Hello...Hello! 👋🏻
With the release of OpenAI's Agents last week, today I’m focusing on how prompting has evolved over the last six months and how you can refine your prompting.
Starter Prompt: "Can you help me with some ad copy?"
Better Prompt: "Acting as a Meta Ads expert, create 4 headlines using Loss Aversion psychology for women runners 25+ selling Olympic running jackets."
PSA: This email is PACKED full of better prompting hacks. You can access ALL MY PROMPTS, for just $15 here. We’ve just updated it so it’s better than ever.
Your Basic Framework - Our Prompts NEED To Shift To:
You are a [ROLE] specializing in [EXPERTISE AREA]. Your objective is to [SPECIFIC GOAL] that [DESIRED OUTCOME] by following [STEPS] with this [CONTEXT].
MA Prompt Framework v2 (get your Free Version Here)
1. Role (Who are you talking to? What is your objective?)
Acting as a [Expert Type] to deliver [Objective]...
Examples:
Acting as a Senior Copywriter to increase email conversion rates...
Acting as a Meta Ads expert to reduce cost per acquisition...
Acting as a Brand Strategist to reposition our brand for this competitive market...
2. Task (Instructions on exactly what Outcome)
Create [Specific Deliverable] that [Specific Outcome]...
Examples:
Create 5 email subject lines that increase open rates by 15%
Write a 200-word LinkedIn post that drives profile visits
Generate 25 long-tail keywords for "project management software"
3. Format (How you want it delivered)
Deliver as [Format] with [Structure]...
Examples:
Using Social Proof and Urgency for busy executives
Based on this customer survey data [paste data]
Targeting women 25-45 in healthcare who value work-life balance
4. Context (The secret sauce)
Using [Framework/Psychology/Data] for [Target Audience]...
Examples:
Deliver as a table with headlines, body copy, and CTA
Format as 4 bullet points, each under 20 words
Structure as Problem → Solution → Benefit for each option
5. Quality Check (Your success criteria)
Ensure [Quality Standards] and avoid [What Not To Do]...
Examples:
Ensure all copy is under 90 characters and avoids jargon
Check for brand voice consistency and mobile readability
Avoid generic language and include specific benefits
Insight: GPT-4.1 follows instructions exactly, and with its large 1 million-token context window, there's no need to read between the lines. If you don't specify it, it won't happen.
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3 Advanced Prompt Techniques (That Actually Work)
The Sandwich Method (For Long Contexts)
When feeding GPT-4.1 large documents (customer data, market research, etc.):
Top: Clear instructions about what you want
Middle: All your context/data
Bottom: Repeat key instructions + output format
Specify exact formatting:
"Format as markdown table with columns: Headline, Body Copy, CTA, Psychological Trigger"
Chain of Thought for Strategy
Add this to complex prompts:
Before providing your final answer, think through:
1. What are the main challenges here?
2. What psychological triggers apply to this audience?
3. How do competitors approach this?
4. What would success look like?
Then provide your recommendations.
🚨 Common Marketing Prompt Mistakes To Avoid
❌ Too Vague: "Write me some social posts"
✅ Specific: "Create 5 LinkedIn posts for B2B SaaS founders about team productivity, formatted as Problem + Solution + CTA"
❌ No Context: "Make this email better"
✅ Rich Context: "Improve this email for busy ecommerce CMOs (attached audience research) to increase our 14% open rate to 20%+"
❌ Forget the Human: "Generate campaign ideas"
✅ Human + AI: "Generate 10 Meta campaign concepts for consumer CPG brand, then I'll pick the best 3 for you to develop further"
Pro Tips
Keep a "Greatest Hits" prompt library in Notion. When something works, save it as a template. Share it with your team. We are all in this together. Sharing is caring.
Select the Right Framework: Which cognitive bias, AI prompt pattern, or workflow matches best?
Customize for Persona & Funnel Stage: Is this a TOTO (Inspire), MOTO (Educate), or BOTO (Convert) move?
Add Real-World Anchors: Pull in testimonials, first-party data, or real examples.
Structure Input and Output in Markdown: Common formatting = faster iteration.
That’s all from me for your Monday. Hit me back and let me know what prompting tip you’re testing. I read every email. 🫡
Alec
P.S. AI amplifies good marketers. Poor prompts = poor results. It takes time and effort to make great prompts, but they will unlock marketing superpowers.
