How to brief an AI so the answer sounds like your brand.
robertbestwick.com/ai-digital-marketing/class-2/
Today
Agenda
By the end of class you can
Name the parts of a strong prompt.
Turn a brand guide into a prompt.
Improve an AI answer with follow-up prompts.
Recap · Week 1
Last week in 3 ideas
Today we build on all three.
1
Gen AI creates
It makes new text, images and video from patterns.
2
It predicts
It picks the next likely word. It does not "know".
3
Rule bots are limited
Your IF/THEN bot only knew what you wrote.
Today: the prompt is how you steer the prediction.
01
Understanding prompts
A prompt is a brief. Better brief, better work.
Section 01
A prompt is a brief
Treat the AI like a new intern: smart and fast, but new to your brand.
Prompt
The instructions and information you give the AI.
Brief
In marketing, a short document that tells a team what to make.
Prompt engineering
Writing and improving prompts until the output is right.
The AI cannot read your mind. If it is not in the prompt, the AI guesses.
Sources: IBM, "What is prompt engineering?" (ibm.com/think); Anthropic, "Prompt engineering best practices for 2026" (Nov 2025).
Section 01
Most prompts are too short
What Google found about prompts at work. Click each number.
Source: Google, "Gemini for Google Workspace prompting guide 101" (October 2024 edition): "Prompts average around 21 words with relevant context, yet the prompts people try are usually less than nine words."
Section 01 · Demo
Same tool, different brief
Tap each prompt to see the answer.
✕ Weak prompt · 8 words
AI answer
Start your day right with our delicious coffee! Come visit us today and enjoy the best coffee in town! #coffee #coffeeshop
Generic. No offer. "Best in town" is a claim we cannot prove.
✓ Strong prompt · 57 words
AI answer (caption 1 of 3)
Rain again? Perfect. Show your student ID, order any latte, and the pastry is on us. Rainy Day Deal, on the Drive.
Specific offer, right audience, on-brand voice.
Illustrative example written for this class. Rainline Coffee is a fictional brand.
Check
Four words to know
Tap each card.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, "Best practices for prompt engineering with the OpenAI API"; Anthropic, "Prompt engineering best practices for 2026".
02
Elements of a good prompt
Four core parts, plus three for marketers.
Section 02
The core four
Google's model for prompts. Click each part.
Persona
Who should the AI be?
“Act as a social media manager for Rainline Coffee.”
Source: Google, "Gemini for Google Workspace prompting guide 101" (Oct 2024): Persona, Task, Context, Format.
Section 02
Three more for marketers
These make the answer fit your brand and your customer.
5
Audience
Who will read it?
“College students, 18–25, on a budget.”
6
Tone
How should it sound?
“Warm, local and a little playful.”
7
Constraints
Rules the answer must follow.
“Canadian spelling. Max 2 emojis. Never say ‘cheap’.”
Sources: OpenAI Help Center (be specific about "context, outcome, length, format, style"); Mailchimp Content Style Guide, "Voice and tone".
Section 02
Three habits of good prompters
From the OpenAI, Anthropic and Google guides.
Be specific
“Short” → “under 50 words”.
Replace fluffy words with numbers.
Say what to do
“Don't be boring” → “Start with a question”.
Positive instructions work better.
Show an example
Paste one post you like.
Examples teach tone fast.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, "Best practices for prompt engineering"; Anthropic, "Prompt engineering best practices for 2026" (Nov 2025); Google Workspace, "Writing effective prompts".
Check
Vague or specific?
Drag each card, or tap a card and then tap a box.
Write a post
Write 3 Instagram captions
Make it sound good
For college students in Vancouver
Keep it short
Under 125 characters, max 2 emojis
Vague fix it
Specific keep it
03
Structure of a strong prompt
Put the parts in order, then keep the conversation going.
Section 03 · Demo
Build it, part by part
Tap each element to add it to the prompt.
Tap an element above to start your prompt.
0 of 7 elements · 0 words
Illustrative prompt for the fictional Rainline Coffee brand, using Google's four parts plus three marketing elements.
Section 03
A template you can reuse
Instructions first. Then the details, clearly separated.
Act as [persona]. Task: [action verb + what to make]. ### Context: [facts, offer, background] Audience: [who reads it] Tone: [3 brand voice words] Format: [length, layout, number] Rules: [must do / never do]
1
Start with the task
Put the instruction at the top.
2
Separate the details
Use ### or headings.
3
Save and reuse it
Change only the brackets.
Source: OpenAI Help Center, "Put instructions at the beginning of the prompt and use ### or """ to separate the instruction and context."
Section 03
The first answer is a draft
Use follow-up prompts to make it better.
1
Fix the length
“Make caption 2 shorter, under 80 characters.”
2
Fix the voice
“Use our words: cozy, neighbour, rain or shine.”
3
Get options
“Give me 3 more, each with a different hook.”
Follow-up · illustration
Rain or shine, Rainline has your back! Grab a latte and a free pastry with your student ID this week on Commercial Drive.
Shorter, and start with a question.
Raining again? Latte + free pastry with your student ID. See you on the Drive.
Source: Google Workspace, "Make it a conversation" and "Be specific and iterate". Illustration based on a typical AI chat.
Check
Quick check
Tap an answer.
04
Prompts and brand strategy
Your brand guide is the best prompt you already have.
Section 04
Voice vs. tone
“You have the same voice all the time, but your tone changes.” · Mailchimp
Voice = personality
Rainline Coffee is…
warmlocala little playful
This never changes.
Situation
Tone = mood
Instagram post
Playful, energetic
Welcome email
Friendly, helpful
Reply to a bad review
Calm, caring, no jokes
Source: Mailchimp Content Style Guide, "Voice and tone" (styleguide.mailchimp.com). Rainline Coffee is a fictional brand.
Section 04
From brand guide to prompt
Each part of the brand guide has a place in the prompt. Click a row.
Brand guide says…
Goes in the prompt as…
Facts
Offers, prices, hours, location
Context, so the AI does not invent them
Personality
3 voice words, example posts
Tone + a few-shot example
Rules
Words to use and avoid, legal limits
Constraints
No facts in the prompt = the AI makes them up.
Sources: Anthropic, "Provide context and motivation"; OpenAI, "Be specific, descriptive and as detailed as possible about the desired context, outcome, length, format, style".
Sources: Bloomberg Tech, "Coca-Cola Launches 'Create Real Magic' AI Tool" (YouTube, Mar 2023); Marketing Dive, "Coke asks consumers to generate art with new AI platform" (Mar 21, 2023).
Section 04
Write the brand brief once
AI tools now let you save brand instructions and reuse them.
ChatGPT and Claude
Projects: save files and instructions for every chat.
Gemini
Gems: a custom helper with your saved instructions.
Shopify Magic
Pick a tone of voice, or set your own, for product descriptions.
Shopify is a Canadian company, based in Ottawa.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, "Projects in ChatGPT"; Anthropic, "Projects"; Google, "Gems in Gemini"; Shopify App Store, "Shopify Magic for product descriptions": "Select from a set of predefined tones of voice, or set your own".
Section 04 · Class brand
Meet Rainline Coffee
A fictional brand we all use today. Tap each card.
Rainline Coffee is a fictional brand created for this class. The full brand brief is on the Prompt Lab page.
Check
Quick check
Brand edition. Tap an answer.
In-class practice
Prompt Lab: Rainline Coffee
Turn a weak prompt into a strong, on-brand prompt, and test it.