12 AI Prompt Templates to Copy for Small Business Owners

The difference between a vague AI answer and a genuinely useful one is usually the prompt. These templates follow a simple structure: role, context, task, constraints, and format. Copy them, replace the placeholders in square brackets, and save the ones that work.

Marketing Prompts

1. Blog Post Outline

Act as a content strategist for [BUSINESS_TYPE].
Create an outline for a blog post targeting the search query "[KEYWORD]" for [AUDIENCE].
Include: working title, H2 and H3 headings, key points under each, and 3 FAQs.

2. Social Post Repurposer

Turn the following article into: 3 LinkedIn posts, 3 short social captions, and 1 email teaser.
Keep our tone: [TONE]. No hashtags beyond 3 per post.
Article: [PASTE_TEXT]

3. Customer Persona

Based on these notes about our best customers: [NOTES]
Create a one-page persona: goals, frustrations, buying triggers, objections, and the words they use.

Sales Prompts

4. Proposal Summary

Summarise this proposal for a busy decision-maker in 5 bullet points, then write a 2-sentence executive summary.
Proposal: [PASTE_TEXT]

5. Objection Handler

Our prospect said: "[OBJECTION]".
We sell [OFFER] to [AUDIENCE]. Give 3 honest, non-pushy responses and one question to understand their concern better.

6. Follow-Up Email

Write a polite follow-up to [NAME], who has not replied to my proposal sent on [DATE].
Mention [SPECIFIC_BENEFIT]. Under 90 words. Offer an easy yes or no reply.

Operations and Admin Prompts

7. Standard Operating Procedure

Turn these rough notes into a numbered standard operating procedure with a purpose statement, required tools, steps, and common mistakes.
Notes: [PASTE_NOTES]

8. Meeting Summary

From this transcript, list: decisions made, action items with owner and due date, open questions.
Transcript: [PASTE_TRANSCRIPT]

9. AI Use Register

Help me document how my business uses AI. For each tool I list, create a table row with: tool, purpose, who uses it, data it touches, customer-facing (yes/no), human review step.
Tools: [LIST_TOOLS]

Customer Service Prompts

10. Support Reply

Draft a reply to this customer message. Be empathetic, solve the issue in as few steps as possible, and follow our policy: [POLICY].
Message: [CUSTOMER_MESSAGE]

11. FAQ Builder

From these 20 customer questions, group duplicates and write a clear FAQ answer for each group in under 80 words.
Questions: [PASTE_QUESTIONS]

12. Review Response

Write a professional reply to this [POSITIVE_OR_NEGATIVE] review. Thank them, address specifics, and invite offline contact if needed. Under 70 words.
Review: [REVIEW_TEXT]

Tips for Better Results

Give real examples of output you like.
Ask for a specific format (table, bullets, word count).
Iterate: ask the AI to critique and improve its own draft.
Never paste confidential or personal data unless your plan and policy allow it.
Always fact-check before publishing or sending.

See these prompts in a full workflow in our ChatGPT email marketing tutorial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these prompts work in every AI assistant?

Yes. They are written in plain language and work in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and most other assistants. Small tweaks may improve results in a specific tool.

Where should I store prompt templates?

A shared document, your assistant's project or custom instructions feature, or a text expander tool all work well.

12 Copy-and-Paste AI Prompt Templates for Small Business Owners

What You'll Learn (Key Takeaways)

Marketing Prompts

Sales Prompts

Operations and Admin Prompts

Customer Service Prompts

Tips for Better Results

Frequently Asked Questions

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