AI-generated content is not the issue. Bad AI-generated content is. You only have to scroll LinkedIn, check your spam folder or browse any dubious news site to see words that no human would ever say out loud. But there’s a secret. A lesser-known feature of a popular AI tool that will make you write like a professional copywriter.
This won’t work for everyone. If you don’t know who you are or what you stand for, AI writing tools won’t produce anything good on your behalf. You need to be opinionated. Your strong beliefs make the difference.
For writing with AI when ChatGPT doesn’t quite hit the mark: enter Claude, the large language model with arguably superior writing capabilities. Claude transforms the genius ideas in your head into posts and articles people love to read.
Set aside an hour for the initial project setup. This covers uploading your materials, creating your first templates, and testing your prompts. After that, each new piece of content could take just minutes. Here’s how to set up for success with Claude Projects.
Write better with AI: a guide to using Claude Projects
Create your project
Open a Claude account and upgrade to premium for access to Projects. It’s going to be worth it. Create a new Claude project for every content format you’re going to produce (whether LinkedIn posts, company newsletters or tweets) and give each project a name that makes sense.
Make sure the name fully describes the task the project will do, because you’ll be going back to this project space and again. Your Claude project becomes your new writing workspace, so get familiar with the layout. Prepare for the magic to begin.
Add project knowledge
When you’ve started your projects and labeled them, give each Claude project your brain: writing preferences and expertise. Claude writes better when it knows more. The machine needs context. Add examples of your writing style (for that format) to the project library. Essential files to upload include a detailed description of your ICP, a list of your strongest beliefs, a ban list, and a structure outline or template for the content you’ll be writing.
Claude also needs examples of what makes good writing in that format, so cherry pick your best work to upload to the project files. PDFs, CSV files and word documents all work. The more context Claude has, the better it matches your tone. Give each file a short but distinctive name for easy referencing when needed.
Give the prompt
When you want to write something new, open a new chat within the Claude project for that content type. Write your prompt like you’re briefing a human writer. Explain the goal, audience and tone. Within the prompt, reference the project files that should be considered for the new piece of content. Set parameters for length and structure and add new information.
Use sentences such as: “Reference the ‘Ban list.’” or “Copy the exact style of the ‘Newsletter structure’ document” or “Look at the ‘Past LinkedIn posts’ examples.” You might also tell Claude to suggest titles or subject lines based on a CSV of what has performed well in the past. Be direct and definite with your instructions. No fluffy phrases or ambiguous sentences.
Save this prompt as a template somewhere you can easily access it, leaving spaces for where the specifics need to be added. Add more context relevant to this content specifically. For example, “Include [this information, these statistics, these exact sentences.]” Claude uses your ideas to write the copy, building on them where necessary.
Write with Claude
Read your prompt through in full before you click submit. Aim to get the prompt right first time because Claude can forget essential details when you re-prompt. When you read through, check for clarity. Imagine you were receiving these instructions. Would you know what to do? Remove ambiguity. Next, hit return.
Scrutinize the output. Dig into the gap between what you expected and what you got, and work out which part of your prompt caused the issue. Revisit your original prompt and rework it. For advanced Claude usage, explain what Claude did wrong to Claude itself, and ask how it would modify your original prompt.
For every new content type, save a new starting prompt, but make sure you save the most recent and effective version each one. This builds your prompt library over time.
Compare with ChatGPT
Claude brings different strengths to ChatGPT, and the tools are good for different tasks. ChatGPT’s Custom GPTs work in a similar way to Claude Projects, so try them out too. Test both. See which one gets closer to your voice. Alternate for different types of content. Mix and match to find what works for you.
When you run the same prompt through both tools, notice the differences in style and approach. Make a note of which tool leads to better output for different types of tasks. Build your own AI writing system that delivers results.
Transform your writing with AI tools
Don’t switch off to writing with AI, believing that it’s all bad. With the right tool and the right process, it’s like having a writing assistant and world class editor. It can take vague ideas and muddled concepts and turn them into works of art.
You’re not trying to fool your audience. You’re trying to make more impact. Reach more people. Transform more lives with your words, based on messaging you know can help people. That’s when AI makes you superhuman. That’s when you can reach the limits of your capability.
The stronger your style and approach, the more recognisable your beliefs, the more your work can scale to infinity when you add AI.
Don’t let your best work stay inside you. Start a Claude project today. Feed it your style guide and example content. Write clear prompts and keep refining the output. Outproduce without compromising quality. You’ve been handed an ace card, now you just have to use it.
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