The Secret to Better Marketing? Know Them Before They Know You

Prompt: “Turn basic info into a detailed persona”

Marketing isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about connecting sooner — before your customer is ready to buy.

But to do that, you need more than a vague demographic. You need a story. A person. A voice. And you need to build that without spending hours in research mode.

This is where ChatGPT becomes your strategy wingman.

A Real-World Example: Remodeling Without the Hard Sell

We recently worked with a remodeling company that specializes in custom kitchens and bathrooms. Their ideal clients?

• Women ages 35–65

• Active on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest

• Often planning months before calling a contractor

• Collecting ideas, saving inspiration, and dreaming quietly — without wanting a sales pitch

They weren’t ready for a “Free Estimate” CTA. So we built something better:Two lead magnets — one for bathrooms, one for kitchens — to help potential clients track their ideas, style preferences, and priorities before they ever pick up the phone.

But to promote those lead magnets? We needed to know exactly who we were talking to.

Step 1: Input What You Know

We fed ChatGPT this:

• Female homeowner, age 40–60

• Wants to remodel her kitchen or bath in the next 12–24 months

• Loves to scroll Pinterest and Instagram for ideas

• Cares about style, function, and resale value

• Feels overwhelmed by choices and nervous about cost

• Doesn’t want a hard sell — just clarity

Step 2: Use This Persona-Building Prompt

“Using these traits, create a detailed buyer persona that includes name, lifestyle, goals, frustrations, and how she makes purchasing decisions. Then recommend messaging that would help her feel confident and understood.”

ChatGPT gave us Julie:

A 52-year-old homeowner who’s spent 18 months saving Pinterest boards and watching before-and-after reels. She’s practical, thoughtful, and cautious — especially with big investments. She doesn’t want to talk to a sales rep yet, but she does want to feel more in control of the process. What she values most: visual planning tools, clear expectations, and contractors who listen before they pitch.

That persona helped shape every word of the campaign.

Step 3: Match Messaging to Mindset

From Julie’s profile, we generated:

• A tone guide: warm, helpful, Pinterest-worthy language

• Headline options like “Still Dreaming? Start Planning.”

• Caption starters like “Save this for later — and when you’re ready, we’re here.”

It also inspired an email sequence for both PDFs that focused on helping her organize her ideas — not rush into a decision.

Why This Works

You’re not just “segmenting.” You’re building empathy at scale.With one prompt and 10 minutes, you go from assumptions to a strategy built for a real person.

And once you have that clarity, everything else — emails, landing pages, social posts — falls into place.

🧰 Steal These Prompts

Start Here:

“Build a buyer persona for a [type of business] targeting [audience segment] — such as [gender], [age range], who are currently in research mode and not ready to buy. Include lifestyle, values, motivations, frustrations, and communication preferences.”

Then Dive Deeper:

“What kind of messaging would resonate most with this persona’s mindset?”“What social media content would feel natural and helpful to them?”“What kind of lead magnet would help this persona feel more confident and in control?”“Write three headlines that reflect this persona’s goals, concerns, and personality.”

💥 Want Campaigns That Actually Resonate?

At Growth Forge Studio, we help businesses stop guessing and start speaking their customer’s language — long before they’re ready to buy.

👉 [Book a strategy call] or [Get a free marketing audit] and let’s build the buyer personas that power smarter, more effective marketing.