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Rank acquisition channels by payback months

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're ranking acquisition channels for the marketing review. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Channel | Spend | Customers | CAC | Payback (months), one row per channel sorted by payback from shortest to longest. CAC = spend / customers. Payback = CAC / monthly gross profit per customer. Facts only: don't comment on brand value or recommend a channel. No commentary. Under 90 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Not sorting. The AI keeps the original order. Try: Say: "Sort from shortest to longest payback."
  • Payback from revenue or spend. The AI divides spend by $500 or by customers. Try: Add: "Payback = CAC / $500."
  • Adding brand commentary. The AI notes events build brand and suggests a different measure. Try: Add: "No comments about brand value and no recommendations."
  • Wrong columns. The AI adds a gross profit column or drops CAC. Try: Say: "Columns exactly: Channel | Spend | Customers | CAC | Payback (months)."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the columns
  • Gives the formulas
  • Asks for sorting
  • Bans commentary
  • Limits output

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