Better Prompts: A Real-World Guide to Getting the Best Results

The Basics

At its simplest, prompting is just how you talk to AI. You type in a question or request, and the AI gives you a response. The more clearly you communicate, the better the results. That’s why people often teach frameworks like P.R.O.M.P.T. or C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. to structure your inputs. And those are fine—for beginners. But if you’re serious about using AI to grow your business or speed up your work, you need to go deeper.

What Really Works: An Insider’s Perspective

Prompting isn’t a magic formula. It’s a creative, back-and-forth process—part briefing, part collaboration. The best results come when you think like a strategist, not a taskmaster. Here’s what actually works in the real world:

1. Context is Everything

The more detail you give the AI, the smarter it gets. Don’t just say, “Write me a marketing plan.” Say, “We’re a $5M SaaS company targeting dental practices with an AI appointment tool. We’re launching in Q3. Write a marketing plan that includes email, trade shows, and LinkedIn.” Feed the AI what it needs to think like you—or better than you.

2. Iterate Ruthlessly

Your first output will rarely be perfect. That’s not failure—it’s the starting point. Great prompters treat the AI like a junior strategist or copywriter: “This is a good start, but make it punchier.” “Rewrite it with a more confident tone.” “Now condense this into bullet points for a slide.” You mold the result through revision, clarification, and sharpening.

3. Give Feedback Like a Human, Not a Robot

The best prompts aren’t robotic commands—they’re human directions. Don’t be afraid to say, “Try again, but imagine you’re a top-tier McKinsey consultant writing for a time-starved CEO.” Or, “Rewrite this blog post as if Seth Godin and Brene Brown had a baby.” Specific, relatable instructions lead to powerful results.

4. Creativity Beats Consistency

There’s no one perfect prompt. What works in one context won’t always work in another. The pros test different angles, personas, tones, and approaches until something clicks. This is where prompting stops being a tool—and becomes a skill.

Final Thought: Don’t Memorize, Think

We’re not interested in giving people a cheat code. We want to teach people how to think critically with AI. If you can learn to provide context, iterate like a creative director, and give precise feedback, you can get world-class output from even the simplest tools.

Absolutely. Here’s a robust, in-depth guide for using AI to co-create a world-class Brand Messaging Guide—with built-in teaching moments, prompt examples, and strategic thinking at every stage. This version goes beyond your original framework to help business owners think, collaborate, and iterate their way to clear, compelling brand messaging using AI.

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Case Study Example: Creating a Brand Messaging Guide For Your Business Using AI

(For business owners who want strategy, not just slogans)

STEP 1: Understand What a Great Brand Messaging Guide Includes

Before you ask AI to write anything, define what you’re actually building.

Prompt:

“What are the essential elements of a great brand messaging guide for a service business that wants to stand out in a crowded market?”

Expected output (Refined List):

1. Brand Purpose / Why We Exist
2. Mission Statement
3. Vision Statement
4. Brand Promise
5. Core Values
6. Brand Voice & Tone Guidelines
7. Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
8. Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
9. Empathy Map
10. Competitive Positioning
11. Key Messaging Pillars
12. Elevator Pitch / One-Liner
13. Do’s and Don’ts / Language Filters

💡 Teaching Moment: Have the AI propose, then you edit or combine sections. Don’t assume its structure is final. Own the framework.

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STEP 2: Define What Makes Your Business Unique

Now feed the AI quality ingredients.

Prompt:

“Ask me 15 strategic questions that will help you understand my business well enough to write brand messaging that feels real and aligned.”

Expected questions include:

• Who is your primary audience?
• What problems do you solve better than anyone else?
• Why did you start this business?
• What do customers say they love most?
• What makes your approach or process different?

💡 Tip: These questions become your internal strategy brief. You can reuse it across website projects, marketing campaigns, and more.

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STEP 3: Create Strategic Supporting Tools with AI

Before building messaging, build clarity.

Prompts:

• “Using my answers, create an empathy map of my ideal customer.”
• “Draft a one-page Ideal Customer Profile that includes demographics, psychographics, pain points, and buying triggers.”
• “Based on my values and positioning, create a brand voice guide with tone suggestions, sample phrases, and do/don’t language.”
• “What are 3 possible competitive positioning maps we could use to visualize how we’re different?”

💡 Use these tools as raw strategy inputs. They’re the scaffolding that strong messaging stands on.

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STEP 4: Draft Core Brand Messaging Statements

Now it’s time to write—and rewrite.

Prompt Examples:

• “Write a compelling brand promise based on this positioning: [insert].”
• “Create a value proposition using the formula: ‘We help [who] achieve [what] through [how].’”
• “Write 3 tone variations of our elevator pitch—one friendly, one bold, one premium.”
• “Now rewrite our core message as if you’re speaking directly to a skeptical buyer.”

💡 The pros don’t settle for the first draft. They say: “Okay, now rewrite that to feel more confident/simpler/more emotional.” Prompt for versions.

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STEP 5: Stress-Test Your Messaging

Challenge your message with real-world conditions.

Prompts:

• “How would this messaging hold up against these 3 competitors: [list them]?”
• “What objections might a buyer have after hearing our elevator pitch? How can we overcome them?”
• “Based on this one-liner, what ad headlines or email subject lines could we use?”

💡 This forces your messaging to be useful, not just clever.

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STEP 6: Refine Tone, Language, and Emotion

Great messaging isn’t just strategic—it’s emotionally resonant and on brand.

Prompts:

• “Rewrite this copy to sound like it was written by [brand voice persona: e.g., Apple, Patagonia, Seth Godin].”
• “Simplify this message so a 10th grader can understand it.”
• “Now punch it up to sound more emotionally driven, like a movement or mission.”
• “Create a brand voice filter that shows how to say things our way.”

💡 This is where brand identity really comes to life.

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STEP 7: Compile the Brand Messaging Guide

Once you’re happy with the components, compile everything into a clean format.

Prompt:

“Organize all our messaging and strategy into a professional Brand Messaging Guide format, with clear headings, examples, and usage tips.”

Optional Add-ons:

• Slide deck version
• Notion or Google Docs template
• One-pager cheat sheet for team use
• Email signatures or tagline adaptations

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Key Prompting Principles You’re Teaching with This Guide

Principle	What You’re Modeling
Define the Deliverable	Don’t generate until you know what great looks like
Feed AI Strategic Inputs	Strategy > style. It starts with clear answers
Use AI to Think, Not Just Write	Use empathy maps, ICPs, and frameworks as thought tools
Iterate on Output	Every message gets sharper with rewrites and tone shifts
Stress-Test Messaging	Use prompts to reveal objections, confusion, or weaknesses
Refine Voice & Vibe	Prompt for tone, simplicity, punch, or brand flavor
Ask for Final Presentation	Let AI help you organize and deliver the finished guide

Ask Smart Questions

Here are the most powerful frameworks to help you think strategically and systematically as you build your brand messaging guide. These go beyond surface-level slogans and force clarity, alignment, and differentiation.

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Brand Messaging Pyramid

Helps you build from foundation (strategy) to surface (copy).

Level	What to Define	Why It Matters
Purpose	Why do we exist beyond making money?	Inspires internal culture and loyal customers.
Mission	What are we here to do?	Guides day-to-day focus.
Vision	What future are we working toward?	Sets long-term direction.
Positioning	How are we different from competitors?	Clarifies why someone should choose you.
Value Proposition	What value do we offer and to whom?	Defines the core promise.
Messaging Pillars	3–5 key themes you consistently communicate	Provides structure for all marketing.
Voice & Tone	How do we speak?	Brings brand personality to life.

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Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)

Focuses your messaging around what your customers are actually trying to achieve.

Prompt to reflect:

“What job is my customer hiring my product/service to do—functionally, emotionally, and socially?”

Why it’s valuable:

• Avoids surface-level features
• Anchors messaging in real-world outcomes and pain points

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Positioning Statement Formula (Geoffrey Moore)

Classic tech startup framework, still relevant today:

For [target market], who [statement of need], [brand] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [competitor], we [unique differentiator].

Example:

For fast-growing service businesses who struggle to scale operations, OpsPro is a strategic consultancy that builds systems and teams. Unlike generic coaches, we act as your interim COO to implement change.

Why it’s valuable:

• Forces clarity
• Great starting point for internal alignment

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Empathy Map + Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Use these together to get out of your own head and into your buyer’s.

Empathy Map	What to Capture
Think & Feel	What keeps them up at night? What do they believe about their problem?
See & Hear	What influences them? Who do they trust?
Say & Do	What do they tell others? How do they behave?
Pains & Gains	What do they fear? What would success look like?

ICP adds:

• Demographics
• Psychographics
• Triggers to buy
• Objections
• Decision-making process

Why it’s valuable:

• Ensures messaging resonates
• Helps tailor tone, offers, and positioning

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The StoryBrand Framework (Donald Miller)

Based on narrative logic. Powerful for simplifying your brand message.

Step	Description
1. A Character	Your customer (not you!) has a…
2. Problem	External, internal, and philosophical
3. Meets a Guide	That’s you—empathic and authoritative
4. Who Gives Them a Plan	Clear steps or framework
5. And Calls Them to Action	Buy, schedule, call, etc.
6. That Ends in Success	What good things happen
7. Or Avoids Failure	What bad things you help them prevent

Why it’s valuable:

• Clarifies what your customer needs to hear
• Makes your brand story emotionally engaging and clear

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Voice Chart / Tone Spectrum

This framework defines how your brand speaks across different content types.

Attribute	Our Voice	Example
Formal vs Casual	Casual	“Let’s simplify this.”
Fun vs Serious	Professional but friendly	“You’ve got this.”
Bold vs Neutral	Confident	“We don’t play it safe—and neither should you.”

Why it’s valuable:

• Helps teams stay on-brand across channels
• Gives copywriters and marketers guardrails to follow

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Messaging Matrix

Organizes your core messaging pillars by audience segment, product/service, or funnel stage.

Pillar	Problem It Solves	Proof/Example	Call to Action
Speed	Slow operations	“Clients save 6 hours/week”	“Book a 15-min call”
Simplicity	Confusing tools	“3-step onboarding”	“See how it works”

Why it’s valuable:

• Maps value to outcomes
• Makes messaging modular for ads, emails, landing pages, etc.

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Real World Brand Messaging Examples

Great question. Sharing real-world examples of brand messaging guidelines can be incredibly helpful—especially for business owners who need to see it done well before they can build their own.

Here are high-quality public resources where people can explore brand messaging guidelines, tone of voice manuals, and full brand style guides:

Real Brand Messaging & Voice Guidelines (Public Examples)

Brand	Resource	What You’ll Learn
Mailchimp	Mailchimp Content Style Guide	Excellent example of voice, tone, and editorial standards for copywriting and messaging. Very accessible and well-organized.
Spotify	Spotify Design Guidelines	Includes tone, brand identity, and writing examples that reflect their playful, people-first brand.
Google	Google Brand Resource Center	Their Developer Style Guide is especially strong for technical clarity and UX writing.
Atlassian	Atlassian Voice and Tone	Focused on helpful, human content—great voice consistency for a B2B SaaS company.
Mozilla	Mozilla Writing Style Guide	Clean and inclusive. Excellent reference for ethical tone and open communication.
NYC.gov	NYC Digital Style Guide	Surprisingly strong resource—great for clarity, accessibility, and public-facing voice.
Shopify	Shopify Polaris Content Guidelines	A standout for product and brand messaging that aligns across teams and platforms.
Buffer	Buffer Voice and Tone Guide	Helpful for startups that want to feel approachable and transparent.

Helpful Articles & Templates

Resource	Link	Description
Nielsen Norman Group: Writing Style Guides	Read here	Trusted UX firm breaks down the purpose and elements of a good style guide.
CoSchedule’s Brand Messaging Template	Download here	Good starter worksheet for small business owners.
Canva’s Visual + Messaging Style Guide Template	View template	Combines tone, logo, and messaging in editable form.
Content Design London’s Style Guide	See example	Especially useful for nonprofits, service orgs, and plain language messaging