Out of ideas? Use AI to go beyond the obvious

Welcome to this edition of Prompt, Tinker, Innovate—my AI playground. Each week, we explore one practical way to use AI, break down what makes it powerful, and give you a hands-on experiment to try.

Your mission? Test the prompt, tweak it, and see how AI can enhance your thinking. One small experiment at a time, you'll be using AI to move faster, think bigger, and spark ideas others miss.

This week’s playground: AI for idea generation

Why this matters

You don’t just need more ideas—you need the right ones. Ideas that resonate with your audience, spark action, and set you apart.

But creativity doesn’t always strike on demand. That’s where AI comes in. It doesn’t just help you get unstuck—it helps you think strategically by forcing clarity on two fronts:

1. Audience-first thinking: Who is this for, really? What do they care about? What are they tired of hearing?

2. Unexpected angles: What fresh perspective could break through the noise? What’s missing from the current conversation?

AI helps you explore ideas faster. But great prompts help you explore the right ideas—ones that zig while everyone else zags.

Use case spotlight: Brainstorming with audience + edge

What’s happening?

Founders, marketers, creators, and product leads are using AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to brainstorm content ideas, product hooks, brand angles, and launch concepts.

The best results come from prompts that do two things well:

• Anchor ideas in a clear audience

• Push beyond safe, expected thinking

The result? Ideas that actually land—and feel different.

Your AI experiment: Try this upgraded prompt

👉 Time to tinker: Copy and paste the following into your favorite AI tool.

📝 Prompt: "You are a creative strategist helping a [insert your role—e.g. marketing team, founder, product lead] brainstorm [insert the type of ideas you need—e.g. campaign concepts, product launch themes, content topics] for [insert your product, service, or initiative]. The target audience is [insert your audience—e.g., Gen Z creators, B2B SaaS buyers, nonprofit donors]. Based on that audience, describe their key traits: who they are, what they care about, and what messaging they’re tired of. Then, generate 10 bold, original ideas—focusing on surprising angles or themes no one’s talking about. For each idea, include a short explanation of why it would resonate with this audience."

🎯 Bonus tip: Add constraints like “humorous and meme-worthy,” “emotionally powerful,” or “no industry jargon.”

💡 Pro tip: Push it further with these follow-ups

• “Now add a ‘what no one’s saying’ angle to each idea.”

• “Which of these would go viral on LinkedIn or Reddit?”

• “Rewrite these for early-career professionals / side-hustlers / Gen Z creators / [your niche].”

👇 Two examples to model it

🧠 If you're a content marketer: "You are a creative strategist helping a marketing team brainstorm campaign ideas for a workflow automation SaaS tool. The target audience is startup operations managers at Series A–C companies. Based on that audience, describe their key traits: who they are, what they care about, and what messaging they’re tired of. Then, generate 10 bold, original campaign ideas to promote the tool. Focus on fresh angles that challenge expectations or tap into emotional realities. For each idea, explain why it would resonate."

🚀 If you're a founder: "You are a creative strategist helping a founder brainstorm launch messaging and video concepts for a new AI-powered user research assistant. The target audience is solo product managers at early-stage startups. Based on that audience, describe their key traits: who they are, what they care about, and what messaging they’re tired of. Then, generate 10 bold, unexpected messaging ideas for the launch video and landing page. Focus on themes that feel fresh, emotionally resonant, or counterintuitive. For each idea, explain why it would land with this audience."

What did you discover?

Did AI help you uncover a hidden gem—or challenge how you think? Reply and share your favorite idea—I might feature it in a future edition (with credit, of course!).

See you next week for another AI experiment.