ChatGPT Prompts for Australian Startup Founders

The difference between a useful AI response and a generic one almost always comes down to the prompt. Startup founders who get the most out of tools like ChatGPT and Claude have invested time in learning how to ask well. They've built libraries of tested prompts that they reuse and refine over time.

This guide shares prompts that are working for Australian startup founders right now — organised by the tasks you face most often. Each prompt is designed to be used as a starting point. Adjust the specifics to match your startup, your industry, and your voice.

Why Prompts Matter for Startup Founders

The difference between a useful AI response and a generic one almost always comes down to the prompt. Startup founders who get the most out of tools like ChatGPT and Claude have invested time in learning how to ask well. They've built libraries of tested prompts that they reuse and refine over time.

This guide shares prompts that are working for Australian startup founders right now — organised by the tasks you face most often. Each prompt is designed to be used as a starting point. Adjust the specifics to match your startup, your industry, and your voice.

Prompts for Pitching and Fundraising

Refining Your Elevator Pitch

Use this prompt to sharpen your core pitch: "I'm building [describe your startup in one sentence]. Our target customer is [describe customer]. The problem we solve is [describe problem]. Our solution is [describe solution]. Write three versions of a 30-second elevator pitch — one for a technical audience, one for a non-technical investor, and one for a potential enterprise customer."

Stress-Testing Your Value Proposition

Before your next investor meeting, use this: "Here is my startup's value proposition: [paste your value proposition]. Play the role of a sceptical Series A investor. Ask me the five hardest questions you would ask about this value proposition, then provide the strongest possible counterarguments to each."

Preparing for Investor Q&A

This prompt helps you prepare for tough questions: "I'm pitching to Australian VCs next week. My startup is [brief description]. Generate the 15 most likely hard questions I'll be asked, covering market size, competition, unit economics, team, and go-to-market strategy. For each question, suggest the key points I should cover in my answer."

Writing an Investor Update Email

Monthly investor updates are important but time-consuming: "Write a monthly investor update email for my startup. This month's highlights: [list key wins]. Challenges: [list challenges]. Key metrics: [list metrics]. Upcoming milestones: [list milestones]. Keep it under 400 words, professional but conversational, and end with a specific ask."

Prompts for Marketing and Content

Writing Landing Page Copy

For a high-converting landing page: "Write landing page copy for [your product]. The target customer is [describe customer]. The main benefit is [main benefit]. The key features are [list features]. Include a headline, subheadline, three benefit statements, a features section, and a call to action. Use clear, direct language — no jargon."

Generating Social Media Content

For a week of social content: "Create a week of LinkedIn posts for an Australian startup founder in [your industry]. Topics to cover: [list topics]. Tone: [describe your brand voice — e.g. direct, conversational, data-driven]. Each post should be under 200 words and end with a question to encourage engagement."

Writing Email Sequences

For onboarding new users: "Write a five-email onboarding sequence for new users of [your product]. The goal is to get users to [desired action] within their first two weeks. Email 1: Welcome and quick win. Email 2: Key feature introduction. Email 3: Social proof. Email 4: Advanced tip. Email 5: Check-in and support offer. Keep each email under 200 words."

Competitive Analysis

For understanding your market position: "I'm building [describe your startup]. My main competitors are [list competitors]. For each competitor, identify their main strengths, weaknesses, and the customer segments they serve best. Then identify the gaps in the market that none of them are addressing well."

Prompts for Product Development

Generating User Personas

For understanding your customers: "Create three detailed user personas for [your product]. For each persona, include: name, age, job title, company size, main goals, biggest frustrations, how they currently solve [the problem your product solves], and what would make them switch to a new solution. Base these on [describe your target market]."

Writing User Stories

For your product backlog: "I'm building [describe your product]. Generate 20 user stories in the format 'As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit].' Focus on the core workflow of [describe main use case]. Prioritise them from most to least critical for an MVP."

Analysing Customer Feedback

For making sense of user research: "Here are 20 pieces of customer feedback about [your product]: [paste feedback]. Identify the top five themes, the most common pain points, the most requested features, and any patterns that suggest a segment of users with different needs. Summarise your findings in bullet points."

Prompts for Operations and Team Management

Writing Job Descriptions

For hiring: "Write a job description for a [role] at an Australian startup in [industry]. The company is at [stage — e.g. seed, Series A]. Key responsibilities: [list responsibilities]. Required skills: [list skills]. Company culture: [describe culture]. Keep it under 400 words and make it sound like a place people actually want to work."

Preparing for Difficult Conversations

For managing people: "I need to have a difficult conversation with a team member about [describe situation]. Help me prepare by: outlining the key points I need to cover, anticipating how they might respond, suggesting how to frame the conversation constructively, and drafting an opening statement that is direct but respectful."

Writing OKRs

For goal-setting: "Help me write OKRs for my startup for the next quarter. Our main goal is [describe goal]. We're a [stage] startup in [industry] with [team size] people. Generate three objectives, each with three to four measurable key results. Make the key results specific and time-bound."

Getting the Most from These Prompts

These prompts work best when you treat them as starting points rather than finished instructions. Add context about your specific startup, your industry, your customers, and your voice. The more specific you are, the more useful the output will be.

Build a shared prompt library in Notion or Google Docs so your whole team can access and contribute to it. The best prompts are the ones that get refined over time through repeated use.