The Concept: The AI as a Precision-Targeted Communicator
I have some great memories with my daughter Madison. She’s in college now, about 700 miles away, and I miss her a lot.
I remember when she was a sophomore in high school and had some friends over. I was driving back from town and called her up.
Now, I can’t recall exactly what we discussed, but I do remember her saying that her friend Autumn was at our house and had brought her dogs over.
“Dogs?! I don’t want Autumn’s dogs at my house!” I said.
“Well, you can tell her that when you get home!” Madison replied, and then hung up!
Can you believe it! She actually hung up on me!
Let’s just say that at this point, I was pretty upset. I mean, some breeds of dogs are nutzoid. I don’t want crazy dogs running around my house!
And it was dog with an “s”…. so plural dogs!
When I finally got home and walked in the door, I said (in a not so quiet voice) “Madison, who said Autumn could bring over her dogs?!”
Then… I heard giggling.
Autumn said, “Here’s my dogs!” and then wiggled her toes in the air.
Oh…
Right…
In teen speak, dogs also mean feet.
I couldn’t stay mad and laughed it off.
But here’s the lesson: every group has its own inside jokes, slang, and references that only make sense if you’re part of that group. These groups also have their own set of likes, dislikes, fears, and worries that keep them up at 2am.
Marketers have already figured this out and they use it to their advantage when they’re creating content. They tailor their message and use language that uniquely connects with their audience.
Now if you’re using AI, it won’t do this right out of the box. You’ve got to design a prompt that takes this into account.
Let me show you how you can do this and transform your AI from broadcasting generic messages into creating hyper-tailored messages for your specific audience.
How It Works: A Simple Command for Instant Relevance
You’ll find this pattern super easy to use, and it adds a powerful way to customize any prompt.
Just define your audience with detail, and then tell the AI who to target. When you’re describing your audience, I recommend being as specific as possible about who you want to reach. Think about who they are, their demographics, what problems they face, and what they’re trying to achieve.
Let me show you how it works:
AI Prompt
Write social media posts promoting a Saturday flu shot clinic at our family medical practice.
Write this for an audience of suburban families with kids who are overwhelmed with school/sports schedules.
Context I need you to understand:
– Must be HIPAA-compliant (no patient stories without consent)
– Cannot make claims about vaccine effectiveness without CDC backing
– Has to sound warm and caring, not corporate medical
– Must include: Saturday 9am-2pm, walk-ins welcome, insurance accepted
Create:
1. Facebook post (under 100 words)
2. NextDoor post (under 75 words, more neighborhood-friendly)
3. Instagram Story text overlay (3 short slides, 5-10 words each)
Include one Spanish version. Don’t use stock phrases like “Don’t wait!” or “Protect your loved ones” that every medical practice uses. Make it sound like it’s from the friendly neighborhood practice, not a hospital.
AI Response
Facebook Post:
Saturday mornings just got easier for busy families! We know your weekdays are packed with school pickups, practice drop-offs, and everything in between. That’s why we’re opening our doors this Saturday, 9am-2pm, for flu shots. No appointment needed – just swing by when it works for your family’s schedule. We accept most insurance plans and our team will have you in and out quickly so you can get back to weekend fun. Sometimes the best healthcare fits around your life, not the other way around.
NextDoor Post:
Hey neighbors! Juggling school and sports schedules? We get it. Our family practice is doing flu shots this Saturday 9am-2pm with no appointment needed. Perfect for those crazy weekday schedules we all know too well. Insurance accepted, and we’ll keep it quick so you can enjoy your weekend. See you Saturday!
Instagram Story Slides:
Slide 1: “Saturday flu shots!”
Slide 2: “9am-2pm, walk-ins welcome”
Slide 3: “Made for busy families”
Spanish Facebook Post:
Los sábados por la mañana acaban de ser más fáciles para familias ocupadas. Sabemos que sus días de semana están llenos recogiendo niños de la escuela, llevándolos a práctica deportiva, y todo lo demás. Por eso abrimos nuestras puertas este sábado, 9am-2pm, para vacunas contra la gripe. No necesita cita – solo venga cuando le convenga a su horario familiar. Aceptamos la mayoría de planes de seguro y nuestro equipo los atenderá rápidamente para que puedan regresar a disfrutar el fin de semana.
I don’t speak Spanish well (I can only count to ten), but everything looks pretty good!
It perfectly speaks to our audience of suburban families who feel overwhelmed by their kids’ school and sports schedules.
When my kids were little, I was really busy during the week. A social media post like this would have caught my attention. It shows empathy by understanding how busy parents are, and it acknowledges that finding time for flu shots can be challenging.
Now let me show you what happens if we remove the audience from our prompt:
AI Prompt
Write social media posts promoting a Saturday flu shot clinic at our family medical practice.
Context I need you to understand:
– Must be HIPAA-compliant (no patient stories without consent)
– Cannot make claims about vaccine effectiveness without CDC backing
– Has to sound warm and caring, not corporate medical
– Must include: Saturday 9am-2pm, walk-ins welcome, insurance accepted
Create:
1. Facebook post (under 100 words)
2. NextDoor post (under 75 words, more neighborhood-friendly)
3. Instagram Story text overlay (3 short slides, 5-10 words each)
Include one Spanish version. Don’t use stock phrases like “Don’t wait!” or “Protect your loved ones” that every medical practice uses. Make it sound like it’s from the friendly neighborhood practice, not a hospital.
AI Response
Facebook Post:
Getting your flu shot shouldn’t mean rearranging your whole week. That’s why we’re opening our doors this Saturday from 9am-2pm for flu vaccines. No appointment needed – just pop in when it works for your family’s schedule. We accept most insurance plans, and our team will have you in and out quickly so you can get back to your weekend plans. Questions? Give us a call or stop by our front desk during regular hours.
NextDoor Post:
Saturday flu shots at our practice! 9am-2pm, no appointment necessary. We know weekday visits can be tough with work and school schedules, so we’re making it easier for our neighborhood families. Most insurance accepted. See you this weekend!
Instagram Story (3 slides):
Slide 1: “Saturday Flu Shots ✓”
Slide 2: “9am-2pm Walk-ins Welcome”
Slide 3: “Insurance Accepted”
Spanish Facebook Post:
Las vacunas contra la gripe no deberían interrumpir toda tu semana. Por eso abrimos nuestras puertas este sábado de 9am-2pm para vacunas contra la influenza. No necesita cita – solo venga cuando le convenga a su familia. Aceptamos la mayoría de seguros médicos, y nuestro equipo lo atenderá rápidamente para que pueda regresar a sus planes del fin de semana. ¿Preguntas? Llámenos o pase por recepción durante horas regulares.
Did you notice what happened?
I removed the audience from the prompt, and now the AI’s output isn’t focused on suburban families with kids who feel overwhelmed by school and sports schedules.
Because of this change, everything sounds bland and generic.
When you try to target everyone, you usually end up targeting no one at all…
Let me show you some advantages of using this prompt in sales and marketing.
Advantages for Marketers and Sales Professionals
- Increases Engagement and Resonance: Content that speaks the audience’s language, understands their problems, and uses a familiar tone is infinitely more likely to be read, shared, and acted upon.
- Builds Stronger Customer Connections: When your audience feels like you “get them,” they develop trust in your brand. This is the foundation of customer loyalty and advocacy.
- Makes Your Message Infinitely More Persuasive: Whether you’re trying to sell a product, pitch an idea, or drive an action, tailoring your argument to the listener’s specific motivations (what’s in it for them?) is the key to success.
When to Use This Pattern
This should become an automatic part of almost every prompt you write where communication is key. It’s especially critical for:
- Multi-Channel Content Creation: When writing for different social media platforms with distinct audiences (e.g., a formal post for LinkedIn vs. a fun, trendy post for TikTok).
- Targeted Sales Communications: When writing emails, proposals, or presentations for different stakeholders within a company (e.g., the message for the IT Manager vs. the Head of Purchasing).
- Internal Communications: When explaining a new strategy or policy to different departments (e.g., explaining a new marketing campaign to the sales team vs. the engineering team).
- Customer Support & Onboarding: When creating FAQs, tutorials, or welcome emails for new users with varying levels of technical skill.