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Compare competitor messaging and label the rumors
Practice: Catching mistakes and made-up facts. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're prepping a competitor messaging comparison for Pebble Post, a direct-mail printing service, before Friday's positioning meeting. You need exactly 3 numbered lines, one per competitor, each written as Competitor - their main promise - our counter, under 25 words, ending with (Source: website), (Source: sales call) or (Source: unverified). Use only the notes. Plain text, only the list.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking for "a competitor comparison". The AI builds a big markdown table with columns you didn't ask for. Try: Set the shape: "Exactly 3 numbered lines: Competitor - their promise - our counter."
- Treating a rumor as fact. The Reddit price cut sounds like news, so the AI reports it as Postwise's strategy. Try: Add: "End each line with its source: website, sales call or unverified."
- Inventing counters. The AI writes generic counters like "better service" that aren't in the notes. Try: Add: "Use only the 'our angle' notes for each counter."
- Getting a report. The AI adds an intro, a summary and recommendations. Try: Add: "Output only the 3 lines, plain text."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets the line shape
- Says how many
- Asks for sources
- Keeps to the notes
- Asks for only the list
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