Marketing prompts: how to write instructions that get results

Marketing prompts that get results contain five things: who you are and who you are writing for, the exact task, real raw material, clear limits on length and channel, and an example of the style you like. A prompt such as “Write a post about our sale” produces text that could belong to any business. A prompt with context produces a draft you can almost publish.

What is a prompt, and why does it decide the result?

A prompt is the instruction you give an AI tool. The tool doesn’t know your business, your customers or what happened in your shop this week. Everything it knows about the task comes from the prompt, so the quality of the answer depends almost entirely on the quality of the brief.

A useful way to think about it: imagine briefing a talented freelancer who has never heard of you. You wouldn’t just say “write a post”. You would explain who you are, who the post is for, what it should achieve and how you like things to sound. That is exactly what the tool needs.

What goes into a good marketing prompt?

Six ingredients. Not every prompt needs all of them, but whatever you leave out, the tool fills in with a guess.

Context

Who the business is, what it sells and to whom. “An independent garden centre serving first time home owners with small gardens” tells the tool far more than “a garden centre”.

Task

What exactly you need, whether a post, a headline, an email or a reply to a review, and what it should achieve: comments, sales, messages, or a customer who feels heard.

Raw material

The facts only you know: what is new, why it matters, what customers said and what the offer is. Without raw material, the tool either invents details or stays vague.

Constraints

Length, channel, format and what to avoid. For example: “Under 80 words, no hashtags, no exclamation marks, British spelling.”

A style example

Two or three pieces you wrote before and liked. One example teaches more than ten adjectives like “warm”, “professional” and “fun”.

Output format

How you want the result: three versions, a headline with body text, or a short list. That makes it easy to compare and choose.

Example: the same request, two prompts

A small florist wants a post about Mother’s Day pre orders.

The short prompt: “Write an Instagram post about Mother’s Day flowers.”

The result will be fine and forgettable: something about “showing Mum how much you care” that any florist anywhere could post.

The full prompt:

We are a small independent florist in a busy market town. Most customers are locals who order for family occasions. Write an Instagram post about Mother’s Day pre orders. Details: this year we have three bouquets, one built around tulips from a local grower we have worked with for years. Pre orders close three days before, and people order by WhatsApp message. Keep it under 70 words, friendly and plain, British spelling, no exclamation marks, no hashtags. Here are two of our posts we liked: [paste here]. Give me three different versions.

The difference isn’t the tool’s talent. It is how much information it was given.

Six marketing prompts you can copy today

Replace the parts in square brackets with your own details. Keep these in a shared document and improve them over time.

A social post

We are a [type of business] in [town], and our customers are [who]. Write a [channel] post about [topic]. Key details: [three points]. Goal: [messages, comments or sales]. Maximum [number] words, in the style of these examples: [examples]. Give three versions.

A reply to a Google review

Here is a review we received: [review]. Write a short reply signed by [owner’s first name] that thanks the customer, responds to the specific point they raised, and offers to continue the conversation privately. No generic apologies and no arguing. Under 60 words.

Ad variations

We are advertising [service or product] to [audience]. Write five short headlines, each from a different angle: saving time, quality, personal service, availability and the result the customer gets. Add one supporting sentence under each headline.

An email to existing customers

Write a short email to past customers about [news]. Open with something about them, not about us, explain what is new in one or two sentences, and end with one clear next step: [action]. Suggest five subject lines.

A product description

Here are the details of a product in our shop: [materials, sizes, who it suits, care instructions]. Write a description of up to 100 words for the product page that starts with the benefit to the customer rather than the features. Do not add any detail that is not in this list.

FAQ answers for a service page

Here are questions customers sent us on WhatsApp last month: [questions, with personal details removed]. Group them by topic, choose the six most important, and write a direct answer of two or three sentences to each, based on this information: [information]. Flag anywhere you are missing facts.

How do you fix a result that didn’t work?

Don’t start again from scratch. Tell the tool exactly what missed, the way you would give feedback to a colleague:

1. Be specific. Not “this isn’t good”, but “the opening is too long and there are too many words like amazing and perfect”.
2. Ask for questions first. “Before you write, ask me what you need to know.” The questions often reveal what you forgot to mention.
3. Break big tasks down. First a list of ideas, then choose one, and only then a draft.
4. Ask for a critique. “Read this as a sceptical customer and tell me what isn’t convincing”, then “Rewrite it based on those notes.”
5. Swap the example. If the style never settles, the problem is often the samples. Try a different one.

Which prompt mistakes are most common?

• Asking for “something creative” without saying who it is for or why
• Listing adjectives instead of giving an example
• Supplying no facts, then being surprised the tool made some up
• Cramming research, ideas, copy and images into one giant prompt
• Publishing the first answer without editing

How do you build a prompt library for your team?

One shared document, organised by task: posts, ads, emails and customer replies. Next to each template, keep an example of a good result. When someone improves a template, they update the document.

That way knowledge doesn’t live in one person’s head, and the business keeps a consistent voice. It is worth linking the library to your brand voice guide, so every template already carries your standing instructions on style.

Good prompts are good briefs

Marketing prompts aren’t a technical trick. They are a good brief, the kind you would give anyone writing on your behalf. Give the tool context, facts and an example, and you get a draft that fits your business instead of one that fits everyone. At Kaede Digital we help businesses build prompt libraries like this and connect them to the tools they already use, as part of our AI for small business service. If you are just starting, see our 12 practical uses of AI for marketing and our guide to ChatGPT for business marketing.

FAQ

How long should a marketing prompt be?

Long enough that the tool doesn’t have to guess. For a simple post, a few lines with context, details and constraints are enough. For something complex, such as a landing page, the prompt can run to a full page, and that is perfectly fine.

Can I save a prompt and reuse it?

Yes, and it is one of the most worthwhile habits you can build. Save the fixed part, who you are, your audience and your voice, as standing instructions in the tool or in a shared document, and change only the details for each task. That way everyone on the team gets similar results.

Does a good prompt work in every AI tool?

The principles work everywhere: context, task, raw material, constraints and an example. The results can differ between tools, so test your most important templates in the tool you actually use and fine tune them based on what comes out.

Does it help to tell the AI to act as an expert?

A role line such as “act as an experienced copywriter” can nudge the tone, but it is no substitute for context. The tool still knows nothing about your business, your customers or your offer. Spend your words on facts and examples, and the role matters much less.