ListKit’s AI Prompting feature allows you to instantly generate targeted lead lists based on a short written prompt, no filters needed.
The key to getting quality leads (and a lot of them) lies in how you craft your prompt.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to prompt like a pro, with examples, structure, and insider tips straight from François (Head of GTM at ListKit).
The Goal of AI Prompting
Your prompt tells ListKit’s AI what type of companies you’re looking for, in your own words. Example: “Agencies helping roofers book more appointments.”
ListKit then searches and delivers companies that fit that description, saving you hours of manual filtering. But the secret to getting accurate and rich results is all about how you write your prompt.
Use Our Custom GPT to Instantly Get Optimized Prompts
Here’s the best part, you don’t even need to think about writing prompts anymore.
Our team built a Custom GPT that does all the work for you.
All you need to do is paste the URL of one of your ideal client profiles, and the GPT will instantly generate five optimized prompts you can use directly inside ListKit’s Description Search.
It takes everything we’ve learned from thousands of tests and automatically builds prompts that are:
Highly accurate to your ICP
Broad enough to give you a large total addressable market (TAM)
Ready to plug right into ListKit without manual tweaking
For example, if you enter a site like Calendly.com, the GPT will return prompts such as:
“Software that helps businesses schedule meetings automatically”
“AI tools that help teams streamline scheduling”
“Platforms for automating client appointments”
You can then paste any of these into ListKit’s AI Description Search to uncover high-quality, laser-targeted companies that match your ICP, no guesswork, no research needed.
This tool was built by our team, to make ListKit prompting effortless for you.
Use the Custom GPT here: ListKit Prompt Builder/
Core Principles of a Perfect Prompt
1. Be Specific - Niche Beats Broad
The more specific your prompt, the better your list quality and targeting.
✅ Good: “Software companies selling to dentists”
❌ Bad: “Software companies in the US”
Why?
You get a list that’s laser-focused on your ideal client.
You can personalize your outreach messages to that exact niche’s pain points.
2. Keep It Short & Tight (6–9 Words Max)
Avoid long-winded descriptions, they reduce match accuracy.
✅ “Software companies helping eCommerce brands grow”
❌ “Software companies that help eCommerce stores increase revenue by doing automated marketing and retargeting.”
💡 Tip:
Use 5–9 words, enough to give context, but not so long that it confuses the AI.
3. Match the Language of Your Target Market
ListKit’s AI reads from real company descriptions, so the closer your wording is to how they describe themselves, the better your results will be.
✅ Use language found on their websites
❌ Avoid industry jargon or internal slang
For example:
✅ “Software companies for eCommerce”
❌ “SaaS platforms for eCommerce”
In short, speak their language. If companies describe themselves as “software,” “marketing agencies,” or “consulting firms,” use those words instead of internal terms like “SaaS,” “solutions provider,” or “growth platform.”
4. Prompt Variation Strategy
Don’t stop after your first try, testing = winning.
Try 3–5 variations for each campaign to see which one delivers the best mix of quality and volume.
Example:
Prompt Variation | Companies Found |
Marketing companies that sell Facebook ads | 2,400 |
Marketing agencies that sell Facebook ads | 2,800 |
Marketing agencies that sell Meta ads | 3,100 |
Small wording changes can make a big difference.
5.Prompt Structure Formula
Here’s the proven structure used by our top-performing users:
Company Type + Service/Product Sold + Target Market (+ Outcome)
Examples:
“Accounting firms that help roofers”
“Cold email and lead generation agencies”
“Marketing agencies focused on SEO”
“Software companies selling to vets”
“Agencies helping contractors get more clients”
“Software that helps eCommerce brands reduce cart abandonment”
“Agencies that help influencers get brand deals”
“Companies offering CRM tools for real estate agents”
💡 Formula in Action:
“[Company Type] that [offers X] to [target market] [for Y outcome]”
6. Think Like Your Target Market
When in doubt, use the exact language your clients use on their websites.
They usually talk about outcomes like:
“Grow your business”
“Get more leads”
“Close more deals”
“Automate outreach”
“Drive traffic”
So instead of saying “lead generation companies for home services,”
try:
✅ “Agencies helping home service businesses get more leads”
✅ “Companies that help roofers grow their business”
7. Testing, Not Guessing
This isn’t a guessing game, it’s a testing game.
Run multiple prompts.
Compare the lists.
Keep what works best and refine the rest.
👉 Pro tip: Keep your winning prompts saved in a notes doc or spreadsheet for future campaigns.
8. What NOT to Include in Your Prompt
Avoid adding filters directly into your prompt.
Do NOT include:
❌ Location (e.g., “in the US”)
❌ Funding stage (e.g., “series A”)
❌ Job titles or decision-makers (e.g., “CMOs,” “CEOs,” etc.)
❌ Company size (e.g., "with 10+ employees")
Why?
These filters are already built into ListKit.
Use the location, funding, and job titles filters separately — not in the prompt.
Prompting is designed to identify the company type — not contact-level data.
It replaces the need to use Keywords or Industries.
Think of prompting as helping ListKit understand what the company does, who they help, and how.
🧭 Summary: Prompting Cheat Sheet
Rule | Description |
🎯 Be specific | Niche > Broad |
✂️ Keep it short | 6–9 words max |
💬 Match the Language of Your Market | “Software,” not “SaaS” |
🔁 Test variations | 3–5 prompts per campaign |
🧠 Think like your target | Use their website language |
🧩 Follow the formula | Company Type + Service + Target + Outcome |
📞 Need Help?
If you’d like personalized help refining your prompts, reach out via:
Support chat (bottom right corner in-app)
Email: [email protected]
We’ll help you fine-tune your prompts and make sure your next list hits the mark. 🚀
🎥 Prefer a Video Walkthrough?
If you’d rather see it in action, check out this quick video guide from François, our Head of Go-To-Market, where he walks you through exactly how to prompt like a pro inside the ListKit app: Watch the video here