For Email Marketing Specialists ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a repeatable ChatGPT workflow for writing full campaign copy — subject lines, preview text, body, and CTA — in under 15 minutes per campaign. You'll also have a personal prompt library you can reuse across every campaign you write.
What you'll need
Go to chatgpt.com and sign in. Click New chat in the top left sidebar. You'll see a blank conversation ready for your first message.
What you should see: An empty chat window with a message input box at the bottom.
Before asking for any copy, tell ChatGPT about the brand and audience. This is your "brand context" message — paste it at the start of every campaign conversation:
You are an email copywriter for [brand name], a [brand type] targeting [audience description].
Brand voice: [3-5 adjectives, e.g., "warm, direct, empowering, never pushy"]
Our audience: [describe them — age, job, goal, main pain point]
Things we avoid: [e.g., "excessive exclamation points, vague language, passive voice"]
Top-performing subject line example: "[paste one]"
Confirm you understand by summarizing the brand in 2 sentences.
What you should see: ChatGPT replies with a 2-sentence brand summary. If it sounds right, you're ready to write.
Troubleshooting: If the summary seems off, add more detail to the voice or audience description and ask it to try again.
Tell ChatGPT the specific campaign details:
Campaign brief:
- Type: [promotional / educational / re-engagement / seasonal]
- Offer: [exact offer, e.g., "20% off all footwear, expires Sunday at midnight"]
- Audience: [which segment, e.g., "customers who haven't purchased in 90 days"]
- Goal: [primary action, e.g., "click to product page"]
- Tone for this campaign: [any special tone notes, e.g., "more urgent than usual"]
Ask for subject lines before body copy — they set the tone for everything else:
Generate 10 subject line variants for this campaign. Cover these angles:
- Urgency (2 variants)
- Benefit-led (2 variants)
- Curiosity (2 variants)
- Social proof or scarcity (2 variants)
- Question format (2 variants)
Keep each under 50 characters. No clickbait.
What you should see: 10 numbered subject line options. Review them and pick your top 2-3 for A/B testing.
Write preview text for these 3 subject lines: [paste your top 3].
Each preview text should: complement the subject line without repeating it, be under 90 characters, and create additional curiosity or context.
Now write the email body copy for the subject line: "[your chosen subject line]"
Structure:
- Opening hook (1-2 sentences — connects to the subject line)
- Value statement (what's in it for them)
- Offer details (clear and scannable — use bullet points if there are multiple elements)
- CTA button text (3-5 words)
- Sign-off
Keep it under 150 words. Mobile-first — short paragraphs, no walls of text.
What you should see: A full email draft with the structure you requested.
If the draft needs adjustment, use these follow-up prompts:
1. Welcome email hook:
Write an opening hook for a welcome email to someone who just subscribed to [brand]. They signed up via [signup source]. The first line should make them feel like joining was the right decision. Under 2 sentences.
2. Sale announcement:
Write a promotional email for a [% off] sale on [product category] at [brand]. Sale ends [date]. Audience: [segment]. Goal: click to shop page. Under 150 words, mobile-first structure, clear CTA.
3. Educational email:
Write a value-driven email about [topic] for our audience of [audience]. Goal: build trust and demonstrate expertise, not sell directly. Include 3 practical tips. End with a soft CTA to [related content or product].
4. Win-back first email:
Write the first email in a win-back sequence for [brand] subscribers who haven't engaged in 90 days. Warm, not desperate tone. Remind them why they signed up. No discount yet — save that for email 2.
5. Post-purchase cross-sell:
Write a post-purchase email for someone who just bought [product] from [brand]. Recommend [complementary product] naturally. Make the recommendation feel helpful, not pushy. Under 120 words.