Check a "ads drive sales" claim against last year's numbers

About this exercise

A dual-axis chart slide claims 'Every extra $1K of ad spend brings $10K in sales'. Check it against both years' numbers. Write exactly 4 labeled lines in plain text, under 100 words: Claim, Checks out, Doesn't hold and Safer wording. Use only the figures given.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Accepting the chart. The AI agrees ads and sales move together, so ads drive sales. Try: Add: "Use last year's numbers: flat spend, sales still up $260K."
• Missing the seasonal point. The AI doesn't say November and December are naturally busy. Try: Add: "Say the rise is largely seasonal."
• Weak rewrite. The AI suggests 'ads help' as safer wording. Try: Add: "Safer wording must not say ads caused the increase."
• Leaving the format to chance. The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold or headings."
• 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 part instead, for example "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Gives the four labels
• Uses last year
• Names the seasonal point
• Gives the figures
• Limits the data

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