Writing a title can be difficult. Many of us struggle to describe the essence of what we’ve written in a few words in a way that both engages potential readers and contains the keywords that will rank well on search engines. Have you used AI to create titles?
Coming up with the right title may challenge so much that our brains freeze in a mini version of writer’s block. Can using AI melt the block?
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Some people say they must get used to the idea of using AI because they’re communicating with a computer. I wonder if, when they call a number, who they think is saying, “Please listen carefully because our options have changed”? Communicating with AI is just an advanced version of talking to a machine.
Below is a sampling of how ChatGPT helped me come up with titles for podcasts I produced for Legal Nurse Podcast. In each case, I gave ChatGPT on average 3 or 4 paragraphs and some bullet points about each podcast. I abbreviated the synopsis in this blog to provide you with a sense of the podcast’s content.
An abbreviated synopsis precedes the title search to help you evaluate the quality of the AI-generated titles.
Examples of how to use AI to create titles
In this podcast, Jean documents her role and that of a multitude of experts in the case of a 19-year-old African American single mother, Susan, in Arizona who was convicted of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Lily.
The team of experts and lawyers involved sought to reverse the conviction based on new evidence and reinterpretation of hospital records. Jean documents the many ways in which virtually every practitioner involved arrived at conclusions that put the blame on Susan for Lily’s death. The team with whom she worked concluded instead that congenital conditions had led to the death.
My title results were:
Title: “The Lily Case: Uncovering Medical Misdiagnosis and the Fight for Justice”
Next, I asked ChatGPT: “Give me another title.”
Title: “Beyond Reasonable Doubt: The Legal Battle to Exonerate Susan in the Death of her Daughter Lily”
I asked, “Give me another title.”
Title: “Medical Malpractice and the Criminal Justice System: The Tragic Case of Susan and Lily”
I used AI to create titles, all different, from the same content. Here is another example from Michael Zema MD’s Podcast
Michael Zema is a cardiologist and pharmacologist who also works as an expert witness. His podcast is packed with information that’s invaluable for expert witnesses. He describes pitfalls in electronic medical records, including misuse of the copy-and-paste function that can propagate medical errors for years. He urges doctors to deeply familiarize themselves with pharmacology in order to avoid dangerous and sometimes fatal medical errors.
ChatGPT gave me this title: “Expert Witness Secrets: Insights from a Cardiologist and Pharmacologist”
I asked, “Give me another title.”
Title: “Decoding Medical Records: Tips and Techniques for Expert Witnesses”
I asked a third time, “Give me another title.”
Title: “Pharmacology and the Courtroom: The Role of Expert Witnesses in Preventing Medication Errors”
This is a final example, using Camilla Renella’s podcast.
Camille Remella opens the door to the world of medical ethics, which is little understood. The legal nurse consultant needs to understand this role because the decisions of medical ethicists can be matters of life and death. Specifically, a medical ethicist may take up issues of life support and advanced directives.
Title: “Medical Ethics Unraveled: Understanding the Role of Medical Ethicists and Ethics Committees”
I asked, “Give me another title.”
Title: “Navigating the Grey Areas of Medicine: An Insider’s Guide to Ethical Decision-Making”
Another request: “Give me another title.”
Title: “Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare: Insights from a Medical Ethicist”
Sometimes You Must Use Your Human Brain to Modify a Headline that You Create with AI
Alberto Cadas Vidani provides a detailed description of designing a headline with ChatGPT. I’ve provided some brief excerpts, and I recommend reading the article. (And if you like it, you can give it up to 50 handclaps, on Medium which earns the author income.)
He gave ChatGPT this information:
“A headline for an article about grooming cats. Make it surprising and persuasive. The intended audience is a woman around 30. She loves cats and wants them to look good but does not have too much time to waste.”
Note: in looking for a title, in addition to describing your target group and the tone you want the title to have, you can also put in keywords or paste in a description/synopsis of the piece for which you want a title.
Below is the best result Alberto got from the AI program.
“10 Minute Grooming Tricks to a Flawless Feline: Transform Your Cat from Scruffy to Stunning in No Time.”
I don’t know whether the author had specified a word or character count. This is a long title. It was 87 characters. Good headline/title lengths range between 60 and 100 characters; this title is at the longer end of the spectrum. Its 18-word length is more problematic. It LOOKS long.
It’s long enough that a lot of it wouldn’t show on a YouTube listing or an email in an inbox.
The author didn’t use this title or any others that ChatGPT generated. However, what the program generated stimulated him to modify the title and come up with one that he liked (which, unfortunately, he didn’t include in his article).
This seems to be one of the largest benefits of using the program. By providing you with something you might not have expected, it sends your creativity into previously unexplored areas.
If you work consistently with an AI program, it will “get to know you.” These programs work on prediction. It may learn to predict what you generally like in a title, for example. This becomes a limitation if you have widely-ranging needs for titles.
The author recommends experimenting with the kind of information you give the program. If one approach doesn’t work, try another. Keep track of what does work. You’re learning how to communicate with a program. Like any form of communication, it’s trial and error.
Sometimes AI will deliver the perfect title. When it doesn’t, that doesn’t mean it has no value. Allow it to serve as a prompt for your creativity. 
Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC is a consultant, speaker, author, editor and coach. She has written or edited over 60 of her own books and worked with a few dozen authors. Pat is an Amazon international #1 bestselling author. Coaches, consultants, and speakers hire Pat to help release the knowledge inside them so that they can attract their ideal clients.
She delights in assisting people to share their expertise by writing. Pat serves international and national experts as an editor, book coach, and a medical and business writer.
