Gen AI for Marketers: The First 5 Things You Need to Master

What I learnt after 3+ years working with Gen AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Canva, Sora, Gemini)

Most marketers are using AI like a fancy notepad. They type "write a post" and wonder why the output is generic garbage.

After three years of building AI-powered campaigns, training teams, and helping D2C brands scale their content, I've learned something critical: the difference between mediocre AI output and work that actually converts isn't the tool. It's the system.

Here are the five fundamental shifts that separate people who "use AI" from people who build real competitive advantages with it.

1. Context Before Output

Most people say: "Write a post."

I say: "Here's the brand, audience, channel, tone, objective."

AI isn't magic. It's a mirror. Vague in means vague out.

I never ask AI to create something without first defining the complete context. Every single time, I structure my prompts around six critical elements: brand voice, target audience, campaign objective, distribution channel, desired tone, and any specific constraints or requirements.

Here's the template I use:

"Brand: [your brand positioning and personality] Audience: [who you're talking to - demographics, psychographics, pain points] Objective: [what you want this piece to achieve] Channel: [where this will be published] Tone: [how it should feel] Now write [specific deliverable]."

This single shift eliminates 80% of the back-and-forth. You get output that's actually usable on the first try, not on the seventh iteration after you've wasted an hour.

2. Phased Approach

I never start with "Write the copy."

That's the amateur move. That's how you get random posts instead of campaigns.

Here's my process:

Phase 1: Strategy → What are we even doing? Who are we talking to? What's the goal?

Phase 2: Structure → Content pillars, post outlines, carousel frameworks, video scripts structure.

Phase 3: Drafts → Actual scripts, copy variations, ad creative, email sequences.

Phase 4: Refinement → Cut the fluff, sharpen the message, make it unmistakably on-brand.

Each phase feeds into the next. The strategy informs the structure. The structure guides the drafts. The refinement makes it yours.

This is why I get integrated campaigns while others get disconnected social posts that don't ladder up to anything meaningful.

3. Brutal Iteration

I treat the first output as draft zero, not gospel.

This is where most people fail. They get their first output from ChatGPT or Claude, think "that's pretty good," and ship it. Then they wonder why their content doesn't stand out.

I give feedback like: "Reduce this by 30%." "Too polite." "Not working. Change the emotional angle to urgency instead of curiosity."

Each round produces sharper thinking and tighter copy.

AI behaves like a talented junior: fast, unemotional, and willing to redo something as many times as needed without getting defensive or tired. But it needs direction.

If you're not giving feedback and pushing back on the output, you're leaving 50% of AI's value on the table. The first draft is never the final draft. Ever.

4. Role-Based Prompts

I don't ask "What should I do?"

I ask: "Act as a [specific expert] and then answer."

The specificity matters. Here's what I mean:

• "Act as a seasoned public relations professional with 15 years in tech PR."

• "Act as a creative director for a luxury fashion brand."

• "Act as a performance marketer optimizing for CAC, not vanity metrics or vibes."

The "who" you ask AI to be fundamentally changes the "how" it thinks and responds.

A PR professional thinks about angles, media hooks, and narrative control. A creative director thinks about aesthetics, emotional resonance, and brand consistency. A performance marketer thinks about conversion rates, attribution, and ROI.

Same question, completely different outputs.

This technique alone has elevated the quality of my AI-generated work by orders of magnitude.

5. My Top Meta-Prompt

My most important prompt isn't about content creation. It's about mindset.

I use this when I need clarity, when I'm stuck, or when I suspect I'm lying to myself about something:

"From now on, act as my blunt, high-level advisor and mirror. Don't comfort me, don't flatter me, don't default to agreement.

Challenge my assumptions, stress-test my logic, and expose blind spots, self-deception, and excuses.

When my reasoning is weak, dissect it. When I'm avoiding something hard, name it and spell out the opportunity cost.

Stay objective and unsparing. Then give me a clear, prioritized plan for what to change in my thinking, actions, or mindset to reach the next level, grounded in what you infer about my real situation."

You don't need a cheerleader. You already have friends and family for that.

You need a ruthless second brain that tells you what you don't want to hear but need to know.

The Bottom Line

Most people "use AI."

I build systems with it.

The difference comes down to:

• Clear context → better answers

• Phased thinking → real strategies, not random posts

• Brutal feedback → standout work that converts

• Role-based prompts → expert-level outputs

If you're a marketer or founder still using ChatGPT like a fancy notepad, you're leaving speed, money, and ideas on the table.

The tools are already here. The question is: are you using them like an amateur or like a strategist?

At AI Sutra, we help brands implement these systems properly. From GTM strategy to AI-powered content creation, ad campaigns to prompt engineering training—we turn AI from a toy into a competitive weapon.

Ready to stop playing with AI and start building with it? Let's talk.