Want to take advantage of our special tools for AI in business and increasing productivity? Love our content and want to buy me a coffee? Visit our new Ko-Fi storefront at ko-fi.com/nextgenbusinessinsights Who I Am Welcome to NextGen Business Insights, your go-to resource for productivity, AI in the workplace, and real-world business wisdom. I’m Joanna, and after more than 20 years in marketing, business development, and digital strategy, I’ve seen firsthand how rapidly the business landscape evolves—and how easy it is for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs to get left behind. For over a decade, I ran my own marketing consultancy, helping small businesses not just survive but thrive in the fast-paced digital world. From building strong online presences to creating workflows that actually work, I’ve spent years translating big-business strategies into small-business action plans. Now, I’m stepping back from direct client work to share those hard-won lessons with you—so you ca...
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It can be incredibly frustrating to open up your AI tool, type out a request, and get back something completely off the mark. What you might not realize is—the problem often isn’t the AI. It’s the prompt.
Writing effective AI prompts is an essential skill that can save time, improve output quality, and help you build a smoother, more collaborative relationship with your AI tool.
Here are five core principles every business owner should follow when crafting AI prompts.
1. Start with Clear Intent
AI thrives on clarity. Before typing anything, ask yourself: What exactly do I need? Are you drafting a client email, brainstorming product names, or summarizing a report? State your intent up front.
Example:
Instead of: "Write something about our new product."
Try: "Draft a 200-word announcement email for our new skincare serum, targeting environmentally conscious customers."
A clear objective not only gives you better results but also saves valuable time during revision.
2. Set the Tone and Style
Ever had your AI churn out something that feels way too stiff—or so casual it sounds like your intern wrote it while eating chips? That’s usually because the tone wasn’t clear in the prompt.
Your AI isn’t psychic—it needs guardrails. Specify the tone (professional, friendly, playful) and the style (formal, casual, persuasive, data-driven).
Example:
"Write a LinkedIn post in a confident, expert voice explaining why small businesses need clear return policies."
Tone and style are especially important when maintaining brand consistency across platforms and customer touchpoints.
3. Provide Context
AI does its best work when it understands the bigger picture. Who is your audience? What’s the goal of the content? What’s your brand voice? Drop in any key facts or constraints the AI should know.
Example:
"Create product descriptions for our eco-friendly planners. Each description should highlight our commitment to sustainability, mention that all planners use 100% recycled paper, and appeal to college students and busy professionals."
Without proper context, AI-generated content often feels generic or misaligned—causing you to spend extra time revising and clarifying.
4. Use Examples and Templates
It’s tempting to assume AI just knows what you mean—but it doesn’t. AI learns from patterns, so if you’ve got a great example of the kind of output you want, show it. If you have a format you always follow, tell the AI to use it.
Example:
"Write a product page using this format: Header - 3 bullet points - 1 short paragraph - CTA."
Providing structure upfront often results in cleaner, more usable drafts and cuts down significantly on the editing cycle.
5. Iterate and Refine
You wouldn’t expect a human employee to nail every task on the first try, and AI is no different. The first draft is rarely perfect—even with a great prompt. Treat AI writing like collaboration: review, refine your prompt if needed, and re-run for better results.
Example:
If the tone feels off or the content misses key points, revise your prompt and guide the AI toward what you want.
Remember: Prompting is an iterative dialogue, not a one-and-done command.
Pro Tip: Stack Prompts for Complex Tasks
For bigger projects—like creating a full marketing campaign—consider breaking the task into a series of smaller prompts. Use the output from one prompt as the input for the next stage. This step-by-step approach gives you more control and helps the AI stay on track.
Example:
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Prompt 1: "Generate 10 headline ideas for our summer product launch."
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Prompt 2: "Expand on headline #3 to create a social media ad caption."
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Prompt 3: "Suggest 3 image ideas to pair with that caption."
Stacking prompts this way builds richer, more targeted results.
Bonus Tip: Use Pre-Built Prompt Decks
If all this sounds like a lot of work, you’re not wrong—but we’ve got you covered.
Our Business AI Prompt Deck on Ko-Fi includes 50+ ready-to-use prompts for emails, blog posts, social media, product listings, and more—all designed to work with ChatGPT and other AI tools.
Each prompt is crafted with clear intent, tone guidance, and structured context—making it easier than ever to jump straight to great results.
Final Thought
AI is a game-changer—but only if you speak its language. Master the art of the prompt, and you’ll unlock faster workflows, better content, and way less frustration.
Small refinements in how you communicate with AI can produce massive gains in quality and efficiency. Prompting well isn’t just a technical skill—it’s becoming a core business competency.
Want all these principles plus 50+ expert-crafted prompts in one place?
Grab our Business AI Prompt Deck and let your AI work smarter, not harder.
Written by Lex Laster, Senior Contributor, NextGen Business Insights
Helping leaders and creators navigate the future of AI-driven business with clarity, strategy, and heart.
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