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Check ad budget pacing against how far the month is
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Today is Nov 20, so 20 of November's 30 days are done (67% of the month). A channel is ON pace if its percent spent is within 5 points of 67%, OVER if more, UNDER if less. Write exactly 3 numbered lines, each as Channel: spent ÷ budget = X%, then ON, OVER or UNDER, then one unnumbered last line: Slow down: [channels OVER]. Plain text, under 60 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not giving the date. The AI can't judge pacing without knowing how far into the month you are. Try: Add: "Today is Nov 20: 67% of the month."
- Not defining on pace. The AI makes up its own tolerance. Try: Add: "Within 5 points of 67% is ON."
- Not asking to see the work. Bare labels hide the math. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Search: 6,400 ÷ 8,000 = 80% OVER"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 10 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in a media team Slack. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives the date
- Defines on pace
- Asks to show the math
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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