Nicolas Cole 🚢👻 Profile picture
Mar 20, 2023 9 tweets 3 min read Read on X
All these ChatGPT-4 threads are a joke.

The best AI writing prompts aren't 1 sentence. That's like having a Ferrari and driving it 5 mph.

Here's a 60-second masterclass on how to create prompts like a virtuoso writer: Image
1) Create constraints. Don't encourage assumptions.

If you give AI vague information, it will give you a vague conclusion.

If you ask it a broad question, it will give you a broad answer.

People who say ChatGPT "creates mediocre content" are giving it mediocre prompts. Image
2) Treat AI like a "Digital Intern" and invest in its training.

If you hired an intern tomorrow, you wouldn't give him/her 1 sentence of direction.

You'd...

• Create a checklist
• Explain why
• Ask if he/she has any questions

Do the same with ChatGPT. Image
3) You do the "thinking." Tell AI how to "do the doing."

You can't expect AI to think for you.

Instead, whatever you want AI to help you create, you need to first understand:

• Why you want what you want
• What, specifically, you need
• How you want it delivered Image
4) Talk to AI like a human, and only give it 1 task at a time.

• You can ask AI if it's confused.

• You can tell AI to "do that again."

The best prompts don't ask AI to chase 7 different ideas at once.

Remember: imagine you're hand-holding a college intern. Image
5) If AI gives you the wrong output, that means you gave it the wrong input.

Don't get upset at AI (lol).

Sometimes, you need to workshop your prompts 10+ times to figure out how to get what you need.

Even though you're writing English, think of it like you're writing code.
In short:

If you don't know what to ask for, AI isn't going to know what to give you.

Which is why the thesis "the robots are taking over... we're all going to lose our jobs!" is wrong.

If you're a do-er, you need to become a "thinker."

So you can tell AI to "do the doing."
Wow, this thread is going way more viral than I thought haha.

If this is inspiring you to take writing with AI more seriously, start here.

These are the fundamentals you need to know to get the most out of ChatGPT (and other AI writing platforms):

startwritingonline.com
And if you want to get started Writing With AI, check out this free 5-Day email course we put together.

This will get you up to speed fast:

startwritingwithai.com

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More from @Nicolascole77

Aug 29, 2025
I grew my ghostwriting agency to $180k/month in 18 months.

The secret?

Understanding the “Art of Packaging.”

Anyone can use these 3 dead-simple steps to earn more $$$ as a writer:🧵 Image
It's important to package your services as "products."

• Can you offer 2+ different versions?
• What are the differences in speed or volume?

But the price gap between your packages is extremely important.

Here's why:
Step 1: Name Your Packaged Service

Giving your packaged service a name makes it feel like they are buying an OUTCOME rather than just a bundle of tasks.

Here's a simple framework for a Packaged Service name:

Problem, Person, or Way + Desirable Outcome + "Package" Image
Read 8 tweets
Jul 31, 2025
Many call this author a "fake" writer.

But he has:

• Sold 300+ million books
• Writes 8+ novels every year
• Holds the world record for the most NYT bestsellers

9 of his best insights on writing, storytelling, and rejection:🧵 Image
James Patterson is one of the best-selling authors of all time.

He has 144 (!) NYT bestsellers.

I am fascinated by his career.

Let's dive into his writing advice:
1. Patterson researches his villains by talking to:

• The FBI
• The CIA
• The Police

But there’s always an extra ingredient he adds to make them more "satisfying":
Read 16 tweets
Jul 29, 2025
In 5 years, my little business has generated $15,000,000.

It runs on just $8,215/month.

Here are the 7 most powerful no-code tools in my tech stack:🧵 Image
Image
In 2020, I was ghostwriting for:

• CEOs
• Executives
• Best-selling authors & more

I used years of writing experience & these tools to build a writing education business that today is doing 7-figs a year:
1. ConvertKit ($1,179/mo)

The heart of our entire operation. Handles all email marketing:

• Automations
• Broadcasts
• Product launches

We used this to grow from 0 to 200k subscribers, which scaled perfectly with us.

One of the most important tools in our arsenal.
Read 12 tweets
Jul 24, 2025
Every writer should have a newsletter making $10k/month.

But most:

• Overthink
• Never make $1
• Don't know where to start

Steal my 4-step blueprint to attract your first 1,000 subscribers:🧵 Image
For context:

I've generated millions of dollars with newsletters:

• Scaled two paid newsletters to 6 figures (Write With AI & Category Pirates)
• Driven millions in sales with free newsletters

Every time I start a newsletter, here's how I do it: Image
Step 1: Pick your newsletter platform

• Substack: For casual creators
• Beehiiv: For advanced/marketing-minded creators
• ConvertKit: For expert-level business-minded creators

There are others, but these 3 are the most creator friendly.
Read 11 tweets
Jul 17, 2025
6 years ago, I scaled my first business to $180k/month.

But the stress put me in the hospital with shingles.

These were my 13 most painful mistakes: 🧵 Image
My 1st company was a ghostwriting agency.

In 18 months, we grew from me and one of my best friends working out of his 1 bedroom apartment to:

• 20 full-time employees
• $2 million in revenue
• 80+ clients

Unfortunately, we made every mistake in the book: Image
Mistake #1: Trying to scale "me"

We decided to scale an agency since I had been ghostwriting on my own.

• I was charging around $1,000 per article
• Based on 30-minute calls
• And 1 hour of writing

Unfortunately, finding writers "like me" was very hard—and expensive. Image
Read 19 tweets
Jun 30, 2025
One of the most prolific writers of the last 30 years:

John Grisham.

His books have been made into movies starring Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, and Samuel L. Jackson.

10 of his timeless writing insights on talent, routine, and dealing with criticism:🧵 Image
1. Grisham sets himself tough creative constraints:

• Start a novel on Jan 1st
• Write daily for 3 hours
• Finish it by July 1st

The key?

His tightly controlled writing environment (down to the coffee he drinks):
2. Grisham pumps out one novel every year.

But he can only do this by avoiding a huge mistake a lot of writers make:
Read 13 tweets

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