Prompts with personas: phrasing questions per target group

A prompt with a persona is a question to AI written from the point of view of a certain type of customer. Think of a young family, a freelancer or a buyer at a large company. That matters, because AI assistants adapt their answer to who is asking and what that person tells them. If you only measure general questions, you miss how your real customers use AI.

What is a persona?

A persona is a short description of a typical customer. It is not a real person, but a summary of a group. In marketing you will also hear the term ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). That is mostly used in the B2B market and describes the type of business that suits you best.

A persona describes, for example:

• who they are (age, situation, role);
• what they want to achieve;
• what they care about (price, speed, quality, sustainability);
• which words they use.

Why personas matter in AI

In Google, almost everyone types the same few words. In ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude, people say much more. They give context: "I have two young children", "I am on a tight budget" or "I am looking for this for our office with forty staff."

That context changes the answer. AI then picks different businesses or lists the same businesses in a different order. A business that scores well for a general question can be missing for a specific target group. Or the other way round. Read more about how AI chooses in how ChatGPT chooses which businesses to recommend.

How to create personas in four steps

1. Look at your current customers. Which groups do you recognise? Keep it to two to four.
2. Describe their situation and goal. What problem do they want to solve?
3. Note their decision criteria. What do they look for when choosing a business?
4. Use their own words. Listen to how customers ask things on the phone or by email. A customer says "leak", not "plumbing malfunction".

Examples per type of business

A plumber in Zwolle

• Homeowner with an emergency: "My tap is leaking and the water will not stop. Which plumber in Zwolle can come today?"
• Landlord with several properties: "Which plumbing company in Zwolle offers maintenance contracts for rental homes?"
• Someone renovating: "Who in Zwolle can fit a complete bathroom, including the pipework?"

An online shop selling garden furniture

• Family with young children: "Which garden set is sturdy, safe for children and not too expensive?"
• Conscious buyer: "Where can I buy sustainable garden furniture made from certified wood?"
• Restaurant owner: "Which online shop supplies terrace furniture for a café, with fast delivery?"

A museum

• Parents: "Which museum nearby is fun for children aged six and eight?"
• Tourist: "What should I see in this city if I have one afternoon?"
• Teacher: "Which museum offers a guided tour about the Second World War for a school class?"

As you can see: the same business, but very different questions. Also see which questions customers ask AI.

Tips for good persona prompts

• Write the way people talk. Full sentences, with a bit of context. Not a list of keywords.
• Add one or two details. Location, budget, situation or time pressure. Too many details make the question unnatural.
• Do not mention your own business. You want to know whether AI names you on its own.
• Keep the set stable. Do not change the questions every week. Otherwise you cannot follow the trend properly.
• Spread them fairly. Give each important target group a few questions, not just your largest group.

What do you do with the results?

When you measure per persona, you see where you score well and where you do not. Say you are often mentioned for emergency questions, but never for questions from landlords. Then you know what to do:

• create a page that speaks to that target group specifically;
• answer their questions literally, for example on an FAQ page AI likes to cite;
• collect reviews from customers in that group;
• make sure you are mentioned on sites that group reads.

This is also how you find a content gap: a topic your competitor has content about and you do not.

Frequently asked questions

How many personas do I need?
For most businesses, two to four is enough. Start small and expand if you want to know more.

Does AI know who I am when I ask a question?
Sometimes. Some assistants remember earlier conversations or use your location. That is why it is wise to test persona questions in a setting without previous conversations.

Is a persona the same as an ICP?
Almost. An ICP mainly describes which type of business suits you best. A persona describes the person asking the question. You can easily combine them.

Measuring per target group

With HelloGeoLabs you choose which questions we ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude every week. That way you can add questions per target group and see where you are mentioned. Start with the free AI check or read more about GEO tracking.