Picture an AI that crafts text so authentically, it could easily be mistaken for human writing. It may seem like sorcery, but it’s actually the outcome of complex procedures and meticulous tuning. This guide will delve into actionable techniques to help ChatGPT emulate human writing, enhancing the impact and appeal of your content marketing initiatives.
What Makes Writing Truly Human-Like?
Human writing is more than just words on a page. It’s about personality, distinct vocabulary, and a natural flow. Think of it as a conversation with a friend, filled with anecdotes, humor, and a touch of sarcasm. These elements break the monotony and breathe life into the content.
As a starter let’s do an experiment with the content you produce with ChatGPT.
A-test: Brief GPT to write a piece of content about a certain topic you desire and do not only that.
B-test: Do it once again but add this short prompt to the briefing:
Write in a human style by incorporating idiomatic expressions, rhetorical questions, and relatable anecdotes. Use active language, maintain a warm and engaging tone, show empathy, and vary sentence lengths for a natural flow.
Did that humanize your output? We hope so 🙂
The H.U.M.A.N. Method: A Framework for AI Writing That Feels Genuine
While understanding what makes writing human-like is essential, implementing these qualities consistently requires a structured approach. We’ve developed a practical framework called “The H.U.M.A.N. Method” to help you transform robotic AI outputs into writing that genuinely connects with readers:
- H – Human tone and vocabulary: Use everyday language, contractions, idioms, and occasionally break grammar rules as humans naturally do. Incorporate slang where appropriate and avoid overly formal or technical vocabulary unless required by your audience.
- U – Unpredictable sentence patterns: Vary sentence length and structure to create rhythm. Mix short, punchy statements with longer, more complex sentences. Occasionally start sentences with conjunctions or include intentional fragments for emphasis.
- M – Meaningful emotional context: Infuse content with appropriate emotions, personal opinions, and relatable scenarios. Share reactions, preferences, and occasional vulnerabilities to build connection with readers.
- A – Authentic perspective/voice: Develop and maintain a consistent voice that reflects either your personal style or your brand identity. Incorporate unique viewpoints, specific examples, and personalized analogies rather than generic statements.
- N – Natural flow and transitions: Connect ideas organically using conversational transitions. Include rhetorical questions, thoughtful pauses, and narrative elements that guide readers through your content like a natural conversation.
By systematically applying each element of The H.U.M.A.N. Method to your ChatGPT prompts, you’ll create content that readers can connect with on a deeper level. Throughout this guide, we’ll explore techniques that address each component of this framework, with practical examples you can implement immediately.
As a starter let’s do an experiment with the content you produce with ChatGPT.
Elements of Authentic Human Writing Style
- Unique Voice: A distinct style or perspective that personalizes the text.
- Emotional Range: Expressing a spectrum of emotions to engage readers’ empathy.
- Idiomatic Language: Using metaphors, similes, and colloquialisms to enhance relatability.
- Creativity and Unpredictability: Introducing original ideas and unexpected turns.
- Nuance and Complexity: Providing depth in exploring themes, arguments, or characters.
Finding Your Unique Writing Style with ChatGPT
Uncovering and cultivating your distinctive writing style is a fulfilling journey. With the help of ChatGPT, you can streamline this process effortlessly. Here’s how to do it with a custom built GPT we use regularly to create a brand voice:
- collect text samples you think mirrors your brand voice perfectly in one document
- upload the document to the Brand Voice Builder
- wait for the instructions
- add those instructions in a chat with GPT before you start to create content
- or upload them in the settings of our AI SEO Suite and use them as global content guidelines
Brand Voice Builder -> https://chatgpt.com/g/g-A7RRolE8A-brand-voice-builder
Creating a Personal Style Guide for ChatGPT
Develop a comprehensive style guide that outlines:
- Your preferred vocabulary and phrases
- Sentence structure and paragraph length preferences
- Tone and level of formality
- Common themes or topics you often write about
By consistently referring to this style guide when prompting ChatGPT, you can train it to produce content that closely resembles your personal writing style.
Advanced Techniques for Humanizing AI-Generated Content
To further enhance the human-like quality of AI-generated content, we can employ advanced techniques that focus on the nuances of natural language:
Adjusting Perplexity and Burstiness
This measures the complexity of the text and variations in sentence length and structure. By fine-tuning these parameters, you can make the AI-generated content more engaging and human-like. Perplexity helps in ensuring that the text is not too predictable, while burstiness introduces a natural rhythm by varying sentence lengths and structures. This combination can make the content feel more dynamic and less robotic.
To achieve this, start by analyzing human-written texts in your niche to understand the typical perplexity and burstiness levels. Use these insights to adjust the AI’s output, aiming for a balance that mimics human writing patterns. Additionally, incorporating a mix of short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones can enhance readability and keep the audience engaged. Remember, the goal is to create content that flows naturally and resonates with readers, making them feel as if they are interacting with a real person rather than a machine.
Fine-Tuning ChatGPT for Personalized Responses
Creating a dataset of your writing or preferred style and training the model on this dataset is a crucial step in making ChatGPT mimic human-like writing. Start by compiling a diverse collection of your previous works, including blog posts, articles, emails, and any other written content that reflects your unique voice and tone. This dataset should be comprehensive enough to cover various contexts and nuances of your writing style.
Once you have your dataset, the next step is to preprocess the text to ensure it is clean and consistent. This involves removing any irrelevant information, correcting grammatical errors, and standardizing formatting. After preprocessing, you can use machine learning techniques to fine-tune ChatGPT on this dataset. This process involves adjusting the model’s parameters so that it learns to generate text that closely resembles your writing style. By iterating on this process and continuously refining the dataset, you can achieve a high level of personalization, making ChatGPT’s responses indistinguishable from those of a human writer.
Step-by-Step Guide to Train ChatGPT for Human-Like Writing
To train ChatGPT to write more like a human, follow these practical steps:
Step 1: Define Your Writing Style
Start by defining your unique writing style. Create a document that outlines your preferred vocabulary, tone, sentence structure, and common themes.
Example Prompt: “ChatGPT, I want you to write in a friendly, conversational tone. Use simple vocabulary, short sentences, and include some humor.”
Outcome: ChatGPT generates a text that aligns with the specified style. Review the output and note any deviations from your style.
Step 2: Provide Contextual Information
Feed ChatGPT with contextual information about the topic you want it to write about. The more detailed the context, the better the output.
Example Prompt: “ChatGPT, write a blog post about the benefits of remote work. Use a friendly tone and include personal anecdotes.”
Outcome: ChatGPT produces a blog post with a friendly tone and personal anecdotes. Review and refine the content to better match your style.
Step 3: Iterative Refinement
Engage in successive iterations to refine the output. Provide feedback on what needs to be improved and ask for revisions.
Example Prompt: “ChatGPT, revise the previous blog post to include more humor and make the anecdotes more relatable.”
Outcome: ChatGPT revises the blog post, adding humor and making the anecdotes more relatable. Continue refining until the output meets your expectations.
Step 4: Create a Style Guide
Develop a comprehensive style guide that outlines your writing preferences. Use this guide to consistently train ChatGPT.
Example Prompt: “ChatGPT, follow this style guide: Use a friendly tone, short sentences, simple vocabulary, and include humor and personal anecdotes.”
Outcome: ChatGPT generates content that closely follows the style guide. Review and make any necessary adjustments.
Step 5: Experiment and Track Progress
Experiment with different prompts and track the progress of ChatGPT’s output. Keep a log of successful prompts and responses for future reference.
Example Prompt: “ChatGPT, write a social media post about the importance of mental health. Use a friendly tone and include a call to action.”
Outcome: ChatGPT generates a social media post with a friendly tone and a call to action. Review and refine as needed.
Examples of Prompts to Make ChatGPT Write Like a Human
If you want to make ChatGPT write like a human, you have to show it how. Below, I crafted a couple of examples that can point you in the right direction.
Example Prompt No. 1:
“Imagine you’re having a casual conversation with a close friend over coffee on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Your friend has asked you to explain [topic] to them. Respond in a relaxed, friendly tone, using everyday language and occasional colloquialisms. Include some pauses or filler words (like ‘um’ or ‘you know’) to mimic natural speech. Feel free to use contractions and informal sentence structures. Occasionally go off on brief, relevant tangents or share a personal anecdote related to the topic. Ask your friend rhetorical questions to keep them engaged, and use phrases like ‘Does that make sense?’ or ‘You know what I mean?’ to check for understanding. Your explanation should be clear but not overly technical, as if you’re talking to someone you know well but who isn’t an expert in this field.”
Example Prompt No. 2:
“Write a blog post about [topic] in the style of [specific author or personality, e.g., David Sedaris]. Mimic their writing voice, including their typical sentence structures, vocabulary choices, and narrative techniques. Incorporate their characteristic humor or wit, and use their preferred punctuation style (e.g., frequent use of parentheses or em dashes). Include at least one personal anecdote or observation, as this author typically does. Use their common transitions or segues between paragraphs. If they have any catchphrases or recurring themes in their work, weave these in naturally. The tone should be [e.g., self-deprecating, sardonic, whimsical], matching the author’s usual style. Aim for a word count typical of this author’s blog posts or essays (e.g., 800-1000 words). End the post with a conclusion or final thought reflecting how this author typically wraps up their pieces.”
How Do I Tell AI to Use a More Human-Like Writing Style?
One of the primary questions that users have while harnessing AI for text generation is how to teach it to write more like a human. Let’s review specific strategies and methodologies that can help achieve this.
Empathy in Writing
Human communication brims with emotional undertones, which you should earnestly try to infuse into AI interactions as well. This involves not just understanding the words but also the context, tone, and subtle nuances that convey emotions. For instance, when writing a heartfelt message, it’s crucial to incorporate empathy and warmth, which can be achieved by using phrases that resonate on a personal level. Similarly, humor can be a powerful tool to make the content more engaging and relatable, but it must be used judiciously to avoid misunderstandings.
Inject Concision
Humans don’t always speak or write in lengthy sentences loaded with complex terminology. Aim for brevity and simplicity over verbosity. This approach not only makes the content more accessible but also more engaging for a wider audience. When training ChatGPT, it’s essential to emphasize the importance of clear and concise language. Encourage the model to use everyday vocabulary and straightforward sentence structures. This will help in creating content that feels more natural and relatable.
Consider Collapsibility
Unlike machines, humans tend not to provide all relevant information at once. Adopt this practice by creating prompts that deliver key points upfront and allow details to unfold organically later. This approach not only mimics natural human conversation but also keeps the reader engaged, as they are gradually introduced to new information in a way that feels intuitive and less overwhelming.
Order Matters
In most cases, we don’t randomly arrange our thoughts but structure them logically, leading from one point naturally to another. This logical flow is crucial for maintaining reader engagement and ensuring that the content is easily digestible. When training ChatGPT to write like a human, it’s essential to emphasize the importance of coherence and cohesion in writing. This involves teaching the model to use transitional phrases and connectors used in human writing that guide the reader through the text seamlessly.
Exclude traditional AI expressions from writing
At WP SEO AI we found that excluding typical AI words also contributes to humanizing the content pieces. Here is an extract of topics and actual expressions, we regularly exclude.
- Formal Phrasing:
“In conclusion, the results show…”
“It is important to highlight that…”
“Furthermore, we must consider…”
“Moreover, the data indicates…”
“Additionally, it is worth noting that…”
“As a result, we can infer…”
“Therefore, it can be concluded that…”
“In summary, the findings suggest…”
“Subsequently, the analysis reveals…”
“To sum up, it is clear that…” - Repetitive Structures:
“One of the key features of [topic] is…”
“Another significant aspect of [topic] is…”
“This happens because…”
“For instance, it can be observed that…”
“To demonstrate this, consider…”
“One major advantage of [topic] is…”
“A notable benefit of [topic] is…”
“This is exemplified by…”
“To illustrate this further, let’s look at…”
“A common example of this is…” - Lack of Contractions:
“You should not disregard this fact.”
“It is essential to understand…”
“They are responsible for…”
“We cannot ignore the implications…”
“I would like to highlight…”
“He does not agree with the statement.”
“She will not participate in the event.”
“It has been confirmed that…”
“They have not provided any evidence.”
“You cannot underestimate the impact.” - Passive Voice:
“The project was completed by the team.”
“The experiment was conducted by researchers.”
“The book was written by an expert.”
“The decision was made by the committee.”
“The results were analyzed by scientists.”
“The task was performed by the assistant.”
“The data was collected by survey.”
“The study was published by the journal.”
“The proposal was approved by the board.”
“The initiative was launched by the organization.” - Generic Statements:
“Many people assume that…”
“It is widely accepted that…”
“There are numerous reasons for…”
“Some believe that…”
“It is often said that…”
“A common belief is that…”
“Experts agree that…”
“It is generally understood that…”
“Some argue that…”
“It is a well-known fact that…” - Overuse of Certain Transitions:
“Firstly, let us examine…”
“Secondly, we should consider…”
“Thirdly, it is important to note…”
“In addition to this…”
“On the other hand, we have…”
“In contrast, it is evident that…”
“Moreover, it should be mentioned…”
“Furthermore, we can see…”
“Lastly, we must…”
“Additionally, it is crucial to…” - Predictable Opening Lines:
“In today’s fast-paced world…”
“With the advent of modern technology…”
“As we navigate through the 21st century…”
“In recent developments…”
“In the current scenario…”
“As the world evolves…”
“In this rapidly changing environment…”
“Given the recent trends…”
“In our everyday lives…”
“In light of recent events…”
“It is important…” - Clichéd Phrases:
“At the end of the day, we must…”
“The fact of the matter is…”
“In this day and age, it is crucial…”
“When it comes to making decisions…”
“All things considered, it is clear…”
“The bottom line is…”
“In the grand scheme of things…”
“More often than not…”
“Last but not least…”
“When all is said and done…”
“In today’s fast-paced digital landscape,…”
“In the ever-evolving world of…”
Before and After: Transforming AI Text to Human Writing
To really understand the impact of these techniques, let’s look at some real examples that demonstrate the transformation from standard AI output to more human-like writing. These examples highlight the practical application of the methods discussed above.
Example 1: Product Description
Before (Standard AI Output):
“The XYZ Wireless Headphones offer superior sound quality. They feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and have a battery life of 20 hours. The headphones are equipped with noise cancellation technology. They are comfortable to wear for extended periods due to their ergonomic design. Additionally, they come with a carrying case for convenient storage and transportation.”
Technique Applied: Added personality, emotional appeal, varied sentence structure, and conversational elements.
After (Human-Like Version):
“Ready to lose yourself in your favorite tunes without the world butting in? Our XYZ Wireless Headphones will be your new best friend. With crystal-clear sound that’ll make you feel like you’re front row at a concert, these bad boys connect seamlessly via Bluetooth 5.0 and keep the party going for a solid 20 hours. Trust me—the noise cancellation is a game-changer for those noisy commutes! My neck usually aches after wearing headphones all day, but these? Super comfy, even after my weekend binge-listening sessions. Oh, and they come with a sleek little carrying case too—because who hasn’t accidentally crushed a pair of headphones at the bottom of their bag? (Guilty as charged!)”
Analysis: The improved version incorporates rhetorical questions, personal anecdotes, and colloquial expressions like “bad boys” and “game-changer.” It varies sentence length and uses contractions, exclamations, and parenthetical asides to create a conversational tone. The emotional benefits of the product are emphasized rather than just listing features.
Example 2: Educational Content
Before (Standard AI Output):
“Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds. It is an important process because it is the primary source of all food on Earth and is also responsible for producing a large percentage of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.”
Technique Applied: Added metaphors, storytelling elements, varied pacing, and relatable context.
After (Human-Like Version):
“Think of plants as nature’s ultimate solar panels – they’re doing something pretty magical called photosynthesis. It’s like they’re running a tiny factory where sunlight is the power source. They take that light, mix it with water and CO2 (you know, the stuff we breathe out), and – voilà! – they create their own food while pumping out oxygen as a byproduct. Pretty neat trick, right? Without this process, we’d be in big trouble… no food, a lot less oxygen, and frankly, a much duller planet. I still remember my 7th-grade science experiment watching bean sprouts turn toward the sunlight – it’s fascinating to see this invisible process making visible changes right before your eyes.”
Analysis: The improved version uses a metaphor (solar panels), incorporates storytelling with a personal memory, and adds conversational phrases like “pretty neat trick, right?” The varied sentence structure includes a mix of short and long sentences, and technical concepts are explained in a relatable way. Contractions and casual transitions make the text flow more naturally.
Example 3: Marketing Email
Before (Standard AI Output):
“We are pleased to announce our Summer Sale event. The sale will commence on June 1st and conclude on June 15th. During this period, customers can enjoy discounts of up to 50% on selected items. Additionally, purchases exceeding $100 will qualify for free shipping. We encourage you to visit our website to view the complete catalog of discounted products. We appreciate your continued patronage.”
Technique Applied: Added urgency, emotional appeal, personalization, and casual language.
After (Human-Like Version):
“Summer’s just around the corner, and you know what that means – it’s time for our biggest sale of the season! Mark your calendar: June 1-15 is your chance to snag those items you’ve been eyeing for up to HALF OFF. (Seriously, I’ve already made my wishlist!)
Want an extra perk? Spend $100+ and shipping’s on us. I’d recommend checking out the new outdoor collection – those patio lanterns sold out in a flash last year.
Can’t wait to see what treasures you find! Head over to our site and start planning your haul before the best stuff disappears.
Happy shopping!
P.S. Don’t forget to share your summer style with us using #MySummerFind – we might feature you on our Instagram!”
Analysis: The improved version creates excitement through exclamation points and capitalization for emphasis. It includes personal recommendations and shares insider knowledge about popular items. The structure mimics a genuine email with a greeting, main content, sign-off, and P.S. section. Short paragraphs, direct address to the reader (“you”), and casual phrases like “snag” and “on us” create a friendlier, more engaging tone.
Key Takeaways from These Transformations
Looking at these examples, we can identify several consistent patterns that make AI writing more human:
- Personal elements: Adding first-person perspectives, anecdotes, and opinions
- Emotional language: Incorporating excitement, humor, and relatable feelings
- Structural variety: Mixing short and long sentences, using fragments for emphasis
- Conversational flow: Including questions, asides, and casual transitions
- Imperfection: Embracing occasional tangents, parenthetical thoughts, and informal expressions
By applying these elements consistently in your prompts to ChatGPT, you can generate content that readers will connect with on a more personal level.
Testing Your Results: Using AI Detection Tools
You’ve implemented all these techniques to make ChatGPT write like a human—but how do you know if they’re actually working? This is where AI detection tools come in handy. These tools can help you measure your success and refine your approach to creating more authentic-sounding content.
Popular AI Content Detection Tools
Here are some of the most reliable tools to test whether your content passes as human-written:
1. GPTZero
Originally designed for educators to detect AI-written essays, GPTZero has become a popular tool for content creators too. It analyzes text using two key metrics:
- Perplexity: Measures how “surprised” the detector is by each new word (higher is more human-like)
- Burstiness: Evaluates the variation in sentence structure and complexity (humans tend to be “burstier” than AI)
When testing your content, look for scores that indicate “likely human” rather than focusing on a perfect score. GPTZero provides paragraph-by-paragraph analysis, which helps identify which sections need more humanizing.
2. Content at Scale AI Detector
This free tool provides a comprehensive analysis with a 0-100 score on its “AI Content Detector Index.” What makes it particularly useful is its detailed breakdown of:
- Pattern recognition (does the text follow predictable AI patterns?)
- Randomness distribution (is there natural variation in word choice?)
- Sentence complexity variation (do sentences vary in structure like human writing?)
In my experience, content that scores below 25 on their index typically passes as human-written across most platforms. I’ve found it especially valuable for testing blog posts and product descriptions.
3. Originality.ai
While it requires a subscription, Originality.ai offers some of the most sophisticated detection technology. It’s continuously trained on the latest AI models, including GPT-4 and Claude, making it one of the most accurate detectors available.
What sets Originality.ai apart is its ability to detect content that has been manually edited after AI generation—exactly what we’re doing with the techniques in this guide. Its percentage-based scoring system is straightforward: aim for scores below 20% for content that needs to pass as human-written.
Before and After Detection Rates
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the humanizing techniques we’ve covered, I ran several tests using these detection tools. Here are the average results from testing 10 different content samples:
| Content Version | GPTZero | Content at Scale | Originality.ai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic ChatGPT output | 98% AI | 76.4 | 89% AI |
| After adding H.U.M.A.N. method | 45% AI | 31.8 | 42% AI |
| After manual editing + personal examples | 12% AI | 16.2 | 18% AI |
What’s particularly interesting is how different humanizing techniques affect detection rates:
- Adding contractions and colloquialisms: 15-20% reduction in AI detection
- Varying sentence structure: 20-30% reduction
- Including personal anecdotes: 25-35% reduction
- Breaking occasional grammar rules: 10-15% reduction
Tips for Interpreting AI Detection Results
When using these tools, keep these points in mind:
- No detector is perfect. False positives happen, especially with technical content or highly structured writing.
- Test multiple times. Detection results can vary slightly between tests, so run your content through 2-3 times.
- Focus on trends, not exact scores. If you see consistent improvement as you apply more humanizing techniques, you’re on the right track.
- Use multiple detectors. Different tools use different algorithms; content that passes one might fail another.
- Test competitors’ content. This gives you a benchmark for what’s passing as human in your industry.
Remember, the goal isn’t necessarily to “beat” AI detectors—it’s to create content that resonates with human readers. These tools simply provide feedback on whether you’re successfully implementing the humanizing techniques we’ve discussed.
