How To Still Compete in the Crazy World of ChatGPT

It’s a scary time to be a new freelance writer.

Things have changed thanks to the new reality: ChatGPT and all things generative AI.

I admit I have been critical, bordering on cynical, in relation to the chatter surrounding ChatGPT. It’s all that people have been talking about.

But having tested it in different ways, I appreciate there’s a bit of meat to the hype.

And the fact that you’re reading this suggests you realize that too. You’ve got to find an edge in a world turned upside down.

That’s not to say, you can’t still make money doing it. You just need to be smarter and more strategic about it.

You can still target freelance writing gigs.

We can’t ignore ChatGPT. That would be stupid.

Companies certainly aren’t disregarding it. Why would they? It’s a free resource. Cheaper than hiring freelancers.

That means the rest of us hustlers need to find ways to navigate the challenges.

There’s no way that I have all the answers. And I would advise that you keep building knowledge and keep thinking of ways to adapt.

But here are a few thoughts that I gleaned (and I didn’t even ask ChatGPT for help):

Become a domain expert

Everyone has some worthwhile knowledge to impart. That’s the schtick we’re told anyway.

But if you really want to stand out in a world of cloned articles you may as well make an effort to be the go-to king or queen in the space. Be the expert. It’s up to you whether you use ChatGPT in that capacity.

But how else are you going to justify being paid a premium when work is available for pennies on the dollar?

Focus on newer information

One of ChatGPT’s limitations is the recency of the information it works with. 2021 is its cut-off point. For now. Things are changing fast and it won’t be long before a more recent date is the cut-off.

Still, for now, there’s an opportunity.

Think ‘recent’.

That means today’s political discourse, the stock market sell-off, and yesterday’s celebrity gossip are all off the menu for ChatGPT.

So be current. Be relevant to now.

Work with ChatGPT, not against

This is where most of us will have to operate in one way or another. The sooner we learn how to use the technology, the better. Use ChatGPT for research. Let it write the first draft of your articles. Don’t fight the inevitable. Don’t be a Luddite.

And if you want to see how people are already jumping on this, check out Fiverr.

There are already services popping up where individuals are offering to edit and clean up ChatGPT-generated content. Essentially, you’re working as a specialist editor. Genius.

If you can’t beat it, join it. Or at the very least work with it, not against it.