ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that has gone viral. Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate conversations with human users, and this program excels at generating text based on written prompts and providing compelling human responses. After some experimentation, here’s how it could be used by cultural organizations for social media.
1. Generate ideas
Despite our best efforts, there are days when our creativity is low. Instead of staring at a blank screen, why not ask ChatGPT to suggest content ideas on a specific topic – be it Magna Carta, Van Gogh, or the practice of conservation? These ideas, derived in part from what people typically search for online about these topics, increase the content’s relevancy and likelihood of being found.
2. Curate copy
If you work with social media, you know that you have to write different types of text: from single tweets to sprawling threads. With ChatGPT, you can type bullet points as an outline structure and ask it to fill in the blanks and expand your copy into sentences. But perhaps more useful is its ability to synthesize articles or blogs, extract the key points and then reuse them in different formats. For example, I took a blog focused on medieval sigil pouches (pouches used to protect wax seals) and asked ChatGPT to turn it into a 90 second video script. Within seconds, the platform had compressed the 1,000-word article to around 200 words.
3. Identify trends
Social media teams are used to being inundated with comments and messages, and people often ask if there are any common themes that come up across them. In the past it might have taken hours to compile, but now you can ask ChatGPT to do the analysis for you by simply exporting the text to the platform and asking it to identify similarities.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Findability on the web is difficult when there are billions of websites. Visibility is provided by the keywords, tags and phrases we use in our content. ChatGPT is able to create relevant hooks, captions and video titles to make content as easy to find online as possible.
5. Personalization
Making ChatGPT available to a specific audience you have in mind can help tailor content to perceived needs and interests. I put this to the test and first asked ChatGPT to suggest a video title for content about the Domesday Book. It proposed: Uncovering the mysteries of the Domesday Book. I then asked if it could make this title more relevant to people aged 21-30. It suggested: Uncovering the mysteries of the Domesday Book: A Millennial’s Guide to England’s Hidden History.
Does it live up to the hype?
ChatGPT will not make your social media team redundant. Currently, the platform is a time-saving tool that can increase efficiency and bring undoubted benefits. And who knows where technology will take us next?
• This guest blog was written by Steven Franklin, Digital Engagement Officer at the UK National Archives
