Every post on this site about using free AI for marketing ends up saying the same thing: a specific, detailed prompt beats a vague one, and reusing a working prompt beats writing a new one from scratch every time. This page is that idea turned into something you can actually copy. Ten ready-to-use prompts, one for each common small-business marketing task — just fill in the brackets and paste into ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.
Bookmark this page. It’s meant to be reused, not read once.
Social media
1. An Instagram caption for a new product or item
“Write an Instagram caption for [product name], a [one-line description]. It’s aimed at [who actually buys this]. Keep it under 3 sentences, warm and specific, no generic marketing phrases like ‘elevate your experience.’ End with one simple question to invite comments.”
2. A WhatsApp Status update that doesn’t feel like an ad
“Write a short WhatsApp Status update (under 25 words) announcing [what’s new/available]. It should read like a personal update to people who already know the business, not an advertisement. No emojis in every sentence, no exclamation marks stacked up.”
3. Three different posts from one product photo
“I have one photo of [product]. Give me three different Instagram post angles for it: one focused on how it’s made or what it’s for, one focused on who it’s a good gift for, and one that’s just a short relatable observation related to using it. Keep each under 2 sentences.”
Product and sales copy
4. A product description that isn’t just a spec list
“Write a product description for [product], [key facts: size/material/etc]. It’s mostly bought by [who, and for what occasion]. Two short sentences, focused on how it feels to use, not just what it is. No generic phrases that could describe any product in this category.”
5. A price-increase announcement that doesn’t sound defensive
“Write a short, honest message telling regular customers that [product/service] prices are increasing to [new price] starting [date], because [real reason]. Warm tone, no over-explaining or apologizing excessively, under 4 sentences.”
6. A reply to a customer asking “why is this worth the price?”
“A customer asked why [product/service] costs [price] when cheaper options exist. Write a short, non-defensive reply that explains the real difference (e.g. [material/time/quality reason]) without sounding like I’m arguing with them.”
Everyday communication
7. A polite reminder to a customer who hasn’t paid
“Write a short, friendly payment reminder message for [customer/client] about an invoice of [amount] that was due on [date]. Keep the relationship warm — this is a first reminder, not a final notice.”
8. A reply to a negative review or comment
“A customer left this review: ‘[paste review].’ Write a calm, non-defensive public reply that acknowledges the specific issue, avoids sounding scripted, and offers one concrete next step to make it right.”
9. An out-of-stock or delay message customers won’t be annoyed by
“Write a short message telling customers that [product/order] is delayed until [new date] because [real reason]. Honest and specific, not overly apologetic, with one clear thing they can do if they don’t want to wait (e.g. refund, alternative).”
10. A short newsletter update for a small mailing list
“Write a short newsletter update (under 150 words) for people who already follow [business]. This month’s actual news is [1-2 real things]. Conversational tone, like an update from a person, not a company. One clear call to action at the end.”
Why these work when a plain “write me a caption” doesn’t
Every prompt above does three things a vague request skips: it names the actual product or situation instead of leaving it generic, it tells the AI who the message is for, and it explicitly rules out the generic phrasing AI defaults to when given nothing else to work with. That’s the whole trick — the mistake most small businesses make with AI marketing is treating it like a vending machine instead of giving it something specific to respond to.
Save this page, swap in your own details each time, and skip rebuilding the prompt from zero. If you want a fuller system built around this same idea — one brief that generates a whole batch of posts, descriptions, and messages together instead of prompting one at a time — that’s what Market Your Business With AI is built around.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. They’re written to work as-is with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude’s free tiers — none of them rely on a paid feature or a specific tool’s quirks.
Replace the bracketed part with your real, specific detail — the actual product name, the actual price, the actual reason for a delay. The more specific what you put in the brackets is, the less generic the AI’s output will be.
Treat it as a first draft. Ask for one or two small edits in plain language (shorter, warmer, less formal) before using it — two rounds of small edits almost always beats accepting the first version.
Yes — the structure (name the specific situation, name who it’s for, rule out generic phrasing) works for almost any small business communication, not just the ten examples here.
Bookmark this page and come back to it whenever you need one of these. Got a prompt you’d add? Drop it in the comments.
