The #1 question I get from PTs about AI is whether they should use it to write their social media, email, or blog content.
The short answer is: no.
The long answer is: please, whatever you do, do not under any circumstances copy and paste anything you get from chatGPT into a public place.
If you’re writing a textbook or instruction manual or research paper, go for it, who cares?
But marketing content in any form is primarily about creating a personal connection, especially for a service like PT, where you are selling yourself as an expert and helper.
Never post anything you wouldn’t say to a friend.
Would you answer a friends question at a dinner party by putting the question into your phone and reading the AI response?
When your friend texts you that they need to talk, do you let your AI bot handle the conversation?
Then you shouldn’t send someone you care about (patients) an AI-generated response.
At best, it won’t effective.
At worst, it will be offensive and hurt your reputation.
HOWEVER, there are good ways you can use AI to help you become a better communicator, save you time in the writing process, and take some of the pain out of posting content.
Here’s what you SHOULD do with AI:
- Research the words and phrases real clients are using. To effectively communicate with patients, you need to speak their language. If you’re a doctor, it can be hard not to get lost in the technical or medical terminology that you were taught in school and use every day. Don’t forget that patients didn’t go to PT school and don’t know what half those words mean. To think and write like a patient, use the language you hear them say when you see them in the clinic or interact with people outside of work. But to take a more systematic approach, you can use AI to research the words and phrases actual clients are using to describe their situations online. All you need to do is tell it your target population and ask it to find common words and phrases used online by real patients in reviews, posts, and articles. Make sure you customize the prompt for your specific clinic and population. PROMPT: You are an expert market researcher who specializes in the fields of Physical Therapy and Healthcare. I am a Physical Therapist who works with [TARGET POPULATION] and want to research the words and phrases my patients use in order to improve my marketing and online communication with them. Search the web for the writing of real customers, including reviews, social media posts, and blogs, to find their most important problems and the words and phrases they use to describe each. Give the top 5 health concerns they have, the top 5 phrases used to describe each problem, and the top 5 words used to describe each problem.
- Get a list of ideas for blog, social media, or email topics. Idea generation is one of the best uses of AI because it can research everything other people are writing and give you a quick list of popular topics. Or you can ask it for questions people in your target population are asking. Then take those answers and write blogs or emails about your favorites in your own words. PROMPT: You are an expert copywriter. I am a Physical Therapist working with [TARGET POPULATION]. I need to write [CONTENT TYPE] that will connect with my customers and improve my website’s SEO ranking. Provide a list of 20 topics with titles that would be interesting and useful to my patients.
- Get a FIRST DRAFT or outline to help you get the words flowing. I get it. Sometimes it is hard to stare at a blank page and not know how to start a blog or email. In that case, there’s nothing wrong with using AI to get a first draft or outline. Just be sure you personalize it more than enough. Follow the same structure, but use your own language (or language you researched above), your own stories, and your own experiences to add to the main points. We are early enough in the AI lifetime that most people can still tell and are very wary of anything generated by AI, and it will only get worse if they come to see the real you and it’s nothing like your online presence. PROMPT: You are an expert marketer and copywriter specializing in [CONTENT TYPE]. I am a Physical Therapist working with [TARGET POPULATION]. I need to write [CONTENT TYPE] that will connect with my customers and improve my website’s SEO ranking. Write a [CONTENT TYPE] on [TOPIC] that is at least [WORD COUNT] in length and in [DESIRED FORMAT].
- Take a long piece of content and make it into smaller pieces. If you’ve written a long blog or article, you can use AI to multiply your effort by turning it into smaller pieces and different formats for use in email, social media, videos, or anywhere else. All you need to do is give it your document (upload doc or paste the text into the prompt) and tell it what formats you need to create. As always, check back over the work to ensure in makes sense and feels personal. PROMPT: You are an expert marketer and copywriter specializing in [CONTENT TYPE]. I am a Physical Therapist working with [TARGET POPULATION]. Take the [ATTACHED OR FOLLOWING] article and split it into [NUMBER] of posts for [CONTENT TYPE] that will engage my audience and promote my Physical Therapy clinic. [INSTRUCT IN SPECIFIC FORMAT AS NEEDED]
Try these methods out to get started using AI for marketing.
Once you’re familiar, there are limitless possibilities, and more will appear as the technology improves.
For now, using the right prompts, giving it specific directions, and trying again when you don’t like the results is key.
Take what is good and leave what is bad. Keep trying until you get what you need.
But if you invest the effort in learning how to take advantage of it now, you’ll attract more patients, put yourself and your clinic ahead of the competition, and have more time left over to spend with your friends and family.