I tried dozens of prompts that make AI write like a human. Here are the 5 that actually work.

Stevia Putri
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Stevia Putri

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Stanley Nicholas

Last edited January 12, 2026

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Let's be honest, most content spit out by generative AI sounds... off. It's robotic, stuffed with predictable phrases, and has zero personality. This "AI slop" doesn't just bore people; it kills trust. You can spot it from a mile away.

The good news is you don't need a fancier AI model. You just need to give your current one better instructions. This is called prompt engineering, and it's how you get content that actually connects with readers.

This article cuts straight to what works. I'm sharing five practical, tested prompts that will get any AI to write more naturally and help you build the trust you need with your audience. And while these manual prompts are great, it's worth knowing that tools like the eesel AI blog writer are built to do this for you, turning a single keyword into human-sounding, ready-to-publish content right from the start.

A screenshot of the eesel AI blog writer interface, a tool that uses advanced prompts that make AI write like a human to generate content.
A screenshot of the eesel AI blog writer interface, a tool that uses advanced prompts that make AI write like a human to generate content.

What makes for good prompts that make AI write like a human?

A "human-sounding" prompt isn't just about telling the AI what to write, but how to write it. It's about getting past generic instructions to take control of the things that define good writing: tone, sentence structure, word choice, and flow.

Think about the difference between these two prompts:

  • Generic: "Write a blog about remote work."
  • Humanizing: "Act as a manager explaining the pros and cons of remote work to your skeptical team. Keep the tone reassuring but direct."

The first one will give you a bland, fact-based article. The second, a role-based prompt, will produce something with a specific point of view, a clear audience, and a much more natural feel. The goal is simple: create content that engages readers and dodges the common AI giveaways that are becoming easier for everyone to spot.

An infographic showing the difference in output between a generic prompt and one of the specific prompts that make AI write like a human.
An infographic showing the difference in output between a generic prompt and one of the specific prompts that make AI write like a human.

How we selected these prompts that make AI write like a human

I didn't just guess here. These prompts were chosen based on a few simple criteria to make sure they're actually useful:

  • Effective: They produce a noticeable, positive change in the AI's output, making it sound much more natural.
  • Simple: They are easy for anyone to understand and use without needing a background in computer science.
  • Versatile: They work reliably across different models like ChatGPT and Claude and for various types of content, from blog posts to emails.

Think of these as your foundational techniques. You can use them one by one or stack them together for even better results.

A quick guide to humanizing AI prompt techniques

Here's a quick-reference table so you can find the right technique for your needs at a glance.

TechniqueBest ForKey Impact
Conversational ToneBlog posts, social media, emailsMakes content feel approachable and relatable.
Personal AnecdotesIntroductions, thought leadershipBuilds an immediate emotional connection and trust.
Direct & Fluff-FreeMarketing copy, tutorials, reportsImproves clarity and gets straight to the point.
Short, Simple SentencesExplaining complex topicsIncreases readability and comprehension.
Specific EmotionsStorytelling, brand marketingMakes the content more memorable and impactful.

5 effective prompts that make AI write like a human

Alright, this is the core of it. Let's break down the five prompts that have consistently given me the most human-sounding content. Each one targets a specific weakness in standard AI output and replaces it with a quality of authentic human writing.

1. Use a conversational and role-based tone

What it is: This technique tells the AI to adopt a specific persona or write as if it's talking to a friend. It's one of the most common and effective conversational prompting techniques you can use. Instead of being a neutral machine, the AI becomes a character with a voice.

Why it works: It instantly shatters the AI's default formal, academic style. People rarely speak in stiff, perfectly structured sentences. We use casual language, ask questions, and have a natural rhythm. This prompt forces the AI to mimic that flow, making the text feel less like a lecture and more like a real conversation. It creates an approachable feel that invites the reader in.

Example Prompt:

Act as if you're explaining [your topic] to a colleague over coffee. Keep the tone friendly and direct. Use casual phrases like 'Here’s the thing...' or 'So, what does this actually mean?'. Make sure the sentences are short and easy to follow.

2. Frame information with a personal story

What it is: This prompt tells the AI to wrap facts or explanations inside a personal story or a relatable scenario. Instead of just stating a fact, you ask the AI to show it through a narrative.

Why it works: Stories are how we make sense of the world. They create an immediate emotional connection and make abstract ideas feel real. Forcing the AI to start with a human-centric story, even a made-up one, flips that around. It builds empathy and makes the reader feel like they're learning from someone's experience, not just consuming data.

Reddit
i usually say english is my second language and it should sound more authentic. asking it to form short sentences also helps.

Example Prompt:

Write about [your topic] by starting with a personal story. Use phrases like ‘I once had an experience where...’ or ‘This reminds me of a time when...’. Connect the story's lesson directly to the main point you're trying to make.

3. Be direct and ban the fluff words

What it is: This one is my personal favorite. This prompt uses negative constraints to explicitly tell the AI what not to do. You give it a list of common AI-generated words and phrases to avoid, forcing it to find simpler, more direct alternatives.

Why it works: AI models are trained on a huge amount of internet text, which is unfortunately full of marketing jargon and empty clichés. They tend to overuse words like "delve," "tapestry," "unlock," and phrases like "in the ever-evolving landscape." This prompt acts like a filter, stripping out the filler and forcing the AI to communicate clearly. The result is content that gets straight to the point.

Reddit
- Never use “this changes everything”, “the shift that changed everything”, or any of their variants.

Example Prompt:

Write about [your topic] using clear, simple language. AVOID using these words and phrases: "delve," "tapestry," "treasure trove," "unlock the potential," "in the ever-evolving landscape," "it's a testament to." Just give me practical insights without the filler.

4. Break down ideas into short, simple sentences

What it is: This prompt gives the AI a direct structural command: use short, simple sentences. It's a core principle for creating clear and effective instructions and works just as well for the final output. You're telling the AI to prioritize readability.

Why it works: Long, complex sentences are a dead giveaway of robotic writing. They're hard for a human brain to process and make readers tune out. Shorter sentences, on the other hand, create momentum and make your content feel more energetic and accessible. By telling the AI to break every idea down into a bite-sized chunk, you make complex topics easy to understand and ensure your message lands.

Example Prompt:

Explain [complex topic] in the simplest way possible. Use short, clear sentences. Break down every idea into a bite-sized chunk. Ensure each sentence is direct and contains only one main idea.

5. Write with a specific emotion or goal in mind

What it is: This prompt guides the AI to write from a specific emotional standpoint. Instead of just presenting facts, you tell it to convey hope, frustration, excitement, or urgency.

Why it works: Human writing is rarely emotionally neutral. Our feelings and motivations find their way into our word choice and phrasing. Giving the AI an emotional target makes its output more nuanced and impactful. It helps the AI choose words that resonate on a deeper level, making the content more persuasive and memorable. This is how you move from just informing your reader to actually connecting with them.

Example Prompt:

Write about [your topic] from a place of [emotion, e.g., 'frustration with the old, inefficient way of doing things']. Use emotional language like ‘It’s incredibly frustrating when...’ or ‘Imagine how much better it would feel to...’. The goal is to make the reader feel [the emotion] and see the value in a new approach.

The shortcut: How the eesel AI blog writer automates this for you

Mastering these manual prompts is a valuable skill, but let's be practical. If you need to create high-quality content consistently, becoming a full-time prompt engineer isn't the best use of your time. That's when you move from manual work to an automated solution.

The eesel AI blog writer has these humanizing principles built right into its logic. Instead of you having to layer multiple prompts to get a decent result, it's designed to handle all of this for you.

Here's how it solves the exact problems manual prompting aims to fix:

  • From one keyword to a full post: You don't need to guide it step-by-step. Just provide a single topic, and eesel AI generates a complete, human-sounding blog post that's structured for SEO and ready to publish.
  • Context-aware research: It understands the intent behind your keyword. If you ask for a comparison post, it finds pricing data. If you need a product review, it pulls technical specs. You get well-researched content, not shallow filler.
  • Complete assets included: It goes beyond just text. You get a finished article with AI-generated images, infographics, and even real Reddit quotes embedded to add genuine human perspectives.
    A 3-step workflow diagram explaining how the eesel AI blog writer uses prompts that make AI write like a human to create content.
    A 3-step workflow diagram explaining how the eesel AI blog writer uses prompts that make AI write like a human to create content.

This isn't just a theory. It's the exact tool we used to grow our own blog from 700 to 750,000 daily impressions in just three months. We proved that you can use AI for blog posts that rank and connect with readers.

Pro tips for getting the most out of your prompts that make AI write like a human

If you want to stick with manual prompting for now, here are a few extra tips to help you get even better results:

  • Layer your prompts: Don't just use one technique at a time. Combine them. For example, ask for a conversational tone and a personal story in the same prompt. The more specific your instructions, the better the result.
  • Use custom instructions: Tools like ChatGPT have a Custom Instructions feature. You can use this to save your core writing rules, like "always use short sentences" or "never use these fluff words", so the AI applies them to every chat without you having to repeat yourself.
  • Review and refine: Never treat the first output as the final version. It's a draft. The AI is your writing assistant, not your replacement. Always use its response as a starting point, then add your own expertise and final polish.

Watching these principles in action can make them easier to grasp. For a detailed walkthrough of how to construct a powerful prompt that forces AI to sound more natural, the following video provides some excellent, actionable examples.

This video offers a detailed guide on using power prompts to make AI-generated writing sound more human and bypass AI detection.

The goal is connection, not perfection

Ultimately, the reason we want AI to write like a human is to create a stronger connection with our audience. It's about building trust, providing real value, and communicating in a way that resonates. It's not about fooling anyone; it's about making sure the message is heard.

While manual prompting is a great skill to have, the real goal is to produce amazing content efficiently. If you're ready to skip the trial-and-error and get publish-ready, human-sounding articles from a single keyword, it's worth a look.

You can try the eesel AI blog writer. See for yourself how a tool built on these principles can help you scale your content without sacrificing quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

The simplest and most effective prompt for beginners is to use a role-based tone. Just tell the AI to "act as if you're explaining [your topic] to a friend over coffee." This one change immediately makes the language more casual and relatable.
Absolutely. In fact, you should. Layering prompts leads to better results. For example, you can ask the AI to adopt a conversational tone, start with a personal story, AND avoid a list of specific fluff words all in the same request.
Prompts can fail if they are too vague or contradictory. For instance, asking for a "professional yet very casual" tone can confuse the AI. Be as specific and direct as possible. If a prompt doesn't work, try rephrasing it with simpler language.
Negative constraints are when you tell the AI what not to do. The best way to use them is to create a list of words or phrases you want to ban. For example: "Write about this topic but DO NOT use the words 'delve,' 'unlock,' or 'tapestry'." This forces the AI to find more original and direct ways to communicate.
Yes. While manual prompting is a useful skill, tools like the eesel AI blog writer are designed to do this automatically. They have these humanizing principles built in, so you can generate a natural-sounding article from a single keyword without needing to engineer complex prompts yourself.

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Stevia Putri

Stevia Putri is a marketing generalist at eesel AI, where she helps turn powerful AI tools into stories that resonate. She’s driven by curiosity, clarity, and the human side of technology.