How to Use ChatGPT as a Freelance Writer

Are you a freelance writer who wants to use ChatGPT to improve your writing? Here are some do's and don'ts to help you get the most out of it.

It's no secret that there’s a fine line between the ethical and unethical use of ChatGPT. This popular AI chatbot provides excellent support for freelance writers but, when used wrongly, causes equally great harm. No writer or client wants plagiarized content, so what should you avoid while using ChatGPT to ensure your work is ethical and authentic?


ChatGPT ultimately improves your writing, but there are a few rules you must abide by to turn out exceptional work for your clients. Here, we’ll discuss the do’s and don’ts of writing with ChatGPT as a freelance writer, so keep reading.



The Do’s of Writing With ChatGPT


There’s a world of things to do with ChatGPT, from fleshing out your writing to enhancing your creativity. In this section, we’ll explore a few of them.


1. Writing More Creative or Descriptive Sentences

Creativity and originality make for an interesting read; hence, you must avoid using bland sentences to be a good writer. However, sometimes, creating ingenious rewrites on your own can be difficult, especially for more complex sentences.

Using ChatGPT here is an amazing and ethical way to utilize its power and turn out impressive paragraphs that’ll keep your reader hooked. To do this, input your original section with an additional request to refine your words and replace monotonous phrases with more captivating ones.


2. Generating Unique Content Ideas and Outlines


ChatGPT-generated article outline
Any expert freelance writer knows that putting down words is the last stage of the writing process. Before fully developing your paragraphs, you must have a unique topic idea and craft a suitable outline around your topic. Without a solid outline, you risk writing without a clear plan or vision, eventually returning poor work.

Depending on the number of jobs on your table, you may lack the time to build a solid outline from scratch. On other occasions, while you have time, your well of ideas may be dry due to writer’s block. ChatGPT can rescue you in such moments, creating a complete outline from a defining intro, illustrative points, and a flawless conclusion.


Also, this feature can augment an existing outline because you may need a second opinion, irrespective of how detailed it is already. ChatGPT helps to ensure that your outline is as informative and unique as possible, increasing your chances of writing a remarkable piece.

3. Rewriting and Summarizing Lengthy Paragraphs


Keeping your sentences short and straightforward enhances the readability of your content and keeps your readers focused on your main points. Unfortunately, articulating your thoughts concisely can be a chore sometimes, and even fantastic writers have sections with lengthy sentences.


As a result, the best AI tools for content creation come with sentence-shortening features, and ChatGPT is no exception. The generally accepted sentence length for good readability is about 20 words, and you must summarize any sentence that overly exceeds this limit. With the right prompt, ChatGPT removes redundant words to make your sentence brief while retaining its meaning and flow.

4. Understanding Reader Personas


There’s an overload of content on the internet today, both written and non-written. Thus, to have stand-out pieces in your portfolio, you must be capable of writing introductions that draw your reader's interest.

To develop this ability, it’s necessary to understand your reader's persona for insight into your reader's emotions and challenges. With this knowledge, you can better address their situation, provide solutions, and thus retain interest.

5. Generating Examples


Certain statements need practical examples for easier understanding, but sometimes, it isn’t easy to think of one. Whenever you have this problem, ChatGPT can assist you with examples that paint a picture of the scenario you’re trying to describe.

For instance, it’s not enough to say a UI/UX designer needs empathy to turn out splendid designs. Most readers need a practical scenario to visualize and assimilate your point properly. With ChatGPT, you can vividly describe such a situation, leading to a more interesting, practical write-up.

6. Proofreading and Synonym Suggestions

Imagine stumbling upon an article online and encountering repeated phrases or spelling and grammatical errors. Your first thoughts would likely be along the lines of “unprofessional” and “amateur.” This situation perfectly illustrates the importance of proofreading and using a variety of synonyms.

You’re probably no stranger to both as a professional freelance writer. They’re usually standard features of any good writing assistant, as they help to breathe life into your writing and prevent repetitions and errors. But thankfully, ChatGPT can do these jobs effectively.

To proofread, input your paragraphs, specifically instructing ChatGPT on what to look out for. These include spelling errors, tone, sentence voice, and more. For synonym suggestions, input your word and prompt the chatbot to give you a list of suitable synonyms.




The Don’ts of Writing With ChatGPT


ChatGPT is a form of AI software, and as such, it can be easily misused or exploited unethically. Keep reading to see how.


1. Requesting References or Facts Without Cross-Checking


One of ChatGPT’s big problems is its occasional inaccuracy. Because it’s trained on patterns and not facts, it can sometimes answer certain historical or scientific questions incorrectly. Several users have accused the software of publishing fake citations and making up sources.

Its parent company, OpenAI, acknowledges this fault with the statement, "ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers." Remember, a good writer must deliver factually correct information, so avoid these questions, and if you must ask them, then always cross-check your answers.


2. Publishing ChatGPT Content Without Editing for Errors


ChatGPT’s summarizing and proofreading abilities are a bonus for freelance writers. Regardless, never make the mistake of copying content from this software without looking it over. Although ChatGPT does a good enough job, like any other AI software, it’s not 100 percent accurate. Hence, you may still have little errors that need editing even after running your work through this software.

Also, content writing etiquette requires that you proofread your work personally or through an editor before publishing. You can also use a writing assistant like Grammarly instead of relying on ChatGPT alone for increased ease.


3. Content Spinning or Fresh Content Generation
Building content outlines or topic ideas with ChatGPT is acceptable, but you should never generate your entire write-up with ChatGPT. Not only does this endanger your creative juices, but it also puts you at risk of plagiarism. In addition, using ChatGPT for content spinning is unethical, unprofessional, and indicates poor talent.

Next, what is content spinning? Content spinning is rearranging and modifying certain parts of written content to create a slightly different version. Paraphrasing similar content and masquerading it as yours may violate copyright laws and is generally frowned upon.


4. Asking Mathematical or Logical Questions


ChatGPT is incredibly useful in many cases but is untrained for mathematical or logical questions. Not only is it capable of returning false answers, but it can also argue in favor of its incorrect responses.

This doesn’t mean ChatGPT can’t properly perform basic arithmetic operations or explain mathematical concepts. However, you must exercise caution when asking questions with higher complexity and cross-check with reputable sources before using such information.


5. Inputting Personal Data or Information
There are several reasons you shouldn't trust ChatGPT with confidential information. First, disclosing your sensitive information online without protection exposes you to hackers. No matter how secure the application, hacking is always possible, and you must take steps to protect yourself.

In addition, ChatGPT relies on prompts and responses for training. In other words, your conversations with the chatbot and inputs are used to improve ChatGPT and can be viewed on its servers. So, if you share sensitive information on ChatGPT, there’s a chance someone else might have access to it.




Maximize ChatGPT as a Freelance Writer


ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can take your writing to impressive levels and boost your portfolio’s content. But, to get the best results, ensure you use this software correctly and ethically to prevent issues later on. Moreover, you must avoid certain common mistakes that can reduce your writing’s effectiveness and keep you from creating top-notch content.