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Pull email benchmarks for the right segment, with page numbers

Practice: Keeping the AI to your sources. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You're building a pitch slide for a retail client and need email marketing benchmarks from the industry report. You want exactly 3 numbered stats for B2C retail only, each under 15 words and including the page, like "(p. 8)". Use the corrected figure where the report fixes itself, use only the report, and output nothing else in plain text.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Mixing segments. The report leads with all-industry numbers, and the AI may use them or the higher B2B figures. Try: Say: "B2C retail stats only."
  • Missing the errata. Corrections sit at the back of reports, and the AI copies the first number it sees. Try: Add: "Use the errata's corrected figure where there is one."
  • Turning it into advice. The AI compares the client's 27% to every benchmark and suggests fixes. Try: Say: "Output only the 3 stats."
  • Not saying how many. The AI decides the length itself and usually returns more stats than you can use. Try: Be exact: "exactly 3 numbered stats."
  • Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in a slide. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the segment
  • Handles the errata
  • Asks for pages
  • Says exactly how many
  • Asks for plain text

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