The AI hype is loud – but here's how to actually use it

Happy Thursday!

Last Tuesday, I ran a session for Hive Social UK on AI and marketing strategy – thank you to the amazing Katie Brown for having me (if you’re not following Katie, what are you doing?!)

An engaged group came ready to explore how AI can fit into their marketing. The excitement was real, and the conversation was packed with great questions. The skepticism wasn’t from them – it’s the noise around AI that creates that tension. Either it’s the dream of sipping margaritas on the beach while AI runs your business, or it’s the fear that everything it produces is generic and soulless.

Neither is quite right. AI isn’t magic, but it can be a powerful strategy sidekick. Used well, it helps you sense-check and refine your personas, making it easier to reach the right people. The AI-driven slop usually comes from those unwilling to use AI strategically (ever heard the phrase a workman is only as good as his tools?). Strategic human intervention will always be essential and it will take a lot to change my mind on this.

Another solid use case: AI for audience clarity

One of the biggest takeaways from the session was how AI can help clarify your audience – but only if you give it something solid to work with. Here’s how we used AI to refine customer personas with a live demo:

Start with a master prompt

Think of AI like a colleague you’re handing a task to. Before they get started, you check they’ve understood the brief. Instead of a vague “create a customer persona,” tell AI exactly what it needs to know, then ask it to confirm its understanding before moving forward.

For example:

"I run a LinkedIn content coaching business helping consultants and freelancers improve their LinkedIn presence to get more inbound leads. Based on this, generate a draft of my ideal customer persona. This will need to include psychographics, demographics, and key customer drivers, as well as the pain points they face in their role.”

Follow up with:
"Before continuing, summarise the key details you’ve taken from this so I know we’re aligned."

Refine & dig deeper

AI’s first response will always be broad. The key is to continue to be responsive as it builds up your persona. Keep going:

• “This persona feels too generic. Narrow it down by clarifying their industry, specific expertise level, and common struggles.”

• “What are their biggest barriers to solving this problem on their own?”

• “Refine their motivations – what specific goals or frustrations drive them to seek help?”

You’ll then need to give it all the information it needs to understand your audience with your own lived experience of interacting with this audience.

This could include things like redacted customer notes and feedback, your pricing and services, your current website links, or customer testimonials you’ve collected.

Ask it to summarise the information back to you

After a long list of different queries, you’ll have so much information that you’ll need to streamline. One useful prompt is to ask AI to summarise your conversation back to you.

For example:

"Now, format the final persona into a structured document that includes:

• Name and basic info

• Bio (who they are, what they do)

• Core needs

• Frustrations

• Brands they trust

• Personality traits

• Preferred platforms and payment preferences

Make it look professional and structured like a business persona document."

With a bit of clever design, you can leave with a living, breathing customer document that you can share with your entire team. This strategic document can be used again and again when working on your messaging, or creating sales enablement material. It could look something like this:

It’s not a magic fix

Someone asked during the session if they should trust AI’s answers straight away. No. AI is like a really eager intern – fast, confident, but in desperate need of direction. Sometimes, it’ll even ‘hallucinate’ info to try and give you data it thinks you want. That’s why you need to keep checking, guiding and fact-checking.

The best results come from layering AI’s suggestions with actual conversations, real-world experience, and a deep understanding of your audience that only you can bring, because you are the only real expert in your own trusted customer.

Paid vs. free AI tools

Another great question came up about whether it’s worth paying for ChatGPT. The free version is great for experimenting, but using the paid one you can create custom GPTs that enable repeat processes, handle more complex prompts, and keep your data more private. If AI is a core part of your workflow, it’s a time-saver (I nerd out a bit in building these, so if you ever need help building yours, give me a bell). But if you’re just testing the waters, free is more than enough. Always remember if you’re using the free version, not to use any confidential data.

Try this today

Take 10 minutes and test AI with your own audience details. Watch what it spits out, tweak it, and keep pushing until it actually sounds like your people. Use my AI persona prompt framework here.

Reply and let me know if you give it a go – I’m always curious to hear what works (or doesn’t) for people.

And if you’re interested in watching the full Hive Social session, DM me “AI talk” and I’ll send it over.

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