Social media can be a powerful marketing tool to boost your brand or engage new and existing customers. The problem is that it takes a lot of time and energy to consistently post fresh content on multiple platforms. Fortunately, there are some great AI tools that can do some of the heavy lifting for you.
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Understanding AI in Social Media
The best AI tools for social media are paid applications and they’re definitely worth considering if you want complete automation and analytics of your social media posts. These tools can generate ideas, copy, artwork, and even optimize your audience targeting.
If you’re looking for a free AI tool for social media then the best place to start is with ChatGPT. The free version of ChatGPT will only deliver text output while the paid Plus version can also be used to generate images.
The free version of ChatGPT can still be a huge timesaver when it comes to generating fresh ideas or copy to use in a social media post. And there are some really good free text-to-image AI tools like Canva that can generate images for social media posts.
But the quality of the responses you get from ChatGPT or image generators depends heavily on the quality of the prompt that you use. We’ve listed some great ideas for the best social media prompts as well as some tips for you to get the most out of ChatGPT.
Tips For Writing Great AI Prompts
Before we get to our prompt list, let’s cover a few basic tips so you can come up with some great prompts of your own. Open up your ChatGPT tab and try experimenting with the following:
- Assign a role – Tell ChatGPT what role you want it to assume before prompting it further. Eg. “You are a busy mo1ther of a toddler. Write a Facebook post about….”
- Provide context – Give ChatGPT background on your company, product, or project, before prompting it to generate content for social media. Eg. “Our company focuses on vegetarians who are considering meat substitutes. Give me ideas for…”
- Define the platform – Tell ChatGPT what platform it should create content for so that it tailors the length of the copy.
- Define your audience – Tell ChatGPT who your audience is so that it can tailor the language it uses. Eg. “We are targeting active seniors in LA. Generate 5 posts for….”
- Choose a tone – Tell ChatGPT if you want the copy to be funny, convincing, enthusiastic, quirky, etc…
- Refine the output – ChatGPT doesn’t always get it right. Ask it to refine its response with specific feedback. Eg. “I like that, but make it shorter and include…”
We’re sure that with these tips you’ll write some awesome prompts of your own. Here are some of our best social media prompts to get you started. We’ll start with some ChatGPT prompts grouped according to a few different social media use cases. We also cover some prompt ideas to generate better images for social media.
Prompt Library for Social Media
General Posts
Here are some simple prompts that to write general social media prompts. If you want ChatGPT to help you brainstorm ideas then don’t limit it with too many specifics. Just remember that the more context you give before using these prompts, the better your results will be.
“Write [number_of_posts] social media posts for [platform].”
Even if you only need 1 post it’s good to ask for a few so you get variations to choose from.“Generate a social media post suitable for [event], on [platform]. Focus on [focus_area], and keep in mind [additional information].”
The more specific you are about what to focus on and include, the better results you’ll get.“Create some engaging social media posts that focus on [subject]. These posts should be appropriate for sharing on [platform], and keep [additional_information] in mind.”“[example_post] – write a few short social media posts based on this example post. I specifically like [best_parts_of_example_post] about the example post, so make sure your posts include this too.”
This is a good way to repurpose your previous posts while keeping the messaging constant.“Write a social media post about [subject], and exclude [things_to_exclude] from the post.”
This prompt, instead of instructing the AI to include something in the post, instructs the AI to exclude anything from the post. This can be useful in cases where you don’t want certain words or subjects discussed in your post.“Write some possible social media posts based on the following rough idea: [rough_idea]. Include the pros and cons of each possible post.”
This works well when you have a vague idea of what you want but need some help brainstorming and evaluating options.“I am about to embark on [new_experience]. Write a social media post capturing my anticipation and excitement, suitable for [platform]”
Using emotive words like “anticipation” or “excitement” will affect the words ChatGPT uses in the copy.“Create a social media post for [platform] that reflects my current mood: [mood]. Ensure the tone matches my feelings and incorporate [specific_element] in the post.”“Write a brief, informative social media post about [topic]. Include an engaging question at the end to encourage comments and interactions.”
Including a question in your post is a good way to increase engagement with your posts.“Write a general social media post for [platform], incorporating [elements].”
Business Posts
After giving ChatGPT context about your business, be specific about your audience, products, features, and tone. This will generate better quality social media posts for marketing your business.
“My company is [company_information] and my product is [product_information]. Use this information to write [number_of_posts] social media posts promoting my product. Keep [additional_information] in mind.”:
Giving contextual background about your business or product will result in a more targeted output.“I run a [business_type] business and offer [services]. Please write some social media posts promoting these services. Extra details: [additional_information]”“Here is a list of products/services my [business_type] business offers: [business_products_and_services]. Write a social media post for my business, for [platform]. Include all products and services my business offers in the post.”“Create [number_of_posts] social media posts on [platform], that create awareness about our latest product: [product_information].”“My product is [product_description]. The upsides of my product are [product_upsides]. Write a social media post announcing the release of my product, focusing on my product’s upsides.”“I have a [business_type] business. My business is all about [business_value] and my business goals are [business_goals]. Write a social media post to get people to know my business better.”“We’re launching a special discount offer on [product/service]: [special_offer]. Write a social media post that creates excitement around this offer on [platform].”
Telling ChatGPT what emotion you want your post to elicit in the reader will affect the wording and tone it outputs.“[customer_review] – customer review. Write a social media post for my [business_type] business highlighting the excellent service and customer satisfaction, using the customer review.”
Repurposing positive customer reviews is a great way to create engaging social media content.“Write [number_of_posts] social media posts highlighting the unique features of our product/service: [product/service_information]. Each post should emphasize a different feature.”“[creation_process] – creation process of our product. Write an engaging social media post for [platform], showcasing how our [business_type] business creates [product].”
Personal Posts
Did something exciting happen today? Want to share it with your friends but you’re not sure how best to word it? Here are some prompts that will have ChatGPT help you let your friends know what happened.
“[example_posts] – example text. I have done [activities] today. Write a personal social media post for [platform], in the same style as the example text, based on what I have done today.” Giving example posts helps ensure that the generated output still retains your style and voice.
“I have experienced [personal_experience] today. Write a personalized social media post to tell people about this experience. Make the post [length_in_words] words long.”
Specifying the length or maximum word count is a good idea if you don’t want to have to edit the output for brevity.“I recently attended [event]. At the event, I [activities_at_event]. Write a [tone] social media post based on this event, and what I did there.”“I am [some_personal_information]. My hobbies are [hobbies], and my interests are [interests]. Write a personal social media post about me, my hobbies, and my interests.”“Today, I met [person]. This person is a [relation_with_you] of me. We met each other at [location], and we [activity]. Generate a social media post for [platform], describing who I met, where I met them, and what we did.”“I am a [job]. My skills are [skills]. Write a personalized social media post for [platform], focusing on my job and skills.”“Today I achieved [achievement], by [method]. Create a personal social media post for [platform], highlighting this achievement, and explaining how I achieved it.”“I am currently traveling in [location], at [time_of_the_day]. I have done [activities] so far. Craft a personal social media post sharing my travel experiences.”“Write a personal social media post describing my personality: [personality]. Make the post [length] long.”“Write a social media post revealing this fun fact about myself: [fun_fact]. Make it surprising and engaging for my followers.”
Using keywords like “fun, surprising, engaging” will make the output more emotive.
News Posts
News articles are a great source of material for social media posts. If you’re using social media for business then look out for industry-related news to use along with these prompts.
“[news] – this is the latest news. Write a [number_of_words] word news post for social media, using the provided information, and keeping [additional_information] in mind.”
Pasting the content of a news report into the [news] section of the prompt is an easy way to generate current affairs posts.“[breaking_news] has happened. Write a social media post for [platform], explaining the situation. Keep the post factual.”
Using the word “factual” will result in your post being less emotive or opinion based.“[news] – this is the latest news. Write a short social media post to inform my audience about [specific_aspect] of the news.”“Translate the news that [news_update] happened into a social media post of [number_of_words] words. The tone of the news post should be [tone].”“[news] – this is the latest news. I think [your_viewpoint]. Write a social media post about the news, based on my perspective.”
This prompt will result in an opinion-type post rather than simply a factual reporter-type post.“[news] – this is the latest news. Create a light-hearted, attention-grabbing social media post for [platform], based on the latest news.”“[news] – this just happened. Write a social media post for [platform], speculating about why this could have happened. Discuss multiple theories.”
This prompt can offer some interesting insights but fact-check the output because ChatGPT tends to hallucinate sometimes.“[news] – this is the latest news. Write some very short social media posts for [platform], to quickly tell my audience what happened.”“Create a social media post sharing a personal reaction or opinion on this recent news: [recent_news]. Encourage engagement by ending the news-related post with a question.”“[news] – this is the latest news. Write a social media post analyzing this news from a [field] perspective.”Specifying the perspective is a good way to tailor the output to a specific audience.
Entertaining Posts
While social media is a good source of news, sometimes we just want to be entertained. ChatGPT is good at creative writing and if you specify the tone or emotion you’re after it often delivers good quality content. Defining the audience will also result in more tailored outputs.
“Write an entertaining social media post for [audience_group] people. Make it [length] in length, and the main subject of the post should be [subject].”“Write a social media post that tells an engaging story about [subject], for [audience_group].”“Create a humorous social media post aimed at [audience_group] people, about [subject].”
Asking for a “humorous” post can deliver good results but ChatGPT’s sense of humor is a little corny at times.“[something_funny] happened to me today. It happened at [location], on [date]. Write a funny social media post for [platform], telling my viewers about what happened to make them laugh.”“[example_post] – example post. Generate an entertaining story for social media, in the same style as this example post. Make the post suitable for [platform], and keep [additional_information] in mind.”“Write an entertaining social media post about [subject], specifically focusing on [aspect of subject]. Make the post engaging, but keep it factually correct.”“Write an entertaining, [type_of_story] story in the same style as [famous_writer], for a social media post. Include the subjects [subjects], and exclude the subjects [subjects_to_exclude].”
Asking to have the post written in the style of a famous person works really well and delivers some fun results.“Write an entertaining post for social media, containing shower thoughts related to [subject.]”“Generate an entertaining social media post that incorporates a pun or a joke about [subject], and is suitable for [audience_group].”“Write an entertaining social media post that includes the following trending meme: [meme]. Make it relevant to [subject].
Informational Posts
ChatGPT is very good at taking long-form business content and turning it into social media posts. These prompts are especially useful for generating informational posts for platforms like LinkedIn.
“Write an informational post about [subject] for social media. Make the post [number_of_words] words long.”
“Generate an informational social media post for [audience_group], about [subject]. Make the post perfect for [platform].”“[information] – this is some factual information about [subject]. Write an informational social media post using the given information on this subject.”
“Write [number_of_posts] informational social media posts for [platform], with subjects [audience_group] might be interested in.”
Sometimes you don’t have any ideas for posts but you know your audience well. This is a good example of how to leverage ChatGPT to help with that.
“[information] – translate all of this information into an informational social media post, perfect for [platform], and [number_of_words] words in length.”
“[example_post] – example post. Write an informational social media post about [subject], for [platform]. Write it in the same style as the example post.”“Generate an educational social media post that explains the concept of [technical_term] in a simple and understandable way for [audience_group].”Using terms like “educational” or “explain” will result in outputs that have a more informative style.
“Write an informational social media post that shares important tips about [subject], for [platform].ChatGPT often comes up with good content when you ask for tips, tricks, or hacks related to a topic.“Write an informational social media post explaining a common misconception about [subject].”“Generate a ‘Did you know?’ type of social media post centered around [subject]. Make the post interesting and informative.”This prompt helps create informative posts that spark curiosity and are more likely to be shared by readers.
Funny Posts
When it comes to asking ChatGPT to be humorous your mileage may vary. But in spite of it being a piece of software, it does manage to come up with some funny content at times. These prompts will give you the best shot at coming up with funny social media posts.
“Write a funny social media post suitable for [platform]. make the post specifically funny and relatable for [audience_group].”
Defining your audience is especially important when asking for a humorous post to be generated.“Write a generally funny social media post about [subject]. Focus on [focus_area], but avoid [things_to_avoid] when writing the post.”“Write [number_of_jokes] jokes I can post on [platform]. The jokes should be about [subject], and suitable for [audience_group].”“[text]. Write a funny social media post relevant to this text. Keep [additional_information] in mind when writing the post.”“Write a funny social media post for [platform], based on the following rough idea: [rough_idea].”“[post] – social media post. Rewrite this social media post so it becomes funny for [audience_group].”“Write a social media post that shares a light-hearted and funny anecdote related to [subject]. Make it suitable for [platform].”“Generate a funny social media post for [platform] that uses satire to comment on [current_trend].”
Using words like “satire” or “puns” will have an effect on the type of humor ChatGPT tries to come up with.“Write a social media post in the form of a funny dialogue or conversation about [subject]. Make it amusing and shareable for [platform].”“Write a social media post mocking a common everyday situation: [situation]. Make the post satirical and humorous for [audience_group].”
Inspirational Posts
Inspirational and motivational quotes are often the most shared content on social media. Because ChatGPT has been trained on a huge amount of internet data it is really good at delivering these. You may need to fact-check the attribution of the quotes as people often claim a quote was made by a historical person when it actually wasn’t.
“Write [number_of_posts] inspirational social media posts for [platform].”“Generate an inspirational social media post for [audience_group]. Focus on [focus_area] when writing the post.”“Generate [number_of_posts] social media posts containing inspirational and motivational quotes, relevant to [subject]. Make the posts suitable for [platform].”“[example_post] – example post. Write a social media post to inspire [audience_group]. Write the post in the same style as the example post.”“Create an inspirational social media post for [platform] to inspire [audience_group], based on the following rough idea: [rough_idea].”
Defining the audience will result in far more tailored and relatable quotes.“[personal_story] – personal story. Turn my personal story into an inspirational story for social media.”“Create a social media post for [platform] that shares a motivational quote related to overcoming challenges. Make it resonate with [audience_group].”
Defining the specific challenge in this prompt will deliver even better results.“Write an inspirational social media post that shares a success story related to [subject]. The post should be suitable for [platform].”“Write a social media post sharing a powerful quote about [subject]. Add a personal reflection or insight to make it more meaningful.”“Generate a motivational social media post encouraging [audience_group] to overcome their challenges. Include some advice for this in the post.”
Conclusion
While AI tools are great at generating social media content it’s best to think of these tools as assistants, rather than complete replacements for your efforts. You’ll need to check the AI copy for accuracy and you’ll often need to tweak it to give it the human touch that AI still has some trouble with.
If you’re new to using AI for social media then using the prompts above is the ideal place to start. When you’re ready to head into the deeper end of the AI pool then look out for our reviews of the best AI tools for social media.
Last updated: July 24, 2023
