How to use AI as a super smart editor

I read something recently I thought you’d like.

Former New York Times reporter Mike Allen says the best thing he used to do was this:  After he covered an event, he’d call his editor to tell them what happened.

The first sentence he shared would then become the first sentence of his article.

It worked ‘every time’ – forcing him to draw out the most interesting point for other people, not for himself.

And you can use this technique too – but don’t worry if you don’t have a NYT editor on speed dial.

Because ChatGPT or Claude can be your pocket editor.

Now as you know, I’m not a fan of using AI for first drafts of emails or articles (or very much at all). It saps the originality and personality which make you stand out.

But as an editor? Well, used correctly, it can be brilliant. So try using this simple prompt:

Imagine you are a [insert your target audience e.g. Head of Compliance at multinational tech organisation] needing to [state some of their priorities]

What’s the most [interesting / surprising / important / useful] point in this [report / article / email etc.] for you?

The answer then helps you frame your first sentence. Your first slide. Your title, subject line or heading. Or the main crux of your argument.

Here’s an example from our business.

We’d previously given this article (about using emojis and exclamation marks in emails) the snoresome title of:

‘Modern email etiquette for our hybrid workplace.’

Great for SEO, but goodness me, it was stick-a-fork-in-my-eye dull.

(Shame on us. Clearly we have off days too.)

So we tried the prompt above and it told us:

‘For a professional audience, the most interesting and useful point in this article is that small style choices in emails significantly impact how people perceive you.’

With this knowledge, we switched up the title to something much more compelling:

‘The email style choices that change the way people see you.’

Much more engaging, right?

So try ChatGPT as your pocket editor and let me know how you get on!