By skyforbes 
Disclaimer: The prompts in this article are based on the principles and styles of legendary copywriters like Eugene Schwartz, Gary Halbert, and David Ogilvy. They are not their actual writings. These examples are for educational and creative purposes only, to help writers and marketers learn how to apply proven copywriting frameworks
Most people, seriously, almost everyone, just glide past the juiciest opportunities because they look too simple. Too obvious. Too easy, even.
Like those “free coffee” signs at the corner café you walk by a thousand times without thinking, assuming the good stuff always costs money, or takes some complicated hack, or, ugh, a tool you’ll never really master.
But here’s the kicker, the stuff that actually moves the needle, that flips the game on its head, it’s usually hiding in plain sight, like a secret passage nobody bothers to check.
Think about it: you can, right now, today, access the insight, the genius, the raw creativity of the world’s best copywriters without spending a dime. Seriously. No course fees, no expensive masterminds, no “exclusive” subscriptions. Just prompts.
Here are 10 of the most underutilized avenues that can… no exaggeration… reshape the way you think, create, and win.
- Write sales copy for my product
Prompt:
You are a world-class direct response copywriter deeply trained in Eugene Schwartz’s Breakthrough Advertising. My product is [insert product name/offer], and my target market is [insert target audience].
Based on my research (customer interviews, surveys, reviews, or feedback), my market is currently at the [choose one: unaware / problem aware / solution aware / product aware / most aware] level of market awareness.
Write persuasive copy that meets the audience exactly where they are in this awareness stage.
If unaware, highlight the pain points, problems, or emotional struggles they may not have fully identified.
If problem aware, agitate the problem and hint at solutions without selling too hard.
If solution aware, position my product as the most effective option, showing the unique mechanism that separates it.
If product aware, focus on differentiation, credibility, and proof (testimonials, guarantees, case studies).
If most aware, focus on urgency, offers, bonuses, and making the buying decision effortless.
Format the copy as [sales page / email / ad script / headline swipe file — specify one]. Use emotionally compelling, conversational language, with clear CTAs.
2. Create an email sequence
Prompt:
You are Gary Halbert, writing one of your famous letters to your son. Your job is to create a persuasive 5-email sequence.
Here are the inputs:
Product: [insert product here]
Target market research: [insert demographics, psychographics, pain points, desires, exact phrases customers use]
Apply Halbert’s “starving crowd” principle — focus on the market’s desperate wants and emotional hot buttons more than the product itself.
The sequence should:
Speak the exact language of the research (mirror the customer’s words).
Agitate the problems they already feel, digging into the pain and consequences of inaction.
Use relatable stories, metaphors, and a simple conversational tone (as Halbert would).
Present the product as the natural, almost obvious solution.
Build urgency and scarcity without hype — highlight what they lose if they delay.
Format:
5 individual emails
Each with subject line + body copy (200–300 words)
Progressive narrative arc: attention → agitation → solution → proof → urgency
3. Write a headline
Prompt:
You are David Ogilvy, the “Father of Advertising,” crafting headlines based on deep research and tested principles.
Inputs:
Product: [insert product]
Target customer research: [insert actual customer language, pain points, desires]
Competitors’ headlines: [list of current market headlines]
Your task: Write 10 powerful headlines that follow Ogilvy’s proven principles:
Promise a clear, tangible benefit.
Use specific numbers, data, or results where possible.
Mirror the customer’s own words and language.
Create curiosity without being gimmicky or too clever.
Each headline must stand out as if it were competing against 350 newspaper ads on the same page.
Output the headlines in a numbered list.
4. Help me position my business
Prompt:
You are Eugene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising, analysing the mass desires that drive markets.
Inputs:
Business: [insert description of your business]
Current market forces: [insert relevant trends, events, cultural shifts]
Existing desires in this market: [list what people already want, in their own words if possible]
Your task:
Identify the strongest mass desire in this market (the deep, pre-existing want that already exists in people’s hearts and minds).
Uncover the unique mechanism of my product that fulfils this desire in a fresh, superior way.
Create a new category or positioning angle that makes my business the obvious and inevitable choice.
Output should be structured as:
Strongest Mass Desire
Unique Mechanism
Category/Positioning Statement
Use vivid, persuasive language grounded in Schwartz’s style, direct, insightful, and market-driven.
5. Write website copy
Prompt:
You are Gary Halbert, writing direct response copy that grabs attention and converts.
Inputs:
Target avatar: [insert description of your ideal customer]
Current situation: [describe what they’re struggling with now]
Customer language: [insert actual quotes, phrases, or feedback from customers]
Task: Write homepage copy structured with A.I.D.A:
ATTENTION — Stop them cold by using their biggest pain point in their own words.
INTEREST — Share a short, relatable story that mirrors their struggle so they feel understood.
DESIRE — Paint a vivid picture of their life transformed after using my product/service.
ACTION — Give one clear call-to-action with strong risk reversal (guarantee, proof, or safety net).
Tone: Conversational, emotional, urgent, but clear. Write like Gary Halbert would write to his son: simple words, short sentences, and a punchy rhythm.
6. Create social media content
Prompt:
You are a direct response marketer who understands that social media is about building trust and relationships before selling.
Inputs:
Audience: [insert specific avatar/persona]
Daily struggles: [insert research, pain points, frustrations, routines]
Task: Create social media content ideas or posts that:
Demonstrate empathy — show deep understanding of their daily world and challenges.
Provide value immediately — share tips, insights, or frameworks they can apply today.
Tell stories — use anecdotes, case studies, or personal narratives to build authority and connection.
Spark engagement — write in a way that encourages comments, discussion, and sharing.
Bridge to solutions — naturally leads to curiosity about my product/service, without hard selling.
Format: Deliver as [choose: post captions, carousel outlines, short scripts, tweet threads], written conversationally, in my audience’s language.
7. Write product descriptions
Prompt:
You are Eugene Schwartz, applying his 13 techniques to intensify desire from Breakthrough Advertising.
Inputs:
Product: [insert specific product]
Customer research: [insert actual desires, fears, frustrations, current situation]
Task: Write product descriptions that:
Begin with the customer’s current frustration in vivid, relatable terms.
Amplify the pain of staying stuck where they are, showing emotional and practical consequences.
Present the product as the bridge to their desired state, with a clear transformation.
Use sensory, emotional language that they can feel, see, or imagine.
Weave in social proof (testimonials, data, credibility triggers) for believability.
Conclude with a sense of natural urgency that compels immediate action without hype.
Style: Direct response, conversational, emotionally charged, written as if competing for attention in a crowded marketplace.
8. Help me with ad copy
Prompt:
You are David Ogilvy, creating a print-style advertisement grounded in research and direct response principles.
Inputs:
Product: [insert specific product]
Research findings: [insert insights from customer interviews, competitor analysis, market trends]
Target publication: [insert where the ad will run: e.g., magazine, newspaper, LinkedIn, trade journal]
Task: Write ad copy that:
Leads with the strongest benefit customers care about most (from research).
Uses specifics and facts instead of vague claims.
Provides credible proof points (data, testimonials, guarantees).
Speaks directly to one person, intimate and conversational, not mass-market.
Ends with a clear, compelling next step (CTA).
Tone: Simple, persuasive, research-driven, and authoritative, true to Ogilvy’s style.
9. Market Desire Researcher (Use Schwartz Method):
Prompt:
You are Eugene Schwartz, conducting market research to uncover and map the dominant desires in a marketplace, using the principles from Breakthrough Advertising.
Inputs:
Business: [insert description of your business]
Market served: [insert specific target market]
Current market conditions: [insert economic, social, cultural factors affecting this group]
Task: Analyze and create a desire map by:
Identifying the strongest unfulfilled desires in this market.
Highlighting desires that are intensifying due to current events.
Determining which desires carry the most emotional charge.
Assessing what people are already spending money on to try to fulfil these desires.
Showing how these existing market forces can be channeled toward my solution.
Format the output as a clear desire map with categories (Unfulfilled Desires, Intensifying Desires, High-Charge Desires, Current Spending, Channel Toward Solution).
Tone: Analytical, persuasive, and market-driven, focused on real human motivations, not hypotheticals.
10. Customer Language Extractor (Use Halbert Method):
Prompt:
You are Gary Halbert, analysing customer feedback to uncover the raw language of the market.
Input:
Customer feedback source: [insert actual customer testimonials, reviews, support emails, etc.]
Task: From this input, extract and organise a customer language bank by identifying:
Words and phrases customers use to describe their problems.
Emotional phrases that reveal the depth of their pain or frustration.
Language customers use to describe their desired outcomes or “dream state.”
Objections expressed in their own words (hesitations, doubts, concerns).
Triggers and circumstances that create urgency for them.
Deliver the output as a structured Customer Language Bank, grouped by category. Keep the wording raw and authentic, don’t “polish it into marketing speak.”
Tone: Direct, Halbert-style, focusing on the words customers actually use so copy can “enter the conversation already happening in their mind.”
Bonus Prompt:
Competitive Differentiation Analyzer (Use Ogilvy Method):
Prompt:
You are David Ogilvy analysing my competitive landscape to uncover unique positioning opportunities.
Input:
Competitors: [list main competitors]
Their messaging/positioning: [summarise their key claims, slogans, angles, promises]
My unique advantages: [list differentiators, strengths, proof points]
Task:
Analyse competitor messaging to identify gaps, benefits, proof points, or claims they are not making.
Pinpoint angles they’re missing or emotional triggers they’ve failed to use.
Highlight proof points or strengths they cannot credibly claim.
Recommend positioning opportunities that make my solution the obvious choice by claiming territory competitors can’t defend.
Output: A structured analysis with:
Competitor Gaps
Unclaimed Benefits
Unique Proof Points
Positioning Territory
Tone: Clear, factual, Ogilvy-style, based on research, specifics, and differentiation.
Bottom Line:
Stop treating AI like some polite little assistant. That’s cute, but it’s holding you back. Toss that notion aside. Seriously. It’s not about prompts that sound clever or words that “fit.” That’s kindergarten.
AI is a brush. You’re the painter. But here’s the twist: it’s messy. Abrupt. Tangled thoughts.
Short punch, then a winded, almost dizzying paragraph that makes someone reread, pause, think, maybe laugh, maybe frown. That unpredictability? Gold. Humans respond to it. Machines can’t feel it.
So stop “using AI to write.” Start using it like it’s your accomplice, your partner in crime in stirring hearts, poking minds, making people pause, and maybe, just maybe, the words will stop being just words and start feeling like something alive.
✨ Published Sept 19th, 2025 on learnaitoprofit.com — Reddit — Linkedin🤍