AI, BUT MAKE IT YOU
Your Workshop Prompt Library
You don’t need hundreds of AI prompts. You need a few good ones that help you think better, market smarter and get more done in your business.
These are the prompts we’re using during AI, But Make It You: Work Smarter Without Losing Your Voice.
Copy them, customize the information in brackets for your business, and keep refining the results until they sound like you.
PROMPT 1: GIVE AI BETTER CONTEXT
The more AI understands about your business, audience, goal and voice, the more useful its response can be.
COPY + PASTE:
Act as my marketing strategist. I own a mobile bakery specializing in custom desserts for busy women planning celebrations in Kansas City. My brand is warm, fun and conversational, not overly polished. I want three Instagram caption options under 150 words to promote holiday preorders.
MAKE IT YOURS
Replace the example information with:
Your business: What do you sell or provide?
Your audience: Who are you trying to reach?
Your goal: What do you want AI to help you accomplish?
Your voice: How should it sound?
Your output: What exactly do you want AI to give you?
Remember: Job + Context + Goal + Voice + Output.
PROMPT 2: TEACH AI YOUR VOICE
AI can generate content quickly. The challenge is making sure the content still sounds like you.
Start with something you actually wrote—a social media post, email, article, newsletter or other piece of content that represents your natural voice.
COPY + PASTE:
Analyze the writing sample below. Identify my natural tone, writing style and common phrases. Then create a brand voice guide I can use for future content.
Pay attention to my sentence length, word choice, level of formality, humor, storytelling style, how I open and close, phrases or expressions I use frequently, and anything I tend to avoid.
Identify 5–7 characteristics of my voice and give examples of each based on my writing.
Then create:
A short description of my brand voice
Words and phrases that sound like me
Writing habits that make my voice recognizable
Things AI should avoid when writing for me
Instructions I can give AI whenever I want content written in my voice
Do not rewrite the sample yet. Analyze my voice first.
WRITING SAMPLE:
[PASTE YOUR WRITING HERE]
THEN TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER
Once AI creates your voice guide, try:
Using the brand voice guide you just created, rewrite the following content so it sounds more like me. Keep the meaning, but remove generic, overly polished or AI-sounding language.
[PASTE CONTENT HERE]
PROMPT 3: INTRODUCE AI TO YOUR BUSINESS
Before asking AI to solve business problems, give it enough information to understand what you’re building.
COPY + PASTE:
I want you to understand my business before you make recommendations.
Here is what I can tell you:
My business is: [INSERT]
I help: [INSERT]
I sell/provide: [INSERT]
My customers come to me because: [INSERT]
Three things that make my business different: [INSERT]
My brand should feel: [INSERT]
My brand should NEVER sound: [INSERT]
My biggest business challenge right now: [INSERT]Before giving me recommendations, ask me 3 additional questions that would help you better understand my business, customers and goals.
PROMPT 4: BUILD YOUR HOLIDAY SALES CAMPAIGN
Don’t ask AI for one holiday post.
Ask it to help you think through the entire campaign.
COPY + PASTE:
Act as my holiday marketing strategist.
I own [BUSINESS NAME], and I sell [PRODUCT/SERVICE] to [IDEAL CUSTOMER].
My holiday offer is [OFFER — or help me create one if I don't have one yet].
My primary sales goal is [GOAL], and I want to promote it from [START DATE] to [END DATE].
My brand voice is [3–5 words describing your voice].
I do not want generic holiday marketing or content that sounds overly salesy or AI-generated.
Before creating anything, ask me 5 questions that will help you better understand my customers, offer, brand and sales goal.
After I answer, build a simple holiday sales campaign that includes:
• A compelling campaign idea or theme
• 3 ways to make my holiday offer more attractive
• A week-by-week promotion plan
• 5 social media post ideas
• 2 promotional emails
• 3 short-form video or Reel ideas
• Ideas for creating urgency without sounding pushy
• One strategy for increasing the average customer purchase
• One strategy for bringing holiday customers back after the holidays
• A clear call to action for the campaignKeep everything specific to my business and customer.
If something about my offer or strategy seems weak, tell me why and suggest a stronger approach rather than simply agreeing with me.
THEN KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING
Don't stop with the first response.
Try follow-up prompts like:
Give me three stronger versions of that offer.
That sounds too generic. Make it more specific to my customer.
Turn this campaign into a 30-day content calendar.
Now write the first email in my brand voice.
Give me three Reel concepts I could record with my phone.
What am I missing from this campaign that could help increase sales?
PROMPT 5: CREATE AN EVENT GRAPHIC THAT STILL LOOKS LIKE YOUR BRAND
I’m going to an upcoming event and want to create a social media graphic announcing that my business will be there.
I’ve uploaded two references:
IMAGE 1: EVENT BRANDING
This is the official Lift Her Up event graphic. Analyze the event’s visual identity, including its colors, mood, typography style and overall feel. Use it as a reference so the new graphic clearly connects to the event. (Download here)IMAGE 2: MY BRAND
This represents my business and visual brand. Analyze its colors, style, personality and overall aesthetic. My brand should be the PRIMARY visual identity of the new graphic.(Upload an image that represents your brand)
Create a polished 4:5 Instagram graphic announcing that I will be at Lift Her Up.
The design should feel like a collaboration between the two brands—not a copy of either graphic. Someone who follows my business should immediately recognize the graphic as mine while also recognizing that I’m participating in Lift Her Up.
Include:
I’LL BE AT LIFT HER UP
[YOUR NAME]
[BUSINESS NAME][EVENT DATE]
[LOCATION, if needed]Come see me!
Use my uploaded photo if one is provided. Do not change my facial features, skin tone or recognizable appearance.
Keep the design clean, professional and easy to read on a phone. Avoid generic AI imagery, excessive text, unnecessary decorative elements or anything that conflicts with either brand.
Before creating the graphic, briefly tell me how you plan to combine the two visual identities. Then create the image.
YOUR AI RULE OF THUMB
Don't just ask AI to create. Give it context. Let it ask questions. Then refine.
Your expertise, experience and ideas should still drive the work.
AI helps you increase your capacity. You bring the voice, judgment and expertise.
KEEP BUILDING
Want more tools to help you use AI in your business?
Explore the AI-Assisted Business Plan Workbook: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Business Plan with AI Support and more resources from Sheila Ellis-Glasper.
Sheila Ellis-Glasper
Entrepreneur • Speaker • Business & Brand Strategist • AI Educator