Best ChatGPT Prompts for Small Business Owners (Copy and Paste)

There's no shortage of ChatGPT prompt lists. The trouble is that most are long, generic and written for no one in particular, so you save forty, try three and forget where you put them. What small business owners need is a short library: a handful of prompts for the jobs that come round every week, set up once and kept somewhere you can find them.

This is mine. A dozen prompts, grouped by what you're trying to get done, plus the two bits of setup that make every one of them work better: custom instructions and a project to keep your favourites in.

How should I set up ChatGPT before using any prompts?

Do this first, because it means every prompt below starts from a better place. OpenAI's custom instructions let you share anything you'd like ChatGPT to consider, and they apply immediately to all your chats, including ones you've already started. They're available on all plans, on web, desktop, iOS and Android.

On the web or desktop, open Settings, choose Personalization, make sure customization is switched on and fill in the Custom Instructions field. On iOS and Android, go to Settings and choose Customize ChatGPT. Say who you are, who you serve, how you like to write and what you never want to see. Plain and short is fine, and the box has a limit that depends on your plan, so keep it tight.

Copy and paste this prompt

Use these notes to write the first version of my custom instructions: I run [type of business] for [who you serve], and my business is known for [what makes you different].
I write in a [warm, practical, direct] voice using UK spelling. Never use jargon, hype or exclamation marks. Give me options when I ask for copy, and ask one question if you need more detail before you start.
Turn that into a short set of instructions I can paste straight into the box.

What are the best ChatGPT prompts for planning your week?

Planning is where a good assistant earns its keep. Give it your mess and ask for order.

Copy this prompt

Here's everything on my plate this week: [list tasks, meetings and deadlines in any order].
Sort them into must do, should do and could wait. Suggest a day-by-day plan with realistic time blocks and show me what to move or drop if I run out of hours. I work best in the [morning or afternoon].

Which prompts help with offers and customer replies?

These two cover the moments where your words decide whether someone buys or walks away. Both ask the AI to stick to the facts you supply, which keeps the output honest.

Copy this prompt

Write a description of my offer, [name of offer], for [type of customer] who are struggling with [their problem].
What's included: [list]. What it isn't: [list]. How it works: [steps]. Write it in plain English in three short paragraphs, starting with the problem and ending with the next step. Don't mention anything not in my notes, and don't use the word "solution".

Copy this prompt

A customer has complained: [paste their message]. Here's what happened on our side: [facts].
Write a reply from me that acknowledges their frustration in the first line, explains what went wrong without excuses, tells them exactly what I'll do and by when, and offers a way to reach me directly.
Keep it calm, short and human, with no corporate phrases.

How do I turn notes into emails and repurpose content?

Most of us have the thinking done and the writing still to do. These prompts bridge that gap.

Copy this prompt

Turn these rough notes into an email to [who]: [paste notes].
The email should do one thing: [the purpose]. Start with the point, keep it under a hundred and fifty words and finish with one clear request. Give me a subject line too.

Copy this prompt

Here's a post I've already written: [paste it].
Repurpose it into three pieces: a short version for [platform one], a version for [platform two] with a different opening, and a few lines I could use in my newsletter. Keep my voice, and don't repeat the same sentence across the three.

If social posts are your main need, my prompts for small business social media posts go deeper on that one job.

Can ChatGPT write a first draft in my voice?

Yes, with two things in place: your custom instructions, and examples of your own writing. A prompt alone gets you generic copy. Your own words get you something close. For a fuller walk-through, my guide on how to prompt ChatGPT to write like a human is worth a read.

Copy this prompt

Here are three things I've written that sound like me: [paste three samples].
Study my sentence length, openings and the words I lean on. Then write a first draft of [type of piece] about [topic] for [audience], in that voice.
Mark any sentence you've made up about my business with square brackets so I can check it.

What are useful ChatGPT prompts for a FAQ page and for decisions?

Copy this prompt

Here are the questions customers ask me most: [paste them].
Write a website FAQ with a short, clear answer to each, using only the facts I give: [your facts]. Put the most asked question first and finish with how to get in touch.

Copy this prompt

I'm deciding between [option A] and [option B] for my business. What matters most to me is [priorities].
Don't tell me which to choose yet. First ask me five questions that would change the answer. Then, once I've replied, lay out the likely best case, worst case and what I'd regret least for each.

Copy this prompt

Play devil's advocate on this plan: [describe your plan].
Give me the three strongest arguments against it, what would need to be true for each to matter and one small way to test the plan before I commit.

How do I save my favourite prompts in a ChatGPT project?

A library only helps if you can find it. ChatGPT's projects keep related chats, files and instructions together, so it can use that context for ongoing work such as writing, research or planning. They're available to signed-in users, subject to plan and workspace settings.

• Create one. Select New project in the sidebar, give it a name and pick an icon and colour.
• Add your reference material. Upload files such as PDFs, spreadsheets and documents, or paste text.
• Set project instructions. Use the more options menu and choose Project settings. These apply only inside that project and override your global custom instructions.
• Save good answers. You can save a chat response to the project's sources to reuse it.
• Move chats in. Drag a chat onto the project, or use the chat menu and choose Move to project.

I'd make one project per area of work, such as Customer Emails or Social, and paste your favourite prompts into the instructions or save them as sources. Then each new chat starts from a good place.

What other tools work with these prompts?

The same prompts work in Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, so you aren't locked in. For somewhere to keep your library outside ChatGPT, a notes app such as Notion or Apple Notes does the job, and a simple document in Google Docs is just as good.

If you'd like help building a prompt library and project setup around your own business, so the whole team gets the same results, this is how I work with business owners. And for a set of before-and-after rewrites, see these AI prompt examples.

This guide is part of my ChatGPT Prompts and Limits: 30 Guides to Fun Prompts, Photo Edits and Daily Caps. To write your own, try the free ChatGPT prompt generator.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best ChatGPT prompts?

The ones that match a job you do every week and include your details: who you are, who it's for, the facts to use and the format you want. Save the ones that work in a project or a notes app.

Should I set custom instructions before using prompts?

Yes. Custom instructions apply to all your chats immediately, on all plans. Add your business, audience and writing style once and every prompt starts from a better place.

Where do I find custom instructions in ChatGPT?

On web and desktop, go to Settings, then Personalization, turn customization on and use the Custom Instructions field. On iOS and Android, go to Settings and choose Customize ChatGPT.

How do I save ChatGPT prompts I like?

Create a project from the sidebar, add your favourite prompts in the project instructions or as sources, and move relevant chats into it. You can also keep a library in a notes app.

Can I use these prompts in other AI tools?

Yes. They're written in plain English, so they work in Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot too. Swap the brackets for your own details.