Prompt Engineering in Marketing: Prompting Copy That Sells

Have you ever noticed that some copywriters are able to generate excellent copy using AI while others need much effort to clean up and rewrite AI-generated copy? Is there a secret that helps some copywriters get consistently great results? 

Of course, there is! Keep reading to discover how you can replicate their success and ensure that your AI-generated copy is relevant, engaging, persuasive, and free from any AI hallucination or bias.  

Just like the secret behind every great answer is a great question in the first place, the secret behind excellent AI-generated copy is an excellent prompt that gets the best out of Generative AI. Prompt engineering is the craft that helps you master writing a great prompt or instruction and guides an AI model to generate excellent copy. 

There are a few key things that you need to keep in mind when you write a prompt for marketing copy.  

1. Understand your audience: Before creating a prompt, you must understand your target audience’s concerns, needs, and desires. Tailor your prompt to address a specific concern so the generated copy will resonate better. 
2. Be clear and concise: Clear and concise prompts are crucial for the AI model to grasp your requirements accurately. Avoid jargon and use simple language to facilitate effective communication. 
3. Be creative: The creativity of your prompts directly impacts the uniqueness and engagement of AI-generated copy. Experiment with diverse prompts to discover the most effective approach. 

Here are some examples of how we’ve used prompt engineering for some of our customers: 

Example 1:  

A B2B marketer might use a prompt to generate a blog post about the benefits of their product or service. The prompt might include information about the target audience’s pain points, as well as the features and benefits of the product or service. This is how the prompt can be crafted. 

Prompt #1: 

You are a marketer with 10 years of experience in content marketing. You are known to write witty content and have been asked to ghostwrite a blog. Can you write a thought leader blog for 1000 words on <Theme> titled: <Title of the Blog>? 

Please use the following pointers to structure the blog: 

1. Pointer 1
2. Pointer 2
3. Pointer 3
4. Pointer n

Ensure that the following keywords are incorporated into the blog: 

1. Keyword 1
2. Keyword 2
3. Keyword 3
4. Keyword n

Following are the TG: 

1. Target Group 1: Demographics
2. Target Group 2: Demographics

Please note: The blog should be: 

1. Tones (Witty, funny, compelling, interesting)
2. Level of Creativity (As per a theme, formats: story-based, poem, etc.)

A retail marketer might use a prompt to generate a product description that is both informative and persuasive. The prompt might include information about the product’s features, benefits, and pricing. It might also include testimonials from satisfied customers. 

Example 2: 

Let’s look at another variation when you have a clearer idea. These areas should provide a solid foundation for your thought leadership blog, allowing you to delve deep into the topic. 

Prompt #2: 

Using the following 5 areas, develop a thought leader article titled <Title of the Article>. Be sure to use a professional tone throughout the article and provide plenty of examples and case studies to support your arguments in each area. 

5 Areas: 

1. Area 1: Overview (3-4 lines communicating your thought process and viewpoints about this area/sub-topic)
2. Area 2: Overview (3-4 lines communicating your thought process and viewpoints about this area/sub-topic)
3. Area 3: Overview (3-4 lines communicating your thought process and viewpoints about this area/sub-topic)
4. Area 4: Overview (3-4 lines communicating your thought process and viewpoints about this area/sub-topic) 
5. Area 5: Overview (3-4 lines communicating your thought process and viewpoints about this area/sub-topic) 

Please keep in mind the following: 

1. You are a tech Journalist; the tone should be professional, yet witty and humorous  
2. Provide plenty of examples and case studies to support the argument in each section 
3. Cite from Analysts and Advisor community [You can also name them if you have a specific community for your product/services]

Example 3: 

What’s interesting is the endless possibilities these LLMs bring with them, and it’s all about asking these models! Here is a variation that you can play with, which uses prompts generated using Generative AI: 

Prompt # 3: 

You are a mighty prompt-generating robot. You need to gather information as a marketing manager of a leading IT company. You have been asked to create a growth plan for an existing account through marketing-led initiatives. You need to design a prompt for ChatGPT. 

The prompt should include all the important information, content, and data that was provided to you. e.g., ABM Campaigns, published co-authored articles, joint events like webinars, workshops, discussion panels, etc.  

You may ask follow-up questions until you are confident you can produce the best prompt for the best results. 

Your final prompt must be optimized for ChatGPT interactions. 

You can now ask me about the account and then ask follow-up questions to create the final prompt to help make the plan. 

Here, we are basically asking LLMs to ask questions that will help them create a prompt that you can use to make your final outputs. 

Example 4: 

You can also assign multiple roles to LLMs to help you get the best possible results. 

Prompt # 4 :

You are a top leadership coach of a leading L&D organization. Your job is to help build an individual development action plan for the marketing manager of a leading IT/ITeS company. You need to ask the marketing manager questions to help craft their plan. Ask the marketing manager as many questions as possible to create the final plan. 

You are also the marketing manager, and the leadership coach is helping build an individual development action plan. Answer all the questions your leadership coach will ask as a global marketing manager with 10 years of experience from an Ivy League business college.  

At the end of the conversation, a prompt for creating the final action plan for a marketing manager should be present. 

Your final prompt must be optimized for ChatGPT interactions. 

You can now ask me about the account and then ask follow-up questions to create the final prompt to help make the plan. 

Prompt engineering is fast becoming the centerpiece of all content marketing efforts across an organization. Marketers are increasingly reskilling themselves in prompt engineering to create more effective marketing copy. 

Here are some additional tips for prompt engineering in marketing: 

• Use keywords and phrases your target audience will likely search for. 
• Keep your prompts short and to the point.
• Use a variety of prompts to generate different types of copy.
• Experiment with different prompts to see what works best.
• Don’t be scared to be creative; you can manipulate the response using variations of prompts.
• With some practice, you can become a master of prompt engineering and create marketing copy that sells. 

In the dynamic landscape of AI-driven marketing, prompt engineering is a potent weapon in the marketer’s arsenal. By seamlessly merging human creativity with machine intelligence, prompt engineering breathes life into marketing copy that captivates, convinces, and converts.  

As you embark on this journey of crafting a compelling narrative through finely tuned prompts, remember that every keystroke resonates with the potential to shape perception, drive action, and elevate your brand. With each carefully constructed prompt, you harness the future of marketing, where innovation and strategy converge to create a symphony of words that not only sell but also leave an indelible imprint on the minds of your audience.