Prompting Guide for Studio Chat

Get better AI-generated variants by writing clearer prompts. This guide covers best practices, examples, and common mistakes to avoid when using Studio Chat.

Why Prompting Matters

The quality of your AI-generated variants depends heavily on how you write your prompts. A vague prompt like “make it better” gives the AI little direction. A specific prompt like “create 3 urgency-focused subject lines for users whose trial expires in 2 days” produces targeted, usable results.

Best Practices

1. Be Specific About What You Want

Tell the AI exactly what you need: the number of variants, the tone, the theme, and any constraints.

Instead of…	Try…
”Generate some variants"	"Generate 4 subject line variants with a curiosity theme"
"Make it more engaging"	"Rewrite with action verbs and a sense of urgency"
"Something for new users"	"Create a welcome message for free trial users in their first week”

2. Provide Context About Your Audience

The more context you give, the better the output. Include:

Who is receiving this message (plan, lifecycle stage, behavior)
What action you want them to take
Why they should care (what’s in it for them)

Example: “Write variants for power users who haven’t logged in for 14 days. They’ve already seen value in the product but need a nudge to come back. Focus on what they’re missing.”

3. Specify Constraints Upfront

Set clear boundaries so the AI doesn’t over-deliver or go off-track:

Character limits: “Keep subject lines under 50 characters”
Tone: “Professional but friendly, no slang”
Format: “Use a question format” or “Start with an action verb”
Exclusions: “Don’t mention pricing” or “Avoid the word ‘free‘“

4. Use Themes to Guide Tone

JustAI supports content themes that shape the messaging approach. Reference these in your prompts:

Theme	Best For	Example Prompt
Urgency	Time-sensitive offers, expiring trials	”Create urgency variants for users whose trial ends tomorrow”
FOMO	Social proof, peer comparison	”Write FOMO-driven copy showing what other teams are achieving”
Curiosity	Re-engagement, teasers	”Generate curiosity hooks that make users want to click”
Value	ROI, benefits, savings	”Focus on time-saving benefits for busy managers”
Trust	Security, reliability, social proof	”Emphasize our 99.9% uptime and Fortune 500 customers”
Personal	Relationship-building, check-ins	”Write like a helpful colleague, not a marketing email”

5. Show, Don’t Just Tell

Give the AI an example of what good looks like:

Create 3 subject lines similar in style to:
"Your weekly insights are ready 📊"

Make them about feature updates, keep the emoji,
stay under 45 characters.

6. Iterate and Refine

Your first prompt rarely produces perfect results. Use follow-up prompts to refine:

“Make these shorter”
“More casual tone”
“Try a question format instead”
“Give me 2 more like the second one”

Prompt Templates

Copy and customize these templates for common use cases:

Subject Line Generation

Generate [NUMBER] email subject lines for [AUDIENCE].

Context: [WHAT'S HAPPENING / WHY YOU'RE EMAILING]
Goal: [WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO]
Theme: [URGENCY / CURIOSITY / VALUE / etc.]
Constraints: [CHARACTER LIMIT, TONE, EXCLUSIONS]

Example:

Generate 5 email subject lines for trial users on day 7.

Context: They've used the product but haven't upgraded
Goal: Get them to start a paid subscription
Theme: Value + light urgency
Constraints: Under 50 characters, no exclamation marks

Variant Generation for Existing Content

Here's my current [SUBJECT/CTA/HEADLINE]:
"[YOUR CURRENT CONTENT]"

Create [NUMBER] alternatives that:
- [REQUIREMENT 1]
- [REQUIREMENT 2]
- [REQUIREMENT 3]

Example:

Here's my current subject line:
"Your account is ready"

Create 4 alternatives that:
- Feel more exciting and personal
- Hint at what they can do next
- Stay under 40 characters

A/B Test Ideation

I'm testing [VARIABLE] for [CAMPAIGN TYPE].

Current control: "[YOUR CONTROL]"
Audience: [WHO]
Metric: [OPEN RATE / CLICK RATE / CONVERSION]

Give me [NUMBER] test variants with different approaches:
1. [APPROACH 1]
2. [APPROACH 2]
3. [APPROACH 3]

Examples: Good vs. Bad Prompts

Example 1: Subject Lines

❌ Bad prompt:

“Write some subject lines”

✅ Good prompt:

“Write 4 subject lines for a cart abandonment email. The user left items worth $150+ in their cart 2 hours ago. Use urgency but avoid being pushy. Under 50 characters.”

Why it works: Specifies quantity, context, audience behavior, tone guidance, and constraints.

Example 2: CTA Buttons

❌ Bad prompt:

“Give me button text options”

✅ Good prompt:

“Generate 5 CTA button texts for an upgrade prompt. User is on the free plan and just hit a feature limit. Make them want to click without feeling pressured. Max 3 words each.”

Why it works: Clear context (feature limit), emotional guidance (not pressured), and format constraint (3 words).

Example 3: Email Body Copy

❌ Bad prompt:

“Write a winback email”

✅ Good prompt:

“Write the opening paragraph for a winback email. Target: users who were active for 3+ months but haven’t logged in for 30 days. Tone: warm and curious, not salesy. Acknowledge they’ve been away without guilt-tripping. 2-3 sentences max.”

Why it works: Specific audience, clear tone direction, emotional nuance, length constraint.

Example 4: Personalized Variants

❌ Bad prompt:

“Make versions for different users”

✅ Good prompt:

“Create 3 headline variants for our feature announcement:

For enterprise admins (focus on team management benefits)

For individual contributors (focus on personal productivity)

For trial users (focus on what’s now available to them)

Keep each under 10 words.”

Why it works: Clear segments with specific value propositions for each.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do ✅

Practice	Why
Specify the number of variants	Prevents over/under-delivery
Include character/word limits	Ensures usable output
Mention your audience	Enables relevant personalization
Reference themes	Guides emotional tone
Give examples when possible	Shows style preferences
Iterate with follow-ups	Refines results efficiently
State what to avoid	Prevents unwanted content

Don’t ❌

Mistake	Problem
Vague requests (“make it better”)	No clear direction for improvement
No context	AI can’t tailor to your situation
Overly long prompts	Key requirements get lost
Contradictory instructions	Confuses the output
Expecting perfection on first try	Iteration is normal and expected
Ignoring constraints	Output may not fit your needs
Copying output without review	AI suggestions need human judgment

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Variants are too generic	Add more context about your audience and their situation
Tone is off	Specify tone explicitly (“conversational,” “professional,” “playful”)
Output is too long	Add character or word limits to your prompt
Results don’t match your brand	Include brand voice guidelines or show an example
Same ideas repeated	Ask for “distinctly different approaches” or specify angles
Variants feel AI-generated	Request “natural, human-sounding” copy; avoid jargon

Quick Reference

The 5-Point Prompt Checklist

Before submitting a prompt, make sure you’ve included:

☐ What — What type of content (subject, CTA, body, headline)
☐ Who — Who’s the audience (segment, lifecycle stage, behavior)
☐ How many — Number of variants needed
☐ Constraints — Length limits, tone, format, exclusions
☐ Context — Why you’re reaching out, what you want them to do

Power Words for Prompts

Use these to add precision:

For tone: conversational, professional, playful, urgent, empathetic, direct
For format: question, statement, action verb, personalized
For style: short, punchy, descriptive, minimal, bold
For themes: urgency, curiosity, value, trust, FOMO, exclusivity

Next Steps

Create your first template to put these prompts into action
Learn about themes for more on content categorization
Set up Auto-Tune to let AI optimize your variants automatically