You Are?
Who Are You… Really? The Truth May Surprise You
Contrarian / Myth-Busting Headlines
These flip common beliefs, increasing intrigue:
You’re Not Who You Think You Are — And That’s a Good Thing
The Real You Isn’t Who You’ve Been Told to Be
Emotional / Power Word Headlines
These use emotion and power words to grab attention:
I Thought I Knew Myself — I Was So Wrong
The Shocking Truth About Who You Really Are
Self-Discovery / Inspirational Headlines
These hint at personal growth and awakening:
Break Free From the Illusion of Who You Think You Are
Start the Journey to Discover the Real You Today
I was now spoilt for choice. After much deliberation, I chose this headline: How to Discover the Real You (Not Who You Think You Are).
Now, this headline prompt has become my go-to prompt for writing headlines.
You too can use it to generate powerful headlines when you are stuck, or create your own generic prompts for different kinds of content.
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