What is Prompt Engineering and Why It’s Already a Must-Have Skill in Marketing
In recent years, artificial intelligence has shifted from being a distant promise to a present-day reality in the daily lives of marketing professionals. Tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Veo3, Gemini, among others, are changing the way we plan, create, and execute campaigns. And with this transformation came a new indispensable skill: Prompt Engineering.
The image below, for example, was generated by AI. Want to learn how to create something like this? Keep reading!
But after all... what is Prompt Engineering?
Simply put, Prompt Engineering is the ability to craft clear, objective, and strategic commands (the famous prompts) to get better responses from AI tools.
In other words, it’s not enough to open ChatGPT or any other AI platform and throw in a generic question hoping for a miracle. Those who master Prompt Engineering know how to guide the AI to deliver exactly what is needed: whether it’s a text with the right tone, an image with the desired style, or even a video with a personalized narrative.
It’s the new version of “knowing how to ask,” but now with much more strategic weight.
Why has Prompt Engineering become a must-have skill in marketing?
The market has changed. Content creation is faster, deadlines are shorter, and possibilities (thanks to AI) are almost endless. But none of this makes sense if there’s no one capable of extracting the best from these tools.
Here’s why mastering prompts has become a competitive advantage:
1. It improves the quality of your output
Those who know how to write good prompts can direct the AI to generate content that is more aligned with the brand voice, the audience, and the campaign goal.
2. It saves real time
Instead of spending hours tweaking a text or image after receiving poor AI results, professionals who master prompts get it right from the start—saving time and avoiding rework.
3. It boosts creativity
With well-structured prompts, AI stops being just an execution tool and becomes a creative partner—suggesting ideas, concept variations, and even different content formats.
4. It connects AI with strategy
Prompt Engineering isn’t just about “getting AI to answer.” It’s about connecting technology with strategic marketing thinking.
Practical examples of good marketing prompts
Example 1 – For text creation:
Generic prompt:
“Write an Instagram post about SEO.”
Strategic prompt:
“Create an Instagram post, up to 2200 characters, with a light and direct tone, explaining what SEO is and why it’s important for small businesses. Include a CTA inviting people to learn more.”
Example 2 – For image generation:
Generic prompt:
“Image of a store.”
Strategic prompt:
“Generate an image of a women’s clothing store, with a modern design, natural lighting, colorful clothes on racks, young audience, and late afternoon mood, in a realistic style for social media use.”
Real Example: How We Used Prompt Engineering for Loony Jeans
Here at Mark Publicidade, we don’t just talk about Prompt Engineering. We apply it—and with visible results.
Recently, we needed to increase the number of still product images for our client Loony Jeans, but all we had were editorial photoshoots with a real model.
Instead of doing a new shoot from scratch (which would take time and budget), we used Prompt Engineering with AI image generation tools to create a hybrid solution:
What we did:
We transformed the original editorial photo (with real background and model) into a still-style product image. Then, we applied the same Loony Jeans outfit to an AI-generated model, with entirely artificial recreation of pose, lighting, and setting.
Original photo of the model photographed:
Still-style photo
generated by AI:
Outfit applied to
AI-generated model:
The result:
A brand-new image, visually aligned with the catalog, with professional quality and consistent with the brand’s visual identity.
The secret:
A super-detailed prompt, with specific instructions about:
– Background type
– Pose style
– Lighting
– Skin tone and hair color of the new model
– Final resolution and image format
This was only possible because we mastered Prompt Engineering: knowing exactly how to guide the AI to achieve the result the client needed.
More than technology, what really makes the difference is the creative and strategic vision behind each command.
How to start developing this skill?
Read prompt best practices
Analyze top examples in the market
Test, fail, and adjust
And most importantly: understand the final goal of your content before asking anything from the AI
At the end of the day, technology only makes sense when accompanied by strategy, background knowledge, and critical thinking.
Prompt Engineering is not a passing trend. It’s a skill that’s already shaping the future (and present) of digital marketing.
If you work with content, media, creation, or strategy, mastering the art of talking to machines could be the difference between a mediocre delivery and a truly relevant result.
Here at Mark, we’ve already got the message: it’s not just about using AI… it’s about using it with purpose.
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Giovanna Marques
Graduated in Literature. She has experience in translation, text editing, and content creation. Currently, she is a copywriter at Mark Publicidade and strives for clear and didactic communication in her texts. She values versatility and creativity.