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The blank page. Every marketer hates it, yet AI has emerged unprecedented in its ability to fill the blank page and fuel marketing campaigns, helping everyone from the seasoned marketer to the email marketing newbie send out successful campaigns that help drive sales.
The catch? You only get back what you put into it. In other words, you have to interact with AI keeping in mind that it is a machine—it’s not going to be able to read between the lines and so the prompts you feed it have to be crystal clear and angled exactly to what you’re looking for, from tone of voice to specific calls to action.
Whether you’re new to using AI for email marketing or a seasoned pro looking for new ideas, today we’ve compiled some effective prompts to help get you started on your next campaign.
New to AI? While there are a range of paid services out there, if you’re looking to for a free option, there’s plenty to choose from. Let’s take a look at the “Big (Free) Three”:
ChatGPT 3.5
ChatGPT is a generative pre-trained transformer model known for its ability to generate human-quality text formats. The limitation with ChatGPT is that its knowledge base cuts off in September 2021, so it wouldn’t be a great tool for writing anything that relies on current events. However, if you’re writing evergreen content or emails, 3.5 goes the mile--and 4.0 is even better! (but it will cost you). Chat GPT will keep track of your chats and work and will even keep track of your previous sessions so that you don’t have to keep explaining your brand.
Gemini:
While Google’s first foray into AI, Bard, was a little on the lackluster side, Google's Gemini has surfaced as a solid contender to ChatGPT. Similar to ChatGPT in its ability to compose emails, it is also great at summarizing complex topics.
Microsoft Co-Pilot
While Microsoft Co-Pilot (Bing Chat) output can be a little on the dry side, it does stand out from the others by offering separate chat/compose windows. If you’re looking for email help, you can even specify in the “compose” window that you’re writing an email. An added benefit is it can search the web and you can even pop a URL into your browser that it can refer to while creating your content.
*Bonus tip: There is no reason to use one tool at the expense of the others. Use them all! If one doesn’t quite deliver, try the other. For example, you could take the output of ChatGPT, paste it into Gemini, and ask it to improve on it.
Before we dive into some effective prompts for email marketing, let’s take a minute to think about how we’re going to utilize the output. While these prompts are great for getting you started, it is essential that you make the output your own. In most cases, you’re not going to want to just copy and paste and hit “send.” It can be disheartening for a prospect to receive a “personal” email message that is clearly AI-generated. Take a little time to review the content and put your own spin on it, so that your prospect feels they are interacting with a real human. Additionally, you’ll want to review for any errors or inaccuracies, as sometimes AI will fill in the blanks with inaccurate information if there’s a gap in its understanding of your brand.
The subject line of your email is everything—it determines both whether it lands in spam and if your recipient will actually open it. AI is great at writing generic subject lines, but with a little creative prompting, you can also get it to think outside the box.
What’s fun about AI is that it will pretend to be anyone and anything you like. Having the AI occupy the industry/role of the recipient of the email will give it a new perspective and fresher insight into what might actually inspire someone in that role/industry to engage with your email. Here’s an example:
1. "Imagine you're a [role] at a [industry] company. Give me five variations of an email subject line that would both grab your attention for [topic] and avoid spam traps."
Example: "Imagine you're a procurement manager at an automotive parts company. Give me five variations of an email subject line that would both grab your attention for a webinar on customer engagement strategies and avoid spam traps."
You can use this trick for any part of your email, such as the body or the call to action. Like this:
2. "As a [role] for a [industry], what CTA would prompt you to click in an email promoting [product/service]?"
Example: "As a procurement officer for a manufacturing firm, what CTA would prompt you to click in an email promoting supply chain optimization software?"
*Bonus tip: Don’t like what you’re getting from AI? Ask for more variations! Then, pick which one you like best or mix and match. Here’s an example:
3. "Craft 20 subject lines for an email announcing [product/service] targeting [role] in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Craft 20 subject lines for an email announcing a new AI-driven inventory management tool targeting logistics managers in the e-commerce sector."
Setting the Tone
Similar to the examples above, you can narrow down tone by asking your AI to adopt a specific tone. Here’s an example:
4. "Adopting the friendly and confident tone of a start-up founder, write an email introducing a new [product/service] specifically tailored for [role] in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Adopting the friendly and confident tone of a startup-founder, write an email introducing a new software feature specifically tailored for HR departments in the manufacturing sector."
Value Proposition Approach
Want to get more specific in your email in terms of value proposition? Here’s a way to encourage AI to get more specific about what your organization can offer.
5. "Our [industry] company makes [product/service] that [value proposition]. Create a message emphasizing [benefit] in an email promoting [product/service]."
Example: “Our software company makes an inventory management tool that records and allocates costs at each stage, drastically reducing wasteful spending. Create a message emphasizing this cost savings in an email promoting supply chain optimization software."
Not sure what your value proposition is or if there’s a aspect you might be missing? AI is like a second pair of eyes that can succinctly sum up what you have to offer.
Try pasting the URL of your company page into your Microsoft browser, open up your copilot window:
6. “Review the contents of the website on this page and provide me a list of the unique value propositions that benefit the [industry] industry.”
Similarly, you can use AI to identify specific opportunities:
7. "Identify a cross-sell opportunity and create an email offering [product/service] to existing customers in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Identify a cross-sell opportunity and create an email offering cloud storage services to existing customers in the printing and publishing sector."
Customer Testimonial Approach
Customer testimonials are a powerful way to generate interest in your company. Here’s a prompt to help get the message across:
8. "Incorporate a customer testimonial into an email targeting [industry] companies, showcasing the [benefit] of your [product/service]. Here is a list of our testimonials [copy/paste testimonials]
Example: "Incorporate a customer testimonial into an email targeting machinery providers, showcasing the efficiency gains of our automation solutions.”
Similarly, you can use a variation of this prompt for a specific case study:
9. “I'm working on an email to promote a new case study that showcases the success of our [Your Product/Service] with a client in the [Client Industry] industry. Write an email that highlights the specific benefits of our [product/service] to [client] with a compelling CTA to encourage click-thrus.”
Special Events Approach
Have breaking news or a special event you want to communicate in your message? This is a great way to get your prospects’ attention
10."Create an engaging email promoting an industry summit where my CEO our discuss [topic], highlighting [benefit] and [industry] connections."
Example: "Create an engaging email promoting an industry summit where our CEO will discuss AI advancements, highlighting networking opportunities and keynote topics."
Interactive Approach
Polls
People have opinions and polls are a great way to increase engagement with your emails. Here’s a prompt for that:
11. "Include a poll in an email to engage [role] in the [industry] sector, asking about their biggest [challenge]."
Example: "Include a poll in an email to procurement managers in the oil and gas sector, asking about their biggest procurement challenge."
Surveys
Similarly, surveys also encourage engagement. Here’s a prompt you can try:
12. "Create an email that promotes a survey to gather feedback from [industry] clients about their experiences with [product/service]."
Example: " Create an email that promotes a survey to gather feedback from industrial clients about their experiences with our ERP platform."
Sense of Urgency
FOMO (fear of missing out) is an essential part of every marketer’s toolkit. Here’s a way to imbue your message with urgency:
13. “Provide five variations of text to create urgency in promoting a limited-time discount on our [products/services] for [industry] businesses."
Example: "Provide five variations of text to create urgency in promoting a limited-time discount on our cybersecurity solutions for small businesses."
Personalized Messages
14. "Craft a personalized message for [role], highlighting [benefit] and [industry] relevance in your email promoting [product/service]."
Example: "Craft a personalized message for startup founders, highlighting scalability and cost-effectiveness in your email promoting cloud hosting solutions."
Holidays
Holidays present a great opportunity for engaging with your prospects, even in B2B.
15. "Design a holiday-themed email campaign targeting [industry] companies, featuring [promotion] to drive seasonal sales."
Example: "Design a holiday-themed email campaign targeting industrial companies, featuring special discounts and festive branding to drive seasonal sales."
Now that you’ve got your copy ready to go, how about an image? AI image generation still has some room for improvement, but in a pinch you can use AI to add some visual spice to your message. While ChatGPT 3.5 does not have a free image generator, both Gemini and Co-Pilot’s DALL-E text-to-image generator can generate images for free to accompany your message. Here's an example:
16. "Design an attention-grabbing image to accompany an email showcasing [product/service], tailored for [industry] companies."
Example: "Design an attention-grabbing image to accompany an email showcasing cloud computing services, tailored for technology startups."
We tried this exact prompt ourselves and it’s interesting to see the difference between Gemini and Co-Pilot’s take.
Here’s Co-Pilot’s:
And here’s Gemini’s.
As always, you can keep prompting to refine the image.
While your initial message might have made a big impression, you still want your prospects to engage with your brand on a regular basis. AI can help you develop a series or drip campaign to keep your organization on their radar. Here’s how:
Email Series
17. "Keeping the same tone as the first email, develop a series of three follow-up emails for leads interested in [products/services], focusing on [benefit] and [industry] insights."
Example: "Keeping the same tone as the first email, Develop a series of three follow-up emails for leads interested in financial consulting services, focusing on ROI and industry insights."
Drip campaign
18. "Set up a drip campaign with a series of educational emails on [topic] for [industry] prospects."
Example: "Set up a drip campaign with a series of educational emails on data analytics for prospects in the logistics and transportation industry."
The good thing about AI is that it never gets tired. You can ask it to refine and refine again. You can ask it to change tone, to switch voice, to inspire different emotions, and more. Once you’ve put in your main prompt here are some additional follow-ups to try
Some additional prompts to try:
19. "Give this email a more laid-back tone."
20. "Recommend three different calls to action (CTAs) that encourage action."
21. "Enhance the current call to action (CTA) for better conversion rates."
22. "Incorporate personalized fields like first name and company."
23. "Devise a personalized opening sentence tailored to the [industry] sector."
24. "Include solutions to the recipient's top three challenges."
25. "Highlight benefits that address the recipient's specific issue."
26. "Add statistics that demonstrate the product or service's success."
27. "Condense this email template while retaining all essential points."
28. "Propose two variables to A/B test in this email."
29. "Offer an alternative sign-off that leaves a memorable impact."
30. "Include a postscript (P.S.) reinforcing the call to action (CTA)."
31. "Give me 5 variations of how I could finish this sentence..."
These prompts can help you generate a variety of B2B emails, from cold outreach to follow-ups, and can be used to optimize various aspects of your email, such as tone, subject lines, CTAs, personalization, and more. Remember, the key to effective email marketing is to keep testing and optimizing based on your audience’s response.
When it comes to your email campaigns, there’s one very important thing you don’t want to be AI-generated, and that’s your contact data. Verified firsthand by real people, IndustrySelect’s 350,000+ industrial profiles contain detailed information you can rely on to power your B2B email campaign. Set up your free demo account today, loaded with 500 real company profiles so you can test out all the features of this powerful software.
Want to research this topic more in-depth? Check out this expert course on maximizing productivity with AI from MNI University!
Sources:
https://mediashower.com/blog/b2b-sales-email-generator/
https://zapier.com/blog/chatgpt-sales-emails/
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