Brain Driven Brands – Episode "16 Prompts to Rule Them All"

Host: Sarah Levinger
Date: December 22, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Sarah Levinger dives deep into the advanced neuromarketing secrets utilized by massive brands like True Classic, Spotify, and Plants vs. Zombies. The focus: how e-commerce brands can leverage powerful psychological tactics—and, most notably, use highly refined AI prompts—to consistently generate stand-out ad creative that captivates consumers, cuts costs, and boosts sales. Sarah demonstrates, in real time, her proprietary prompting framework with live ad copy makeovers and reveals how blending specific psychological processes in your prompts can supercharge AI ideation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Evolution of AI Prompts for Better Marketing Content

• Problem Identified: Sarah discusses her frustration with generic, "robotic" output from popular AI tools (Gemini Chat, Perplexity, etc.) (01:00).
  • "They just kept coming back with stuff that sounds robotic." – Sarah, (01:28)
• Solution: She creates internal prompts that specify which psychological process the AI should use during generation, rather than just asking for generic outputs.
  • "What if I tell chat which psychological process to use while it's generating copy?" – Sarah, (02:13)

2. Prompt Design: Mixing Psychological Processes

Sarah's system involves combining two psychological principles per prompt to push the AI further than typical single-focus requests.

a. Prompt Example 1: First Principles + Loss Aversion

• Case Ad: Chisos cowboy boots—original caption: “Made for the ranch, refined for everywhere else. Small batch cowboy boots built the way boots used to be built.” (03:18)
• Sarah’s prompt tells AI to generate ad concepts using "first principles thinking" alongside "loss aversion."
  • This structure pushes for big conceptual ideas (not full copy), which Sarah and co-host then craft into ad copy themselves (05:48).
  • Returned concept highlight:
    • "Every shortcut people take with cheap boots is quietly costing them more." (07:00)
    • Big idea: Create an ad that shows the life cycle of a budget boot—great at first, but quickly breaks down, ending up in a landfill within a year. (09:10)
      • "Day one, it looks great. Month four, the heel is starting to separate. Month eight, you’re googling best glue for boots. And by year one, it’s in the landfill.” – Sarah, (09:10)
• Tactic Insight: Use AI for ideation, but the final 10%—the “money-making” part—needs human creativity and refinement. (09:40, 09:49)

b. Prompt Example 2: Status Signaling + Open Loop

• Psychological Processes:
  • Status Signaling: Communicate social or elite status subtly.
  • Open Loop: Provide incomplete info to induce curiosity/click-through.
• Generated concepts:
  • "The boots people ask about. A certain kind of person doesn’t buy boots. They buy reputation. These boots insiders recognize instantly and everyone else asks about." (12:50)
  • "Real status whispers. These boots don’t shout. They signal—made for the ranch, fine for every room that came after." (15:06)
    • "Funny thing, the folks who know quality never ask the price. They ask the maker." – Sarah reading the AI-generated line, (15:22)
    • Co-host calls it an "absolute bar." (15:29)
• Tactic Insight: Combining "open loop" hooks with status cues creates intrigue and fosters deeper consumer desire.

c. Prompt Example 3: Open Curiosity + Reverse Psychology

• Psychological Processes:
  • Open Curiosity: Spark the "wait, what?" reaction.
  • Reverse Psychology: Challenge assumptions or provoke disagreement to increase interest.
• Notable concept:
  • “These boots aren’t for you. Tell the viewer they shouldn't wear these boots unless they've earned them. Then reveal the twist: The craftsmanship is so overbuilt, anyone benefits from these boots—not just ranch hands.” (17:34)
    • "Don’t buy these boots. You’re not ranch enough.” (17:43)
  • Both hosts riff on this, noting the emotional sting and urge to prove oneself (17:47).

3. Real-world Testing and Results

• Proof of Efficacy: Sarah’s prompt led to "one of the best performing ads" in a client’s account, generating six figures in spend. (02:19)
  • "It was made from a prompt that Sarah shared...I win." – Sarah, (02:50)
• Iterative Process: Sarah emphasizes giving the AI context and psychological mechanisms, but always edits the concepts for final output. (05:48, 09:49)

4. Ad Copy Guidance and Best Practices

• Use AI as a springboard, not a replacement.
• Layer multiple psychological tactics: More interesting prompts = more breakthrough ideas.
  • Sarah had success combining up to five processes.
• Quality messaging enables price increases:
  • "If you get good at this kind of messaging, you can raise your prices." – Nate (the co-host), (22:20)
  • Sarah references studies showing that richer, more emotional copy allows brands to charge more. (22:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI’s role:
  "AI can get us 90% of the way there. It's just that all the money is going to be made in the last 10%." – Nate, (09:40–09:49)

• On the “quiet luxury” hook:
  "Funny thing, the folks who know quality never ask the price. They ask the maker." – Sarah reading, (15:22)

• On emotional resonance and pricing:
  "If you get good at really descriptive, emotional copy, you can increase your prices. People are willing to pay more if it sounds like something that has a lot of lore inside of it." – Sarah, (22:53)

• On exclusivity as a motivator:
  "Don’t buy these boots. You’re not ranch enough." (17:43) and host: "Why do you think I rode bulls this summer?" – Nate, (17:47)

• On prompt design:
  "As long as you're telling it to do concepts, not like straight copy, it'll give you things that are like, that's pretty close. And I like the way that sounds. And we can take that and refine." – Sarah, (15:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:00 – Challenge with basic AI outputs; need for advanced prompts
• 02:13 – Epiphany: plugging psychological processes into prompts
• 03:18 – Example ad for Chisos boots selected for live prompt demo
• 05:48 – Why generating concepts before copy boosts ad quality
• 09:10 – "Life-cycle of a boot" concept developed (Loss aversion)
• 12:50 – Status signaling + open loop prompt generates powerful copy
• 15:06–15:22 – "Quiet flex" concept and standout quote
• 17:34 – Hybrid curiosity and reverse psychology prompt results
• 22:20 – Discussion on messaging quality and premium pricing
• 22:53 – Emotional copy's impact on ability to charge more

Tone & Style

The episode is lively and collaborative, filled with practical, real-talk marketing banter between Sarah and her co-host. The humor is irreverent, and the conversation is detail-rich, pulling examples from both wins and fails (including anecdotes about ad experiments that tanked). Sarah is candid about the iterative, experimental process, and the dynamic makes the episode educational yet very accessible.

Takeaways for E-commerce Marketers

• Use AI for ideation, not completion. Layer explicit psychological prompts so generated concepts are novel and effective.
• Mix at least two (or more) psychological mechanisms for better results: Combinations like "status signaling + open loop" or "loss aversion + first principles" yield more compelling creative angles than basic prompts.
• Concept-first, copy-second: Have AI generate creative directions; then, use your human skill to craft resonant copy.
• Great messaging = price power: Quality, emotional, and lore-rich messaging justifies and enables price increases.
• Iterate and refine: Even the best AI ideas need human nuance for maximum impact.

Resource Offer

Sarah closes by offering to share her three advanced prompts for testing and encourages listeners to report back with results. (23:21)

This episode is a masterclass in AI-enhanced, psychology-driven creative—a must-listen (and reference) for any 2026-ready marketer.