So recently, I have heard a ton of people talking about ChatGPT ( or AI writing) and I wondered how this seemingly really cool tool could help me run my Etsy business.
I did a little research, watched a bunch of videos, and then used the tool for a few weeks myself. I can honestly say that I was both blown away, but also apprehensive about it.
Do I think it will take over everyone’s jobs and put industries out of business? Maybe… but not for a few years at least.
Do I think it can help us small business owners manage and operate our businesses? Absolutely! Let’s get into the details.
What is ChatGPT (AI Writing)
ChatGPT is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) tool that basically generates text. This can include anything from short phrases or sentences to entire articles or books.
The text is contextual, meaning within the given “chat”, all the previous things you have written are taken into consideration when generating new text. This makes it super powerful and can help tailor the output to better fit your needs.
As an experiment, I asked the AI “What is ChatGPT” and this was the result:
“ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture and is trained to generate human-like text. It can be used for a variety of natural language processing tasks such as language translation, text summarization, and language generation. It is designed to be highly efficient and can be fine-tuned for specific use cases.”
Ultimately, the goal of ChatGPT is to generate text that sounds as close to human writing as possible. This is a lofty goal and ultimately, I currently think it falls a little short.
So why would you even want to use AI writing?
The bottom line, as small business owners, our time is precious. We need to develop ways in which to save time and maximize productivity. That is where AI writing can help. From coming up with new keyword ideas that can help populate your titles and tags, to even generating your latest product descriptions, AI writing has proven to be a HUGE timesaver.
Brainstorm keyword ideas
It is as simple as typing in your main long-tail keyword and adding “keyword ideas”. You will get an output of other keywords that you might not have thought of before. This can trigger new ideas that you can also feedback into ChatGPT and so on.
For example, if you’re searching for “sweatshirt”, ChatGPT could suggest keywords like “teacher sweatshirt,” “funny sweatshirt,” or “line art sweatshirt” that could be relevant to your topic.
Another way ChatGPT can help with keyword research is by providing insights into the search intent behind certain keywords. For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “soy candle,” ChatGPT could help you understand what types of queries people are searching for related to that keyword, such as “soy candle gift” or “soy candle recipe.” Understanding search intent is a key factor in creating successful SEO strategies, as it helps you better target your keywords, create relevant content, and provide a better user experience for your audience.
Additionally, ChatGPT can help you identify long-tail keywords that may be less competitive and easier to rank for. Long-tail keywords are more specific phrases that people might use when searching for something, and they can be valuable for driving targeted traffic to your website. For example, ChatGPT might suggest long-tail keywords like “soy candle for bridesmaid gift box” or “soy candle gift for Mom.”
Title Generation
So, I found that this was one of the coolest features of using ChatGPT. Just paste your listing URL into the Chat GPT chat bar and ask it to optimize the listing title for you. You can even ask ChatGPT to limit the response to a certain number of characters or include specific keywords.
Yes, it will take some tweaking of the results because you know your product best, but this was such a highly functional way to come up with a title and can even help boost your creativity when you might be stuck.
Using AI to Write Your Product Descriptions
Start by providing ChatGPT with some basics: what is your product, what are the features or benefits, and what is the main reason why your customers need to buy YOUR product specifically? This will help the model understand the context of your listing and generate more relevant descriptions.
For example, you could use a prompt such as "This handmade multicolored knitted sweater is made from 100% pure cotton. This piece features long sleeves, side seam pockets, ribbed on neck, front, cuffs, and hem."
Here was my result after entering the prompts into ChapGPT:
“Stay cozy in style with this handmade multicolored cardigan sweater! Made from 100% pure cotton, this piece is soft, comfortable, and perfect for layering. With its long sleeves, side seam pockets, and ribbed detailing on the neck, front, cuffs, and hem, this sweater is both functional and fashionable. Upgrade your wardrobe with this unique, one-of-a-kind piece that is sure to become your go-to for cool weather. Order yours today!"
Once you've written your listing description, be sure to proofread and edit it for grammar, spelling, and formatting. Most of the writing is a little “stiff” so you will need to adjust the language slightly to make sure it fits your style and audience.
What About Social Media - Can you use ChatGPT to create captions or content ideas?
In short, yes! In today’s digital age, social media is an indispensable aspect of any business or brand’s marketing strategy. However, for many of us, writing social media captions can be an arduous task. It’s often challenging to come up with fresh and creative ways to convey our message to our target audience effectively. Fortunately, AI writing has emerged as an effective solution to this problem.
By simply entering your primary message and mentioning your target audience, AI writing tools can help you craft compelling social media captions. With the added convenience of the translate feature, you can even create captions in different languages to cater to a broader audience.
Moreover, repurposing your highest-performing posts or pins has never been easier. With AI writing, you can effortlessly request ChatGPT to rewrite your current captions, saving time and effort without starting from scratch on proven content. This way, you can focus on creating more engaging content and growing your brand’s presence on social media. So, if you find yourself struggling with writing social media captions, consider utilizing AI writing tools to ease the burden and achieve optimal results.
Do I think you should use AI for everything?
Absolutely not. My answer might change in time, but right now, the text itself is not what we call “high converting”. What I mean is the language is very robotic and there is no emotion or passion. When you add your own personality into your product descriptions, that is typically what sways a buyer to buy from you vs someone else.
There is also a learning curve for how to best “communicate” with the AI tool. It took multiple tries for me to understand how best to interact and ask the “right” questions or enter the best inputs to get results that were meaningful.
So the question you have probably been waiting to have answered…
Can you use AI to boost your Etsy sales?
HECK YES! And here’s why:
- Save you time - The cornerstone of why you should be using AI, anytime you can offload a task or by having an automated tool generate ideas, it is going to help boost your productivity. This gives you more time to focus on the tasks that directly make you money.
- Stay consistent - Using AI writing can help ensure that your listing descriptions, social media content, or other writing is consistent in terms of tone, style, and messaging. Building a trustworthy brand with a clear message makes potential customers feel comfortable making a purchase from you vs. your competitor. And viola…more sales.
- Spark creative ideas - AI writing can provide inspiration for new keywords, niches, content, captions, or even products. Expanding your product lines or reaching new markets is a great way to boost your sales.
