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The blank page. Every marketer hates it, yet AI has emerged unprecedented in its ability to fill the blank page and fuel marketing campaigns, helping everyone from the seasoned marketer to the email marketing newbie send out successful campaigns that help drive sales.
The catch? You only get back what you put into it. In other words, you have to interact with AI keeping in mind that it is a machine—it’s not going to be able to read between the lines and so the prompts you feed it have to be crystal clear and angled exactly to what you’re looking for, from tone of voice to specific calls to action.
Whether you’re new to using AI for email marketing or a seasoned pro looking for new ideas, today we’ve compiled some effective prompts and tools to help get you started on your next campaign.
New to AI? While there are a range of paid services out there, if you’re looking to for a free option, there’s plenty to choose from. Let’s take a look at the “Big (Free) Three”:
ChatGPT 3.5
ChatGPT remains a go-to for writing emails, social posts, and long-form content. The free tier runs on GPT-3.5, which is great for everyday tasks like content drafting, brainstorming, and rewriting. It remembers your past chats, making it easy to keep context over time. For real-time web info, code assistance, and more nuanced answers, you can upgrade to GPT-4 with ChatGPT Plus—but 3.5 still gets a lot done.
Google’s Gemini (formerly Bard) has quickly evolved into a robust writing assistant. It’s especially good at breaking down complex topics and summarizing dense material. Gemini integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, making it ideal if you use Docs, Gmail, or Sheets. It’s free to use with a Google account, and benefits from Google's search engine for relevant, up-to-date info.
While Microsoft Co-Pilot brings AI right into the Edge browser and Office tools like Word and Outlook. It's ideal for drafting emails, documents, or summarizing web content. What sets Copilot apart: you can paste in URLs for it to reference, and it can pull real-time data from the web. Its interface separates chat and composition modes, which is great for focused writing tasks.
Now integrated into all IndustrySelect subscription free of charge, our AI-Powered Sales Email Composer was designed specifically for industrial B2B email marketing. No more switching between tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Co-Pilot while trying to piece together your ideal sales email.
What’s useful about this tool is that it understands your business back to front, allowing you to instantly generate emails that express your company’s unique capabilities and value proposition.
Here’s how it works:
• Start by heading to “AI Assistant” in IndustrySelect to create Your AI profile. Here is where you’ll describe your company, your products and services, and your ideal customer. This will help the AI Sales Assistant understand your business and craft more relevant emails for you. (Bonus tip: Don’t have time to create an AI profile? Try plugging your website into one of the other AI tools to help you generate a profile!)
• Then, you’ll want to build your list of prospects on the IndustrySelect platform (if you need help doing that, check out this video). Select a company you want to send an email to and scroll down to the bottom of the profile. There, you will find the Sales Email Composer.
• Here’s where the magic happens. Encompassing multiple filters to help refine your email, you can select the tone (friendly, formal), goals (get a reply, book a call), email length (brief or detailed), type (introduction, follow-up), and more. You can choose to have your email addressed to any of the executives listed in the company profile you’re interested.
• Generate your message: The system will create a tailored subject line and body. Not quite right? Tweak your inputs and regenerate with one click.
• From there… just copy and paste into your ESP of choice!
It’s a tool built for salespeople and marketers who are ready to roll—and just need AI to help close the gap between “what do I say?” and “ready to hit send.”
(Bonus: Wondering what else the AI Sales Assistant can do? From identifying high potential leads to instantly finding more leads that resemble your ideal customer, IndustrySelect + AI=the best of both worlds. Learn more here.)
Even with the IndustrySelect composer doing the heavy lifting, strong prompting helps refine and personalize your messaging. Below are proven prompts you can use both in standalone AI tools or to shape your composer inputs for maximum impact.
Before we dive into some effective prompts for email marketing, let’s take a minute to think about how we’re going to utilize the output. While these prompts are great for getting you started, it is essential that you make the output your own. In most cases, you’re not going to want to just copy and paste and hit “send.” It can be disheartening for a prospect to receive a “personal” email message that is clearly AI-generated. Take a little time to review the content and put your own spin on it, so that your prospect feels they are interacting with a real human. Additionally, you’ll want to review for any errors or inaccuracies, as sometimes AI will fill in the blanks with inaccurate information if there’s a gap in its understanding of your brand.
The subject line of your email is everything—it determines both whether it lands in spam and if your recipient will actually open it. AI is great at writing generic subject lines, but with a little creative prompting, you can also get it to think outside the box.
What’s fun about AI is that it will pretend to be anyone and anything you like. Having the AI occupy the industry/role of the recipient of the email will give it a new perspective and fresher insight into what might actually inspire someone in that role/industry to engage with your email. Here’s an example:
1. "Imagine you're a [role] at a [industry] company. Give me five variations of an email subject line that would both grab your attention for [topic] and avoid spam traps."
Example: "Imagine you're a procurement manager at an automotive parts company. Give me five variations of an email subject line that would both grab your attention for a webinar on customer engagement strategies and avoid spam traps."
You can use this trick for any part of your email, such as the body or the call to action. Like this:
2. "As a [role] for a [industry], what CTA would prompt you to click in an email promoting [product/service]?"
Example: "As a procurement officer for a manufacturing firm, what CTA would prompt you to click in an email promoting supply chain optimization software?"
*Bonus tip: Don’t like what you’re getting from AI? Ask for more variations! Then, pick which one you like best or mix and match. Here’s an example:
3. "Craft 20 subject lines for an email announcing [product/service] targeting [role] in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Craft 20 subject lines for an email announcing a new AI-driven inventory management tool targeting logistics managers in the e-commerce sector."
Setting the Tone
Similar to the examples above, you can narrow down tone by asking your AI to adopt a specific tone. Here’s an example:
4. "Adopting the friendly and confident tone of a start-up founder, write an email introducing a new [product/service] specifically tailored for [role] in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Adopting the friendly and confident tone of a startup-founder, write an email introducing a new software feature specifically tailored for HR departments in the manufacturing sector."
Pain Points Approach
5. “As a [role] in [industry], describe your top three frustrations with [process/tool]. Then craft an email from our perspective showing how our [product/service] solves each one.”
Example: “As a quality control supervisor in automotive manufacturing, describe your top three frustrations with manual inspections. Then craft an email from our perspective showing how our automated vision-inspection system solves each one.”
6. “As a [role] responsible for compliance in [industry], what regulatory headache keeps you up at night? Write an email from our legal-compliance expert explaining how our [product/service] helps you stay audit-ready.”
Example: “As a QA manager responsible for FDA compliance in the pharmaceutical industry, what regulatory headache keeps you up at night? Write an email from our legal-compliance expert explaining how our LIMS software keeps you audit-ready.”
Upselling
7. “We have a customer who uses [product/service basic tier]. Write an email offering them our premium add-on for [advanced feature], showing the incremental ROI and usage scenarios.”
Example: “We have a customer who uses our basic energy-monitoring tool. Write an email offering them our premium add-on for real-time demand response, showing the incremental ROI and usage scenarios.”
Value Proposition Approach
Want to get more specific in your email in terms of value proposition? Here’s a way to encourage AI to get more specific about what your organization can offer.
8. "Our [industry] company makes [product/service] that [value proposition]. Create a message emphasizing [benefit] in an email promoting [product/service]."
Example: “Our software company makes an inventory management tool that records and allocates costs at each stage, drastically reducing wasteful spending. Create a message emphasizing this cost savings in an email promoting supply chain optimization software."
Not sure what your value proposition is or if there’s an aspect you might be missing? AI is like a second pair of eyes that can succinctly sum up what you have to offer.
Try pasting the URL of your company page into your AI of choice. Then ask:
9. “Review the contents of the website on this page and provide me a list of the unique value propositions that benefit the [industry] industry.”
Similarly, you can use AI to identify specific opportunities:
10. "Identify a cross-sell opportunity and create an email offering [product/service] to existing customers in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Identify a cross-sell opportunity and create an email offering cloud storage services to existing customers in the printing and publishing sector."
Here’s another example
11. “Rewrite this email to align with the AIDA framework (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), emphasizing [specific benefit] for [industry] professionals."
Example: "Rewrite this email to align with the AIDA framework, emphasizing cost savings for manufacturing professionals."
Customer Testimonial Approach
Customer testimonials are a powerful way to generate interest in your company. Here’s a prompt to help get the message across:
12. "Incorporate a customer testimonial into an email targeting [industry] companies, showcasing the [benefit] of your [product/service]. Here is a list of our testimonials [copy/paste testimonials]
Example: "Incorporate a customer testimonial into an email targeting machinery providers, showcasing the efficiency gains of our automation solutions.”
Similarly, you can use a variation of this prompt for a specific case study:
13. “I'm working on an email to promote a new case study that showcases the success of our [Your Product/Service] with a client in the [Client Industry] industry. Write an email that highlights the specific benefits of our [product/service] to [client] with a compelling CTA to encourage click-thrus.”
Onboarding
14. “Draft a three-step email sequence to onboard a new customer for [product/service], with each email focusing on setup, quick wins, and how to unlock advanced features.”
Example: “Draft a three-step email sequence to onboard a new customer for our cloud-based SCADA system, with each email focusing on setup, quick wins, and how to unlock advanced analytics.”
Special Events Approach
Have breaking news or a special event you want to communicate in your message? This is a great way to get your prospects’ attention
15."Create an engaging email promoting an industry summit where my CEO our discuss [topic], highlighting [benefit] and [industry] connections."
Example: "Create an engaging email promoting an industry summit where our CEO will discuss AI advancements, highlighting networking opportunities and keynote topics."
Interactive Approach
People have opinions and polls are a great way to increase engagement with your emails. Here’s a prompt for that:
16. "Include a poll in an email to engage [role] in the [industry] sector, asking about their biggest [challenge]."
Example: "Include a poll in an email to procurement managers in the oil and gas sector, asking about their biggest procurement challenge."
Surveys
Similarly, surveys also encourage engagement. Here’s a prompt you can try:
17. "Create an email that promotes a survey to gather feedback from [industry] clients about their experiences with [product/service]."
Example: " Create an email that promotes a survey to gather feedback from industrial clients about their experiences with our ERP platform."
Sense of Urgency
FOMO (fear of missing out) is an essential part of every marketer’s toolkit. Here’s a way to imbue your message with urgency:
18. “Provide five variations of text to create urgency in promoting a limited-time discount on our [products/services] for [industry] businesses."
Example: "Provide five variations of text to create urgency in promoting a limited-time discount on our cybersecurity solutions for small businesses."
Personalized Messages
19. "Craft a personalized message for [role], highlighting [benefit] and [industry] relevance in your email promoting [product/service]."
Example: "Craft a personalized message for startup founders, highlighting scalability and cost-effectiveness in your email promoting cloud hosting solutions."
20. "Add an engaging opening question to this email that addresses a common pain point experienced by [role] in the [industry] sector."
Example: "Add an engaging opening question to this email that addresses a common pain point experienced by procurement officers in the construction industry."
Holidays
Holidays present a great opportunity for engaging with your prospects, even in B2B.
21. "Design a holiday-themed email campaign targeting [industry] companies, featuring [promotion] to drive seasonal sales."
Example: "Design a holiday-themed email campaign targeting industrial companies, featuring special discounts and festive branding to drive seasonal sales."
While your initial message might have made a big impression, you still want your prospects to engage with your brand on a regular basis. AI can help you develop a series or drip campaign to keep your organization on their radar. Here’s how:
Email Series
22. "Keeping the same tone as the first email, develop a series of three follow-up emails for leads interested in [products/services], focusing on [benefit] and [industry] insights."
Example: "Keeping the same tone as the first email, Develop a series of three follow-up emails for leads interested in financial consulting services, focusing on ROI and industry insights."
Follow-Up Subject Lines
23. "Suggest three follow-up subject lines for recipients who didn’t open the initial email, each with a different approach."
Example: “Suggest three follow-up subject lines for recipients who didn’t open the initial ‘new automation tool’ email, each using curiosity, urgency, or personalization.”
Drip campaign
24. "Set up a drip campaign with a series of educational emails on [topic] for [industry] prospects."
Example: "Set up a drip campaign with a series of educational emails on data analytics for prospects in the logistics and transportation industry."
The good thing about AI is that it never gets tired (or mad at you). You can ask it to refine and refine again. You can ask it to change tone, to switch voice, to inspire different emotions, and more. Once you’ve put in your main prompt here are some additional follow-ups to try
Some additional prompts to try:
25. "Give this email a more laid-back tone."
26. "Recommend three different calls to action (CTAs) that encourage action."
27. "Enhance the current call to action (CTA) for better conversion rates."
28. "Incorporate personalized fields like first name and company."
29. "Devise a personalized opening sentence tailored to the [industry] sector."
30. "Include solutions to the recipient's top three challenges."
31. "Highlight benefits that address the recipient's specific issue."
32. "Add statistics that demonstrate the product or service's success."
33. "Condense this email template while retaining all essential points."
34. "Propose two variables to A/B test in this email."
35. "Offer an alternative sign-off that leaves a memorable impact."
36. "Include a postscript (P.S.) reinforcing the call to action (CTA)."
37. "Give me 5 variations of how I could finish this sentence..."
38. "Localize this email for [region/country], adapting tone and terminology to suit local preferences."
These prompts can help you generate a variety of B2B emails, from cold outreach to follow-ups, and can be used to optimize various aspects of your email, such as tone, subject lines, CTAs, personalization, and more. Remember, the key to effective email marketing is to keep testing and optimizing based on your audience’s response.
Now that you’ve got your copy ready to go, how about an image? AI image generation still has some room for improvement, but in a pinch you can use AI to add some visual spice to your message. While ChatGPT 3.5 does not have a free image generator, both Gemini and Co-Pilot’s DALL-E text-to-image generator can generate images for free to accompany your message. Here's an example:
16. "Design an attention-grabbing image to accompany an email showcasing [product/service], tailored for [industry] companies."
Example: "Design an attention-grabbing image to accompany an email showcasing cloud computing services, tailored for technology startups."
We tried this exact prompt ourselves and it’s interesting to see the difference between Gemini and Co-Pilot’s take.
Here’s Co-Pilot’s:
And here’s Gemini’s.
As always, you can keep prompting to refine the image.
When it comes to your email campaigns, there’s one very important thing you don’t want to be AI-generated, and that’s your contact data. Verified firsthand by real people, IndustrySelect’s 350,000+ industrial profiles contain detailed information you can rely on to power your B2B email campaign. Set up your free demo account today, loaded with 500 real company profiles so you can test out all the features of this powerful software.
Want to research this topic more in-depth? Check out this expert course on maximizing productivity with AI from MNI University!
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Sources:
https://mediashower.com/blog/b2b-sales-email-generator/
https://zapier.com/blog/chatgpt-sales-emails/
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