The referral ask that isn't begging
Rung 3 of 10 · Audience persona
1 · Learn the move · Audience persona
A referral blast to 'past clients' lands like a flyer. Write to one person instead: build the persona of a specific past client — the job, the moment they were happiest, who they know — and write the note to them. The audience persona pattern makes the AI hold that one reader in mind, and the ask becomes specific: not 'know anyone?' but 'who on your street has been talking about their kitchen?' Ten personalized notes beat one blast to a hundred.
You are a referral-note writer. Here's one past client persona: [name, job we did, the moment they loved, who they likely know]. Write a 3-part note to that one person: a specific callback to their job, a one-line status ('we're booking [season]'), and one narrow ask naming who they might know. Under 90 words, sounds like me texting, no 'valued customer' voice.2 · Your turn. You write the prompt
Your spring pipeline is thin and your best 12 past clients have never been asked for a referral once. First up: the Naylors — you built their screened porch two years ago, they host half the cul-de-sac on it, and Mr. Naylor still emails you photos every Fourth of July. Write the prompt for that note.
Remember: the AI sees only your prompt, not this page. If the situation isn't in your prompt, it doesn't exist.
Optional. These shape the output when you run your prompt below, not your score.