Copy, fill in the brackets, paste. Works in Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Where a prompt needs a file or screenshot, all three accept uploads.
Every prompt here was built with the same five-part structure. You don’t need to know it yet. By the tenth one you’ll start to see it.
Two rules before you start:
- Fill every bracket. Vague in, vague out. The brackets are the difference between a generic answer and one you can use.
- Treat the first answer as a draft. Each prompt ends with a follow-up line. Use it. The second answer is usually the good one.
The one to use first
When you’re not sure what to ask for, make the AI ask you.
I need to [WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO]. Before you start, tell me what information you need from me to do this well, then wait for my answer.
Why it works: it hands the AI the job of figuring out what context matters, so you don’t have to guess.
1. Promote a sale across every channel
Marketing
I own a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] in [CITY]. I’m running [SALE OR EVENT] on [DATES] for [PRODUCTS OR SERVICES]. I want to bring back customers who haven’t bought in a while and attract new ones. Tone: [e.g. warm and a little playful]. Give me three social posts for [PLATFORM] with hashtags, a short newsletter blurb, and two emails: one for existing customers, one for new leads. Keep each email under 150 words.
Why it works: it says who you are, what’s happening, who it’s for, and exactly which pieces you want back. Nothing left to guess.
Then say: “Give me two more angles that don’t rely on a discount.”
2. Cold email that mentions why now
Sales
I run a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] in [CITY]. Write a cold email to [PROSPECT], who [RECENT TRIGGER, e.g. just opened downtown / just posted a job for a bookkeeper]. Mention the trigger, name two things they likely need from someone like me, and end with a soft ask. Personal but professional. Under 150 words. No salesy language.
Why it works: the trigger does the selling. The constraints keep it sounding like a person.
Then say: “Give me a version that’s half as long.”
3. Tear down a competitor’s pricing
Sales / Strategy · Attach a screenshot of their pricing page.
This is a competitor’s pricing page. First, extract every plan and price into a table. Then tell me what market position they’re taking and what pricing psychology they’re using. Finally, point out the gaps I could exploit and suggest how to position my own pricing against them. I sell [WHAT YOU SELL] at [YOUR PRICE].
Why it works: three ordered steps, extract then analyze then recommend, stop it from skipping straight to a shallow opinion.
Then say: “Which one gap is the biggest opportunity? Argue for it.”
4. Reply in my voice about a delay
Customer service · Paste one email you’ve sent that sounds like you.
Here is an email I wrote. Study the tone, sentence length, and how I open and close. Now write a follow-up to the same client explaining that [PROJECT] will be [X DAYS OR WEEKS] late because [REASON]. Match my voice exactly. Take responsibility, give a new date, and offer one thing to make it right.
Why it works: one sample of your writing beats any description of it.
Then say: “Make it 30% shorter without losing the apology.”
5. Welcome email that calms a new client
Customer service
I run a [TYPE OF BUSINESS]. A new client just signed up for [SERVICE]. List the three things they’re most likely worried about in their first week. Then write a short welcome email that addresses the biggest one, tells them exactly what happens next, and sounds warm without being gushy. Under 120 words. Sign it from me, [YOUR NAME].
Why it works: it makes the AI think about the reader before it writes to them.
Then say: “Now turn that into a 60-second phone script.”
6. Compare two vendor proposals
Operations · Attach both proposals.
I’m choosing a [TYPE OF VENDOR, e.g. cleaning service]. I need [YOUR REQUIREMENTS, e.g. twice a week, vacuum, mop, windows]. Build a comparison table of these two proposals: price, what’s included, what’s extra, contract length, cancellation terms, and anything one offers that the other doesn’t. Then tell me which you’d pick for a business my size, and why.
Why it works: naming the columns is what turns two PDFs into a decision.
Then say: “Draft a polite email to the runner-up asking if they’ll match [THE THING YOU WANT].”
7. Turn a policy into a checklist
People · Paste or attach the policy section.
Rewrite this [e.g. time-off request] policy as a step-by-step checklist a new hire can follow without asking anyone. Plain language, no jargon, no legal phrasing. Number the steps. Flag anything in the original that’s unclear or contradictory.
Why it works: “flag anything unclear” turns the AI into a proofreader for your own handbook.
Then say: “Now write the two-sentence version for a Slack message.”
8. Hire or contract? Show your reasoning
People / Strategy
I run a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] with [NUMBER] people and roughly [REVENUE] a year. I’m deciding whether to hire a full-time [ROLE] or use freelancers. Walk me through your reasoning step by step before you recommend anything: the pros and cons of each, what changes at my size, then cost, flexibility, and control. Show your work, then give me a recommendation.
Why it works: asking for the reasoning first lets you catch where it went wrong before you get to the answer.
Then say: “Assume revenue drops 20% next year. Does the answer change?”
9. Find the pattern in my numbers
Finance · Attach a spreadsheet. Strip customer names first.
This is [WHAT THE DATA IS, e.g. three years of expenses by category / six months of sales]. Identify trends, anything seasonal, and any category growing faster than the rest. Point out anomalies. Then give me three questions I should be asking about this data that I probably haven’t. Summary first, details after.
Why it works: “questions I haven’t asked” is usually where the value is hiding.
Then say: “Show me the same analysis as a table I can paste into a slide.”
10. Stress-test a big decision from three seats
Strategy
I’m considering [THE DECISION, e.g. moving from general consulting to AI implementation only]. Analyze it from three perspectives, one at a time: a cautious CFO focused on financial risk, an aggressive growth strategist focused on the opportunity, and an operations manager focused on what could go wrong in execution. After all three, tell me where they agree, where they conflict, and what you would actually do.
Why it works: forcing three viewpoints stops the AI from telling you what you wanted to hear.
Then say: “Which of the three would I regret ignoring most?”
What you just used
Every prompt above fills the same five boxes: who the AI should be, what you want, the background it needs, the rules, and the shape of the answer. Once you can see the boxes, you can write a prompt for anything. That’s what the course teaches, along with a library of fifty more and a way to chain them into workflows.
Before you paste real data, sanitize it. Replace names and figures with placeholders. The free AI Use Policy template, from the same place you got this, shows how.
From the Business Prompting Playbook. thebusinesspromptingplaybook.com