AI is being hailed as the ultimate game-changer. The revolutionary tool that will transform businesses, streamline workflows, and automate creativity. And with so much hype, it’s no surprise that entrepreneurs and marketers are jumping on the bandwagon, downloading every free AI prompt they can find online.
ChatGPT prompts for marketing plans. Prompts for email sequences. Prompts for web design. Prompts for copywriting, branding, product descriptions—you name it, someone has compiled a list and slapped a “FREE DOWNLOAD!” sticker on it.
And it all seems so easy. Just plug them in, hit enter, and voila! Professional-looking, grammatically pristine content in seconds. But let me tell you the hard truth:
These generic prompts are setting you up for failure.
Why? Because They’re a Well-Crafted Lie
I recently spoke with a business owner who proudly showed me the marketing materials they created using a set of free AI prompts they had downloaded. The visuals? Impressive. The copy? Persuasive. The formatting? Spot-on.
But there was just one problem.
“Whose company is this actually talking about?” I asked.
They confidently responded, “Mine, of course.”
“No,” I said. “Look again. You could remove your company’s name from this and swap in the name of any of your competitors, and it would still make just as much sense.”
And that’s the problem. Generic prompts create generic content. Content that sounds great but lacks the one thing that actually makes it valuable—you. Your business. Your audience. Your messaging.
GIGO: Generic In, Generic Out
You may have heard of GIGO before—“Garbage In, Garbage Out.” But when it comes to AI-generated content, let’s call it what it really is: Generic In, Generic Out.
Without properly setting up a foundation for ChatGPT to work from, everything you generate will be a polished yet hollow imitation of what your content should be.
Sure, the structure will be solid, the grammar will be perfect, and it will probably read better than most human-written drafts. But without substance—without the deep insights and strategy behind it—it’s just a high-quality illusion.
The Unpopular Truth: You Have to Do the Hard Work First
Now, I know what you’re thinking: But I don’t have time to create custom prompts from scratch!
And I get it. The appeal of instantly generating content that looks good is undeniable. But if you want AI to actually work for you, instead of just churning out generic fluff, you need to do the groundwork first.
That means:
- Building a Customer Avatar – Who are you actually talking to? What are their pain points, desires, and decision-making processes?
- Creating an Avatar Diary – What does a day in the life of your ideal customer look like? How do they think? What words do they use?
- Developing Brand-Specific Inputs – What is your company’s tone, voice, and positioning? What makes you different from your competitors?
Once you have these elements locked in, then you can create prompts that are tailored to your business. And when you do, the difference will be night and day. Instead of generic, one-size-fits-all responses, you’ll get content that is genuinely aligned with your brand and your audience.
Here’s What to Do Next
Stop chasing after every free AI prompt list you see. Instead, focus on feeding ChatGPT the right information before expecting it to deliver valuable results.
If you’re ready to do this the right way, I’ve got you covered.
Send me a message, and I’ll send you a kickbutt guide and set of prompts for building your avatar group and avatar diary.
Or, you know, you could keep using those free prompts and keep wondering why your marketing sounds like everyone else’s. Up to you. 😉
