When people use the term “AI”, they are often referring to generative AI, which is the use of artificial intelligence to generate text, images or other kinds of media.
When used effectively, AI can be a great asset for freelance writers trying to make money online in Canada, but you need to know how to use it effectively for it to become a helpful tool rather than a hindrance.
The first step is to become familiar with the different AI options out there and what kinds of prompts they excel at. From ChatGPT to Google’s Gemini, there are many out there, and some are better than others at certain tasks. Take some time to experiment with different prompts on each one and see what kinds of responses you get – you may find one is better at drafting outlines, whereas another is better a giving you ideas for possible meta descriptions.
By playing around with AI, you can see where it fits best in your writing process. Maybe you use it to pull a list of resources for a specific topic or create an outline for an article based on research you have already gathered. If you struggle with social media posts, you can use it to generate some options for that as well, or even write your meta descriptions.
Just remember to keep up to date about any new rules or laws that come into place for how to use AI in content creation legitimately.
1. How to write effective AI prompts
Using the right prompts is the key to using AI effectively when you make money from home in Canada. This is a skill that will take some time to develop, but the key to a good AI prompt is to be specific.
For example, if you ask it to summarize a piece of research, you could end up with a large chunk of text, but if you add in qualifiers like providing bullet points to summarize this article, or a specific word count for the summary, it will be easier to digest response.
Depending on the tasks you are asking AI to perform will determine that phrasing is best, and it might even take a couple of prompts to build up to that final result.
2. Know when to draw the line between using AI and your own writing
Remember, when you make money online in Canada as a freelance writer, you are being paid to write – not the AI.
When using tools like AI, it is important to know when to draw the line, from using it to help you perform your work to using it to actually do your work.
While AI can be useful at many different tasks, it does not have human experience, which is why text written by it often sounds flat, without emotion, which can make it come across as repetitive and not very engaging. So, remember, AI is great for helping you create prompts, but the actual writing and final polish? That can only come from you.
3. Editing, refining, and adding that human touch
Whether you use AI to create an outline for you, or you need some ideas for an opening or conclusion, the fact remains that it will not quite have the same tone or feeling as the rest of the piece.
This is where your editing skills come into play. Just like editing any other piece you write, review the flow and word choice, adjust where necessary, and ensure it has an engaging tone that will keep readers reading.
Once you have added that human touch to the piece, it’s time to check your SEO (search engine optimisation). If you have not identified keywords yet, you may want to ask AI to suggest some keywords to incorporate into the piece. Then, go back through the article for a final edit and incorporate those keywords when they fit naturally.
4. Remember to fact-check
Believe it or not, AI is just as prone to making mistakes as humans, which is why it is important to fact-check any information or research it provides you with.
Just like any writing project you take on, carefully documenting the sources of your information is important – especially if a client asks a follow-up question regarding where you got a certain fact or number from.
Ready to try your hand at writing with AI? Just make sure your final product is a reflection of your work that you would be proud to put in your portfolio. By remembering to tailor the content in your own words and fact-checking any information provided by AI, and you can start making money from home in Canada even faster by utilizing this tool.