AI for small business · · Reviewed · 16 min read · By the Techhound editorial team
ChatGPT for small business: 50 prompts that save hours
50 ready-to-use ChatGPT prompts for social posts, customer replies, review responses, quotes, admin and planning, with how to write a good brief and keep customer data safe.
ChatGPT saves a small business hours when you give it a proper brief: who you are, who the customer is, what you want written and what it must not do. The 50 prompts below cover social posts, customer emails, review replies, quotes, admin and planning. Fill in the square brackets, keep customer names and personal details out unless you have to, and always check facts and prices before anything goes out.
The short version
- A good prompt is a brief, not a question. Give context, the task, the format you want and the rules it must follow.
- Paste a short “about my business” note at the start of each chat so every answer is specific to you, not generic.
- Leave customer names, addresses and anything sensitive out of prompts. You rarely need them to get a good draft.
- Treat everything ChatGPT writes as a first draft. Check prices, dates, legal points and claims yourself.
- The biggest time savers are the jobs you do every week: posts, replies, review responses, quotes and follow-ups.
- Ask follow-up questions. “Make it shorter”, “sound less salesy” and “give me three options” are where the quality comes from.
How do you write a ChatGPT prompt that actually works?
Most disappointing answers come from thin prompts. “Write a Facebook post about my bakery” gets you something bland, because ChatGPT knows nothing about your bakery.
A useful prompt has five parts. The more you include, the less editing you do.
| Part | What to include | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Your business, area, customers and tone | “I run a two-chair barber in Stockport. Regulars are mostly men aged 25–50.” |
| Task | Exactly what you want produced | “Write a post announcing late opening on Thursdays.” |
| Format | Length, layout, number of options | “Under 60 words, three versions, one emoji at most.” |
| Rules | What it must not do or say | “No prices, no exclamation marks, don’t say ‘elevate’.” |
| Examples | Something you’ve written that sounds like you | “Here’s a post that did well: […]” |
1. Write your business briefing once
Save a short note about your business and paste it at the top of any new chat. It turns generic answers into specific ones and saves you explaining yourself every time.
Business briefing to paste at the start of a chat
About my business: I run [business name], a [type of business] in [town/area], open [hours]. We do [main services], usually for [type of customer]. Typical prices are [ranges you are happy to state]. What customers like about us: [two or three things from real reviews]. Our tone is [friendly/plain/professional], we write in UK English, and we never [things to avoid, e.g. pushy sales language, promising times we can’t keep]. Please keep this in mind for everything in this chat and ask me if anything is unclear.
2. Tell it what to avoid
AI tools have favourite words. If drafts keep sounding like an advert, add a line such as “avoid: unlock, elevate, seamless, game-changer, look no further”. Banning a handful of words often does more than asking for a “natural” tone.
3. Ask for options, then choose
Asking for three versions in different styles is faster than rewriting one. Pick the closest and ask for small changes.
Pro tip: End important prompts with “Before you write, ask me any questions you need answered to do this well.” ChatGPT will often ask the very thing you forgot to mention, such as your price range or the date of the offer.
Is it safe to paste customer details into ChatGPT?
Be careful. Names, phone numbers, addresses, complaint details and anything about someone’s health are personal data, and UK data protection law applies however you process them, including in an AI tool. The ICO’s data minimisation principle says personal data should be “adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary”, and that you should identify the minimum amount of personal data you need for your purpose.
In practice, you almost never need personal details to get a good draft. Replace them with placeholders and add them back yourself before sending.
- Instead of pasting a full complaint email with the customer’s name and address, summarise it: “A customer says the boiler service was late and the engineer left mess.”
- Instead of a list of customers, use [customer name] and [job].
- Never paste health details, bank details or anything a customer told you in confidence.
Also check your account settings. OpenAI’s help centre explains that you can turn off “Improve the model for everyone” under Data controls so new conversations aren’t used to train its models, and says its business plans don’t train on your content by default. Settings change, so read the current page for your plan. If staff use AI, write down a one-paragraph rule about what they may and may not paste in.
What are the best ChatGPT prompts for marketing and social media?
These ten prompts cover most weekly marketing jobs. Paste your business briefing first, then the prompt.
- A month of post ideas. “Give me 20 social post ideas for [month] for my [business type]. Mix: 5 behind-the-scenes, 5 customer questions answered, 4 before-and-after or examples of work, 3 local or seasonal, 3 offers. One line each, no hashtags yet.”
- Turn one job into a post. “Here’s a job we finished: [brief description, no customer details]. Write a 70-word Facebook post that explains the problem, what we did and the result, ending with how to book. Plain, friendly, no hype.”
- Answer a common question. “Customers often ask ‘[question]’. Write a short post answering it honestly, including when it’s worth calling a professional and when it isn’t.”
- Instagram caption plus hashtags. “Write three Instagram captions for a photo of [describe photo]. Under 40 words each. Then suggest 8 hashtags: 4 local to [town], 4 about [service]. No banned or spammy hashtags.”
- Seasonal reminder. “Write a post reminding customers to [seasonal task, e.g. book an MOT, service their boiler before winter]. Practical tone, one clear reason to do it now, no scare tactics.”
- Offer that doesn’t cheapen you. “I want to fill quiet [days/weeks] without discounting heavily. Suggest 6 offers that add value instead of cutting price, then write a post for the best two.”
- Google Business Profile update. “Write a 100-word update for my Google Business Profile about [news or service]. Mention [town] naturally once. Include a clear call to action.”
- Email newsletter. “Draft a short monthly email to customers who have asked to hear from us. Sections: one useful tip, one piece of news, one reason to get in touch. Subject line options: give me five.”
- Advert headlines. “Write 10 headlines of 30 characters or fewer and 4 descriptions of 90 characters or fewer for a local ad for [service] in [area]. Only use claims I can prove: [list your genuine facts].”
- Repurpose a long piece. “Here’s my blog post: [paste]. Turn it into 5 short social posts, one email intro and 3 FAQs with short answers.”
Prompt 9 matters more than it looks. The ASA says that if an ad is within its scope, its rules will apply, regardless of how the ad was created. If ChatGPT writes “the best-rated plumber in Leeds”, you are the one who has to prove it, so give it only facts you can back up.
Which prompts help with customer emails and replies?
Replying to customers is where small businesses lose the most time, and where a calm, clear draft helps most. Summarise the situation rather than pasting the customer’s message with their details.
- Price enquiry reply. “A customer asked how much [service] costs. Our usual range is [£–£], depending on [factors]. Write a friendly reply that gives the range, explains what changes it and asks for the one detail I need to confirm a price.”
- Saying no politely. “Write a short reply turning down a job that is [outside our area / not something we do]. Be warm, suggest what they should look for instead, and leave the door open.”
- Chasing a quote. “I sent a quote for [job] [number] days ago and heard nothing. Write a short, no-pressure follow-up that offers to answer questions and gives an easy way to say no.”
- Calm complaint reply. “Summary of a complaint: [summary]. Our side: [facts]. Write a reply that acknowledges their frustration, explains what happened without making excuses, says what we will do next and offers a call. Don’t admit legal liability.”
- Delay notice. “We’re running [time] late on a job because of [reason]. Write a text to the customer that apologises once, gives a new time and offers an alternative if that doesn’t suit.”
- After-the-job thank you. “Write a short thank-you message to send after finishing [type of job], with one care tip and an invitation to get in touch if anything isn’t right.”
- Rewrite my draft. “Here is a reply I’ve written: [paste, details removed]. Make it clearer, kinder and half the length. Keep every fact the same.”
- Payment reminder. “Write a polite first reminder for an invoice that is [number] days overdue. Include the invoice number placeholder, the amount, how to pay and a line inviting them to tell me if there’s a problem.”
- FAQ answers for my website. “List the 12 questions customers most likely ask a [business type] before booking. Draft a two-to-three sentence answer for each, using these facts: [your facts]. Mark any answer where you’ve had to guess.”
- Tone check. “Read this message and tell me how it might come across to an upset customer: [paste]. Suggest three changes.”
How should you use ChatGPT to reply to reviews?
Review replies are public, permanent and read by future customers, so they deserve a little care. ChatGPT is good at the first draft and at keeping you calm when a review stings. Our guide on how to reply to Google reviews covers the principles in detail.
- Five-star reply. “Write three short replies to this five-star review: [paste review text only]. Thank them by first name, mention one specific detail they raised, and keep each under 40 words. No generic ‘we value your feedback’.”
- Mixed review. “This review is mostly positive but mentions [issue]. Write a reply that thanks them, acknowledges the issue honestly and says what we’ve changed.”
- Negative review. “Here is a one-star review: [paste]. Our account: [facts]. Write a calm public reply under 80 words that apologises for their experience, avoids arguing about details, doesn’t admit liability and invites them to contact [role] on [contact method].”
- Review you don’t recognise. “Write a polite public reply to a review from someone we have no record of. Say we can’t find their booking and ask them to get in touch so we can look into it.”
- Find the themes. “Here are our last 20 reviews with names removed: [paste]. What do customers praise most, what comes up as a complaint, and what three things should we change or promote?”
- Review request message. “Write a short text asking a happy customer to leave a Google review, with [link]. Make it easy to ignore if they’re busy. No incentives.”
- Turn reviews into website copy. “From these review themes: [themes], write a short ‘Why customers choose us’ section with four points. Don’t quote anyone or invent figures.”
Prompt 26 says “no incentives” for a reason. Since 6 April 2025, the CMA’s guidance lists submitting or commissioning a fake review, or a review that conceals the fact it has been incentivised, as a banned practice. Never ask ChatGPT to write reviews for your own business.
Which prompts save time on quotes, proposals and admin?
Admin is where ChatGPT quietly earns its keep. None of these replace your judgement on price or terms, but they get the words on the page.
- Quote cover note. “Write a short cover message to go with a quote for [job]. Summarise what’s included, what isn’t, how long the price is valid and the next step to go ahead.”
- Scope of work. “Turn these rough notes into a clear scope of work with sections for what we’ll do, what the customer needs to do, exclusions and assumptions: [notes].”
- Proposal for a business client. “Draft a one-page proposal for [type of client] who needs [service]. Sections: their problem, our approach, timeline, price [£], why us. Plain English, no jargon.”
- Terms in plain English. “Rewrite these booking terms so a customer can understand them in one read, without changing their meaning: [paste]. Flag anything that looks unclear or one-sided.” Treat the result as a starting point and get anything important checked.
- Job checklist. “Create a checklist for [task, e.g. setting up for an event, a first visit to a new client], in the order we’d do it.”
- Staff instructions. “Write simple step-by-step instructions for a new staff member on how to [task]. Short sentences, numbered steps, what to do if something goes wrong.”
- Job advert. “Write a job advert for a part-time [role] at [business], [hours], [pay]. Honest about the job, friendly, and clear about how to apply.”
- Meeting notes to actions. “Here are my rough notes from a meeting: [notes]. Turn them into a list of actions with an owner and a deadline for each.”
- Supplier email. “Write a firm but polite email to a supplier about [late delivery / wrong order], asking for [what you need] by [date].”
- Explain a spreadsheet. “Here are my monthly sales figures [paste totals only]. Describe the trend in plain English and point out anything unusual worth checking.”
- Price rise notice. “Write a short message telling regular customers our prices go up by [amount] from [date], with a one-sentence reason and a thank-you. No apology spiral.”
- Policy draft. “Draft a short cancellation policy for [business type] with [notice period] and a deposit of [amount]. Keep it fair and readable.” Then compare it with GOV.UK guidance before using it.
The same structured thinking works for your whole year, not just one job. Our guide to writing a marketing plan shows how to turn prompts 39 to 48 into a plan you will actually follow.
How can ChatGPT help you plan and research?
Planning prompts work best when you give ChatGPT your real numbers and ask it to challenge you rather than flatter you. Treat its market “facts” with suspicion: ask where a figure comes from and check it at the source.
- Ninety-day plan. “My goal is [goal] by [date]. I have [hours] a week and [£] a month to spend. Suggest a 90-day plan with one focus per month and three weekly actions.”
- Critique my idea. “Here’s an idea: [idea]. Act as a sceptical customer and list the ten reasons you wouldn’t buy. Then suggest how to answer each.”
- Customer personas. “Based on these real customer types: [descriptions], write three short personas with what they want, what worries them and what makes them choose a business like mine.”
- Competitor comparison. “Here are three competitors’ websites in my own words: [summaries]. What do they all say? What could I say that they don’t?”
- Pricing sense-check. “My costs for [service] are [£ materials], [hours] of labour at [£] an hour, plus [£] overheads per job. Show me the price at 30%, 40% and 50% margin and explain the difference between margin and mark-up.”
- Survey questions. “Write 6 short questions to ask recent customers why they chose us and what nearly stopped them. Neutral wording, no leading questions.”
- Quiet-month ideas. “My quiet months are [months]. Suggest 10 ways a [business type] can bring in work then, sorted by cost and effort.”
- Decision helper. “I’m deciding between [option A] and [option B]. Ask me five questions, one at a time, then give a recommendation and the main risk.”
- Explain a rule. “Explain in plain English what [regulation or tax term] means for a small [business type], then tell me which official page I should read to check it.”
- Weekly review. “This week: [what happened]. Next week’s priorities: [list]. Help me choose the one thing that will make the biggest difference and plan it in steps.”
- Training role-play. “Play an irritated customer who wants a refund for [situation]. I’ll reply as the business. After five exchanges, tell me how I could have handled it better.”
- Learn something fast. “Teach me the basics of [topic, e.g. Google Business Profile] in 10 minutes: the five things that matter most for a [business type], with one action for each.”
How do you get better answers from the same prompt?
The first answer is rarely the best. The skill is in the follow-up. These short follow-ups fix most problems:
| Problem with the draft | Follow-up to type |
|---|---|
| Too long | “Cut it by half without losing any facts.” |
| Too salesy | “Rewrite as if you’re talking to a regular customer at the counter.” |
| Too generic | “Add one specific detail from my business briefing.” |
| Wrong tone | “Here’s something I wrote that sounds like me: […]. Match that.” |
| American spelling | “Use UK English spelling and phrasing throughout.” |
| Made-up facts | “Remove anything I didn’t give you. Mark any claim you’re unsure of.” |
| Not sure which version | “Which of these would a busy customer read to the end, and why?” |
Worked example: a café’s weekly post
“The Larder”, a fictional café in Shrewsbury, used to spend Sunday evening writing its weekly post. The owner now pastes her briefing, then prompt 2 with a note about the week’s new soup, asks for three versions under 50 words, picks one and asks for “less exclamation, more about the bread”. In this illustration, the post takes ten minutes instead of forty, and still sounds like her because the briefing includes two of her own past posts.
How do the best prompts change by type of business?
All 50 prompts work across sectors, but some earn their place faster depending on what you do.
| Business type | Start with prompts | Take care with |
|---|---|---|
| Trades (plumbers, electricians, builders) | 2, 11, 13, 28, 29 | Never let AI state a fixed price without seeing the job |
| Salons, barbers, beauty | 1, 4, 6, 21, 38 | Keep treatment details out of anything public |
| Clinics and therapists | 3, 19, 23, 33 | No patient details in prompts; check professional advertising rules |
| Cafés, restaurants, shops | 1, 5, 7, 8, 45 | Allergen information must come from you, not AI |
| Consultants and B2B services | 30, 31, 35, 40, 46 | Client confidential information stays out of prompts |
What mistakes do owners make with ChatGPT?
- Publishing without reading. AI drafts can include wrong facts, invented figures or things you don’t offer. Read every word.
- Pasting personal data when a summary or placeholder would do.
- Letting it invent claims such as “award-winning” or “fastest in town” that you can’t prove.
- Accepting the first answer rather than asking for options and tweaks.
- Asking it for reviews or testimonials. Fake reviews are banned, full stop.
- Trusting statistics it gives you. Ask for the source and check it, or leave the number out.
For a wider view of where AI fits, read how to use AI in your small business and our round-up of the best AI tools for small businesses. Every guide on the subject is collected in AI for small business.
How can Techhound help you get more from AI?
The hardest part of using ChatGPT well is the context: pasting your briefing, remembering your prices, explaining your customers every time. Techhound keeps that context for you, so the AI already knows your business before you ask.
With AI Mentor & Business Brain:
- The Business Brain learns your business from your website, your profile, your plan and documents you upload, and every AI feature draws on it, so answers are specific to you.
- The AI Mentor answers “how do I actually do this?” with a direct answer, three to five numbered steps with tools, cost and timeframe, and how you’ll know it worked, using your own numbers.
- Guided strategy sessions help you review your plan, pick the critical few actions and plan the week, with decisions saved back to the Brain.
- You choose what customers may hear. Goals, figures and competitors always stay private, and each business’s data is isolated from every other.
On the Growth plan (£79 a month) you also get the Content Studio, which drafts social posts in three variants using your brand voice as hard rules, and AI that drafts finished pieces for tasks on your board for you to approve. The Business Brain itself is included from the Starter plan. Try it free for 14 days or see pricing.
Questions people ask
Is ChatGPT free for a small business to use?
ChatGPT has a free version that handles most of the prompts in this guide, with usage limits. Paid plans add more capacity and features. Check OpenAI’s own site for current plans, and start free until you know you will use it every week.
Can ChatGPT write in UK English?
Yes. Tell it to use UK English spelling and phrasing in your business briefing or at the start of the chat. If American spellings creep back in, a quick follow-up asking for UK spelling throughout usually fixes it.
Should I tell customers I used ChatGPT to write something?
For drafts you check and send as your own, such as emails or posts, there is usually no need. What matters is that the content is accurate and honest. If an AI talks to customers directly, such as a chatbot, be open about it.
Can ChatGPT replace a marketing agency?
It can take on a lot of drafting, idea generation and planning that owners used to pay for. It cannot know your customers, check facts, judge what will work locally or run campaigns for you, so treat it as a fast assistant rather than a replacement for strategy.
Why does ChatGPT give different answers to the same prompt?
AI assistants generate each answer fresh, so wording and ideas vary between runs. That is useful when you want options. If you need consistency, paste the same business briefing every time and give it an example of the style you want.
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