The Prompt Engineering Challenge
Ever asked an AI for something specific only to get a completely different result? You’re not alone.
The idea is simple: learn how to write better prompts. But as anyone who’s tinkered with AI knows, “simple” is rarely easy.
That’s why I’ve set up a nerdy little lab for AI prompt testing. It’s my way to systematically explore how different prompt approaches impact AI outputs. This is all to help you (and me) craft prompts that aren’t just functional, but genuinely powerful.
Heck, prompt engineering is already being called “the future of programming.”
My AI Prompt Testing Framework
Here’s exactly what I’m experimenting with right now:
Prompt Structure Tests
What delivers better results: a raw idea dump, a polished rewrite, or a prompt written from a specific professional perspective?
Example finding: When asking for email copy, prompts written from a “Director of CRM” perspective consistently outperformed generic requests by including more specific customer journey touchpoints.
Model Interpretation Tests
Same prompt, different AI agents. How does ChatGPT respond versus Claude? Do they follow instructions the same way?
Spoiler alert: They don’t! Claude excels at following nuanced instructions, while ChatGPT often generates more creative but less precisely targeted content.
Instruction Depth Tests
If I sharpen the request – “Write a CTA for a reactivation email” versus “Help me craft a compelling reason for lapsed users to return within 48 hours” – does the output quality change?
Why This Matters for Marketers
Great AI prompts function like great emails: they get to the point, speak the user’s language, and actually drive results.
For lifecycle marketers specifically, mastering prompt engineering means:
- Creating more personalized customer journeys with less effort
- Testing message variations at scale
- Smarter audience segmentation using AI
- Generating ideas that actually align with customer psychology (and AI-powered lifecycle strategies)
My Selfish Reasons for AI Prompt Testing
I want, nay need, to be a better prompt engineer.
So here I am, testing, learning, documenting.
Building a library of what works (and what flops).
And sharing the journey with y’all, one nerdy blog post at a time.
Your Turn!
Have you experimented with prompt engineering for marketing? Drop a comment below with your best tip or biggest question – I’d love to compare notes!
Want to go deeper? Check out my earlier posts on AI-powered lifecycle strategy and email segmentation with AI. Each one builds a piece of this larger experiment.
