Ready-to-use prompt

Build personas from evidence, not imagination.

Understand what customers are trying to achieve, what prevents them from succeeding and how they evaluate solutions—without filling research gaps with fictional demographics or AI-generated assumptions.

KRIYANO MASTER PROMPTCustomer Persona Builder.
Act as an experienced customer research, market segmentation and buyer-persona strategist.

TASK:
Build a practical, evidence-based customer persona from the information below.

The goal is to understand who the customer is, what they are trying to achieve, what problems they experience, how they make decisions, what prevents them from buying and how the business can communicate with them more effectively.

Do not invent demographic details, income, behavior, preferences, statistics, motivations or market facts.

Clearly distinguish between:

- confirmed customer information
- reasonable hypotheses
- assumptions
- information that still requires research

BUSINESS:
[Business / brand name.]

PRODUCT / SERVICE:
[What do you sell?]

MARKET:
[Country / region / industry if relevant.]

CUSTOMER TYPE:
[B2C / B2B / Both.]

CURRENT CUSTOMER DESCRIPTION:
[Describe the customers you currently serve.]

TARGET CUSTOMER:
[Who are you trying to reach?]

KNOWN DEMOGRAPHICS:
[Age, location, occupation, company size, industry, etc. — only if known.]

KNOWN CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR:
[How customers currently discover, evaluate or buy.]

CUSTOMER NEEDS:
[What do they need?]

CUSTOMER PROBLEMS:
[What problems do they experience?]

CUSTOMER GOALS:
[What are they trying to achieve?]

BUYING TRIGGERS:
[What causes them to start looking for a solution?]

COMMON OBJECTIONS:
[Price, trust, complexity, timing, switching, etc.]

CUSTOMER QUESTIONS:
[Questions customers frequently ask.]

PURCHASE CRITERIA:
[What factors appear important when choosing?]

COMPETITORS / ALTERNATIVES:
[What else could the customer choose?]

SALES / SUPPORT FEEDBACK:
[Insights from employees who interact with customers.]

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:
[Reviews, surveys, interviews, complaints, testimonials, etc.]

AVAILABLE DATA:
[Analytics, CRM, sales records, research, etc.]

MARKETING CHANNELS:
[Where customers currently find or interact with the business.]

PRICE / PURCHASE MODEL:
[One-time, subscription, contract, low-cost, high-value, etc.]

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
[Any additional instructions.]

CUSTOMER PERSONA REQUIREMENTS:

1. ASSESS THE EVIDENCE FIRST
Before creating the persona, classify the supplied information into:

CONFIRMED
Directly supported by data or supplied facts.

LIKELY / HYPOTHESIS
Reasonable but not yet verified.

UNKNOWN
Important information that has not been supplied.

Do not turn assumptions into customer facts.

2. DEFINE THE CUSTOMER SEGMENT
Identify the specific customer group being represented.

Provide:

Segment:
Customer type:
Market:
Primary need:
Main use case:

Avoid making one persona represent several fundamentally different customer groups.

3. DETERMINE WHETHER MULTIPLE PERSONAS ARE NEEDED
If the supplied customers have significantly different:

needs
use cases
budgets
decision processes
industries
roles
buying triggers

state that separate personas may be more useful.

Do not combine incompatible segments simply to produce one persona.

4. CREATE A PERSONA LABEL
Create a useful descriptive label based on behavior or need.

Examples:

"Time-Pressed Small Business Owner"
"Cost-Conscious Operations Manager"
"First-Time Online Seller"

Avoid unnecessary fictional names unless the user specifically wants them.

5. DEMOGRAPHICS
Use demographic information only when supplied or supported.

Possible fields:

Age range
Location
Occupation
Role
Income range
Education
Family status

For B2B:

Job title
Department
Seniority
Industry
Company size
Location

Mark unknown demographic information:

"Not established."

6. AVOID DEMOGRAPHIC STEREOTYPES
Do not infer behavior solely from:

age
gender
nationality
ethnicity
religion
marital status
education
income

Behavior and needs should be based on evidence.

7. DEFINE THE CUSTOMER'S JOB TO BE DONE
Identify what the customer is actually trying to accomplish.

Use:

"When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [desired outcome]."

Do not force this structure if the information is insufficient.

8. IDENTIFY FUNCTIONAL NEEDS
What practical result does the customer need?

Examples:

Save time
Reduce cost
Improve quality
Increase sales
Simplify work
Reduce errors
Meet requirements

Use only relevant needs.

9. IDENTIFY EMOTIONAL NEEDS
Where supported, consider:

confidence
reassurance
control
reduced frustration
reduced uncertainty
professional credibility

Do not invent emotional motivations.

10. IDENTIFY SOCIAL / PROFESSIONAL NEEDS
Where relevant consider:

appearing competent
meeting management expectations
serving customers better
building reputation
supporting team performance

Label unsupported possibilities as hypotheses.

11. IDENTIFY CUSTOMER GOALS
Separate:

Immediate goal
Short-term goal
Long-term goal

Only include goals supported by the supplied information.

12. IDENTIFY PAIN POINTS
For each pain point provide:

Pain point:
Situation:
Impact:
Current workaround:
Evidence:
Severity:

Use:

Low
Medium
High

only when enough information exists.

13. DISTINGUISH PROBLEM FROM SYMPTOM
Example:

Symptom:
"Reports take too long."

Possible underlying problem:
"Data must be collected manually from several systems."

Do not assume the root cause without evidence.

14. IDENTIFY FRUSTRATIONS
Where supported, identify recurring sources of friction such as:

complexity
waiting
manual work
unclear information
poor support
high cost
unreliable service
difficult setup

15. IDENTIFY BUYING TRIGGERS
Determine what events may cause the customer to actively seek a solution.

Examples:

Current solution fails
Business grows
Costs increase
New requirement
Customer complaint
New project
Deadline
Management request
Competitor pressure

Only include supported triggers or clearly label hypotheses.

16. IDENTIFY URGENCY
Determine whether the need is:

Immediate
Near-term
Ongoing
Low urgency
Unknown

Explain why.

17. IDENTIFY CURRENT ALTERNATIVES
Customers may solve the problem using:

Competitor
Spreadsheet
Manual process
Freelancer
Internal employee
Existing software
Free tool
Doing nothing

Do not assume buying a product is their only option.

18. ANALYZE THE STATUS QUO
Explain why the customer may continue with the current solution.

Possible reasons:

Familiarity
Switching effort
Cost
Risk
Lack of urgency
Existing contract
Training requirement
Uncertainty

Use only supported reasons or label them hypotheses.

19. IDENTIFY DECISION CRITERIA
Determine what matters when comparing solutions.

Possible criteria:

Price
Quality
Ease of use
Speed
Reliability
Support
Features
Integration
Reputation
Security
Customization
Implementation effort
ROI
Flexibility

Prioritize only where evidence exists.

20. IDENTIFY MUST-HAVES
Separate:

Must-have requirements
Important preferences
Nice-to-have features

Do not treat every desired feature as essential.

21. IDENTIFY OBJECTIONS
For each objection provide:

Objection:
Underlying concern:
Evidence:
Information needed:
Potential response:

Do not manipulate the customer.

Address legitimate concerns with relevant information.

22. PRICE SENSITIVITY
If pricing information exists, assess:

Budget awareness
Value expectations
Cost concern
Comparison behavior
Purchase authority

Do not invent willingness-to-pay figures.

23. TRUST REQUIREMENTS
Identify what may increase confidence:

Reviews
Testimonials
Case studies
Demonstrations
Trial
Guarantee
Clear pricing
Credentials
Support
Transparent policies

Only recommend trust mechanisms relevant to the offering.

24. PURCHASE RISK
Identify what the customer may fear losing:

Money
Time
Productivity
Reputation
Data
Customers
Operational continuity
Opportunity

Do not exaggerate fear.

25. DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
For B2C consider:

Discover
Research
Compare
Decide
Purchase

For B2B consider:

User
Influencer
Technical evaluator
Budget owner
Approver
Decision maker
Procurement

Use only roles supported by available information.

26. IDENTIFY BUYER VS USER
Determine whether:

Buyer = User

or whether they are different.

If different, explain the implications.

27. IDENTIFY INFLUENCERS
Where relevant consider:

Manager
Colleague
Family
Industry peer
Consultant
Reviewer
Creator
Professional community

Do not invent influencers.

28. INFORMATION NEEDS
Determine what information the customer needs before deciding.

Examples:

Price
Specifications
Examples
Comparison
Implementation
Compatibility
Delivery
Support
Results
Policies

29. CUSTOMER QUESTIONS
Organize likely questions by stage:

Awareness
Consideration
Decision
Purchase
Post-purchase

Use supplied customer questions first.

30. CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Map:

Stage:
Customer objective:
Question:
Pain point:
Touchpoint:
Business opportunity:

Suggested stages:

Awareness
Research
Evaluation
Decision
Purchase
Onboarding
Usage
Retention

Adapt to the actual business.

31. DISCOVERY CHANNELS
Identify known channels where customers discover solutions.

Examples:

Google
YouTube
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
Marketplace
Referral
Sales outreach
Industry events

Do not invent channel usage.

32. RESEARCH CHANNELS
Identify where customers may compare or learn about solutions.

Separate confirmed behavior from recommended research hypotheses.

33. COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE
Do not assume customers prefer email, WhatsApp, phone or another channel without evidence.

State:

"Communication preference requires validation."

when unknown.

34. CONTENT NEEDS
Based on known customer questions, identify useful content such as:

How-to guide
Comparison
Calculator
Checklist
Case study
FAQ
Demo
Template
Video
Pricing guide

Connect each recommendation to a customer need.

35. VALUE PROPOSITION
Create a persona-specific value proposition.

Use:

For [customer]
who needs [need],
the offering helps [outcome]
by [mechanism / benefit].

Do not make unsupported claims.

36. MESSAGE PRIORITIES
Identify 3–5 messages most likely to matter.

Base them on:

Goal
Pain point
Decision criterion
Objection
Desired outcome

37. AVOID GENERIC MARKETING LANGUAGE
Avoid unsupported phrases such as:

"Best in class"
"Revolutionary"
"Perfect solution"
"Guaranteed results"
"Game-changing"

Prefer specific value.

38. CUSTOMER LANGUAGE
Extract useful phrases from supplied:

reviews
questions
complaints
sales conversations
interviews

Preserve natural customer wording where useful.

Do not fabricate customer quotes.

39. MARKETING ANGLES
Suggest practical messaging angles based on evidence.

For each:

Angle:
Customer need:
Supporting evidence:
Best use:

40. PRODUCT / SERVICE IMPLICATIONS
Identify what the persona suggests about:

Features
Service
Support
Pricing
Onboarding
Documentation
Delivery
User experience

Do not redesign the product based on weak assumptions.

41. SALES IMPLICATIONS
Identify:

Questions sales should ask
Information to provide
Objections to prepare for
Decision criteria to clarify
Signals of strong fit

42. CUSTOMER-SERVICE IMPLICATIONS
Where relevant identify:

Common confusion
Support expectations
Onboarding needs
Recurring problems
Retention risks

43. PERSONA ANTI-GOALS
Identify what the customer wants to avoid.

Examples:

Complex implementation
Unexpected cost
Long setup
Poor support
Manual work
Risk

Use only supported information.

44. NOT-A-FIT CUSTOMER
Where useful define customers who may not be a strong fit.

Base this on:

Requirements
Budget model
Use case
Capabilities
Constraints

Do not exclude customers based on protected personal characteristics.

45. SEGMENT ATTRACTIVENESS
Where business data supports it, consider:

Need intensity
Market access
Revenue potential
Retention
Cost to serve
Competitive pressure

Do not invent market-size or revenue data.

46. ASSUMPTION REGISTER
Create:

Assumption:
Why it matters:
Confidence:
How to validate:
What changes if wrong:

Prioritize assumptions that could materially change the persona.

47. RESEARCH GAPS
Identify missing information such as:

Actual purchase criteria
Budget
Decision process
Customer language
Channel behavior
Competitor usage
Switching barriers
Retention reasons

48. CUSTOMER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Create 8–12 neutral questions.

Focus on past behavior rather than hypothetical answers.

Prefer:

"Tell me about the last time you..."

over:

"Would you buy a product that...?"

49. AVOID LEADING QUESTIONS
Do not use:

"Wouldn't this save you time?"

Prefer:

"How do you currently handle this task?"

50. SURVEY QUESTIONS
Where useful create concise questions for validating:

Pain points
Frequency
Current solution
Decision criteria
Satisfaction
Alternatives

Avoid overly long surveys.

51. DATA VALIDATION PLAN
Suggest sources such as:

CRM
Sales records
Support tickets
Website analytics
Search data
Customer interviews
Surveys
Reviews
Sales calls

Explain what each could validate.

52. PRIORITIZE RESEARCH
Rank research gaps:

P1 — Could significantly change strategy
P2 — Important
P3 — Useful
P4 — Nice to know

53. PERSONA CONFIDENCE
Rate the overall persona:

High confidence
Medium confidence
Low confidence

Base confidence on evidence quality and completeness.

Explain the rating.

54. AVOID FALSE PRECISION
Do not create statements such as:

"73% of customers prefer..."
"Average income is..."
"Customer spends 4.2 hours..."

unless supported by actual data.

55. PERSONA SNAPSHOT
Create a concise summary:

Persona:
Customer type:
Primary goal:
Main pain point:
Main trigger:
Top decision criterion:
Main objection:
Current alternative:
Desired outcome:

56. DETAILED PERSONA
Create sections for:

Profile
Situation
Goals
Needs
Pain points
Behavior
Triggers
Alternatives
Decision criteria
Objections
Journey
Messaging
Research gaps

57. MARKETING SUMMARY
Provide:

Best message:
Best content opportunity:
Main objection to address:
Best evidence to show:
Primary CTA approach:

Do not invent the best channel when channel evidence is unavailable.

58. SALES SUMMARY
Provide:

Main need:
Qualification question:
Decision criterion:
Objection:
Proof required:
Potential next step:

59. PRODUCT SUMMARY
Provide:

Most important customer requirement:
Main friction:
Feature / service implication:
Onboarding consideration:
Research required:

60. FINAL EVIDENCE CHECK
Before completing the persona verify:

- demographics were not invented
- motivations were not invented
- statistics were not invented
- customer quotes were not invented
- known information is separated from hypotheses
- pain points connect to evidence
- decision criteria are realistic
- objections are not manipulated
- research gaps are visible
- persona is specific enough to be useful

OUTPUT FORMAT:

1. Persona Snapshot
2. Evidence Quality
3. Customer Profile
4. Job to Be Done
5. Goals & Desired Outcomes
6. Needs
7. Pain Points & Frustrations
8. Buying Triggers
9. Current Alternatives
10. Decision Criteria
11. Objections & Purchase Risks
12. Buyer / Decision Process
13. Customer Journey
14. Information & Content Needs
15. Value Proposition
16. Messaging Priorities
17. Marketing Implications
18. Sales Implications
19. Product / Service Implications
20. Assumptions
21. Research Gaps
22. Customer Interview Questions
23. Validation Plan
24. Persona Confidence

IMPORTANT:
- Do not invent customer demographics, behaviors, statistics, income, motivations or preferences.
- Clearly label assumptions and hypotheses.
- Base the persona on behavior, needs and evidence rather than stereotypes.
- Do not create fictional customer quotes.
- Do not assume the customer wants to buy instead of using an alternative.
- Distinguish the buyer from the user where relevant.
- Identify the status quo as a genuine competitor.
- Do not manipulate customer fears or objections.
- Do not create false precision.
- Prioritize research gaps that could materially change business decisions.
- Treat the persona as a research-backed working model, not a fictional biography.
Prompt copied to clipboard.
How to use it

Use the prompt effectively.

01

Start with evidence

Separate what you genuinely know about customers from assumptions before AI turns plausible-sounding ideas into fictional customer facts.

02

Understand the customer's situation

Focus on goals, problems, current alternatives, triggers and decision criteria rather than building the persona mainly around demographics.

03

Map how decisions happen

Identify how customers discover, evaluate and choose solutions, including objections, information needs and other people involved in the decision.

04

Validate what you don't know

Finish with research gaps, interview questions and a validation plan so the persona improves as real customer evidence becomes available.

Example

Turn limited customer information into a useful research-backed persona.

Example input

Business: Online inventory tools for small businesses.

Known customers: Small retailers and online sellers managing stock themselves.

Known problem: Stock records frequently become inaccurate because inventory is maintained manually.

Known behavior: Some customers currently use spreadsheets.

Customer questions: How can I know when to reorder? How can I find why physical stock doesn't match my records?

Unknown: Budget, preferred software, age, exact business size and buying process.

Possible output

Persona: Hands-On Small Business Inventory Manager.

Primary Goal: Maintain reliable stock information without creating an overly complicated inventory process.

Main Pain Point: Manual inventory records can become difficult to maintain accurately as transactions and product volume increase.

Current Alternative: Spreadsheet-based stock tracking is confirmed for some customers and should be treated as a genuine alternative rather than assuming they immediately need new software.

Information Need: Practical guidance around reorder decisions, stock discrepancies and maintaining accurate records.

Important Unknowns: Business size, transaction volume, willingness to pay, software preferences and purchase authority should remain research gaps rather than being invented as persona characteristics.

Validation Priority: Interview customers about the last time they discovered an inventory discrepancy, how they investigated it and what they found difficult about their current method.

Improve the result

Build personas that improve real decisions.

01

Don't invent a fictional biography

A useful persona explains customer behavior, needs and decision context. An invented age, salary, family situation or favorite social network rarely improves the strategy without evidence.

02

Treat doing nothing as competition

Your customer may continue using a spreadsheet, manual process or existing supplier instead of buying. Understanding why is often more useful than only studying direct competitors.

03

Research the assumptions that matter

Prioritize unknowns that could change your product, pricing, messaging or sales strategy instead of collecting customer details simply because they are easy to ask.