Write prompts that convert

Who this is for: anyone whose campaigns are running and who wants more replies from the same list.

The AI writes from three things: your instructions, the lead’s row and what we read on their website. You control all three. This page is about the first; Write subject and email instructions covers where each field is.

The anatomy of an instruction that converts

Good email instructions answer five questions, in this order:

1. Who you are, in one line. “I run a small dental marketing agency in Austin.”
2. What to notice about them. “Open with one specific thing from their website, such as a service, a new location or a review.”
3. The offer, concrete and small. “Offer a free 10-point audit of their Google Business profile.”
4. The ask, one easy yes. “Ask if a 10-minute call next week works.”
5. The rules. “Under 90 words. No bullet points. No exclamation marks. Plain text.”

A complete example

I run a dental marketing agency. Open with one specific detail from their website (a service, a new dentist, a review) in one sentence, as if I noticed it myself. Then say in one sentence that practices like theirs often lose new-patient calls to competitors with better Google profiles. Offer a free 10-point audit of their Google Business profile. Ask if a 10-minute call next week works. Under 90 words, no bullet points, no exclamation marks, sign off with my first name only.

A subject line instruction

Under 6 words, lower case, no punctuation. Mention their practice name or city. It should read like a note from a colleague, not a newsletter.

Make the research count

• Tell the AI what to look for on the website, not just “personalise it”. “Mention a service they offer that relates to implants or Invisalign” beats “make it personal”.
• Tell it what to do when the site says little: “If the website gives nothing specific, open with their city instead.”
• Use Only email leads whose website we could read for campaigns that depend on a specific detail. See Website research.

Use the columns you have

The AI already sees every column of the lead. Point at the useful ones by name: “Use the Specialty column to choose the example you give.” A placeholder like {{city}} pins an exact value where you want it.

Put house rules in one place

Tone, banned words and the sign-off belong in Instructions for every email in AI settings, so each campaign’s instructions stay short and focused on the offer.

Test before you scale

1. Use the test email preview in the wizard to read a few emails for different leads.
2. Start the campaign with I approve each email first and read the first 10 to 20 emails in Review emails.
3. Adjust the instructions, then switch to sending automatically.

Tip: Change one thing at a time between campaigns (the offer, the opening, the length) and compare reply rates. Changing everything at once teaches you nothing.

Patterns that hurt replies

• Long emails. Over 120 words, replies drop. Say “under 90 words”.
• Vague flattery. “I love your website” reads like a template. Ask for one concrete detail.
• Two asks. “Call, or reply, or book here” splits attention. One question.
• Hard sell. “Limited time”, “guaranteed”, “#1”. Spam filters and people both dislike it.
• Links and attachments in the first email. Leave them for the reply.

Next step

Keep the AI bill predictable as you scale: Control AI cost.