Have you been using AI wrong? This missing piece unlocks real results

This May marks Inman’s sixth annual Agent Appreciation Month. Look for profiles of top producers, opinions on the current state of the industry and tangible takeaways you can implement in your career today. Plus, the prestigious Future Leaders of Real Estate return this month, too.

Most agents and brokers are wasting time using AI all wrong. In a recent video from Michael Fielden Talks Tech, he introduced a strategy called the “Master Prompt” that I’d never heard anyone explain before. While it takes some effort to build on the front end, the master prompt approach will save you hours of time. Better yet, it allows the AI to create customized results exclusively for you that no competitor can replicate. 

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When real estate agents and brokers use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, virtually everyone makes the same type of generic request: 

• Write a follow-up email for my open house.
• Create a blog post about the San Antonio real estate market. 
• Give me scripts for prospecting expired listings.

Although these prompts work, they lack “context.” The AI response is generic, often robotic, sounds nothing like you and does nothing to promote your brand. That’s what a “master prompt” can fix. 

What is the Master Prompt Method? 

The “Master Prompt” is a way to pre-load AI tools with detailed information about you, your team and your business. This information lays the context for all your future prompts by providing the foundational information about who you are, what you do and how you do it.

Fielden described it like this: If you were working with a human marketing assistant, would you expect them to write an email campaign for your farm area without describing your target audience, the markets you serve and the services you provide? 

AI works the same way. By creating a single “master” document that provides the AI with a detailed profile of your business, you enable the AI to include that information in all your future prompts.

For example, your “AI Assistant” will know the following:

• Your name, voice and target market
• What types of clients you serve
• Your team setup and business structure
• The kind of listings and the types of buyers you specialize in
• Your brand and marketing approach (witty, direct, conversational?)
• Your step-by-step systems for completing tasks such as taking listings, conducting showings, writing offers and staying in contact while the property is under contract

“The master prompt is not part of the prompt that you make to get results. It’s the prompt that provides the context that allows the AI to build based upon additional data — this is completely different,” Fielden said. 

Why generic prompts are so ineffective

One of the most common commands agents make to ChatGPT is to “Write a listing description for my listing at XYZ address.” Agents often provide the features of the property, but what’s missing is the tone — is this a luxury listing or an entry-level condo? Is the property located in an urban area, in a nearby suburb or in a remote ranch area? Do you want a serious or humorous tone? 

Without this vital information, the AI’s output will be very generic. As ChatGPT said:

“Worse, you’ll have to keep repeating yourself in every conversation. You’ll waste time correcting or rewriting. You might even give up on the tool, thinking it’s not useful when it just didn’t have what it needed to succeed.”

A step-by-step process to build your master prompt

Fielden’s advice is to start simple — two or three pages is better than none. Over time, your goal is to build it to 10 and ultimately 20 pages or more. 

Step No. 1: Here’s an example of the prompts you can write once you have uploaded your master prompt. ChatGPT recommends the following: 

• Personal bio: Who you are, your voice, your tone (funny? professional? direct?)
• Company and brand: Your firm’s unique selling points
• Team setup: Even if you’re solo, list your title rep, preferred lender, transaction coordinator, etc.
• Markets: Where you operate and typical client profiles
• Products and services: Do you handle condos, probate, short sales, land, luxury?
• Systems and workflows: Your steps for open houses, listing launches, buyer onboarding, etc.
• Brand culture and values: What do you believe in? How do you show up?

 Here are two case studies that ChatGPT generated:

Agent 1: The luxury specialist 

Jennifer sells high-end homes in Naples, Florida. Her brand tone is elegant and concise. Her listing protocol includes drone footage, private open houses and international exposure.

When she loads her master prompt, it includes:

• • Her bio and tone preferences
  • Luxury-level marketing language
  • Typical home features and buyer profiles
  • A list of services she offers clients

When she types “Write a listing description for a $3.2M coastal home with 4 beds, pool and chef’s kitchen,” AI delivers a polished, brand-consistent description — no rewrites needed.

Agent 2: The first-time buyer guide

Ray works with young couples in Kansas City. He’s approachable, funny and educational. His buyers often use Down Payment Assistance (DPA) programs.

His master prompt includes:

• • His audience demographic
  • Jargon-free language preferences
  • Tips he gives clients about budgeting and loans
  • Information and resources for obtaining DPA programs
  • His go-to steps for writing offer letters and managing emotions

Now, when he asks, “Write an email explaining the inspection process,” AI sounds just like Ray — and his clients love it.

Fielden said that for the master prompt approach to work, it must be as detailed as possible. 

Step No. 2: Make your master prompt a living document 

Fielden recommends that the master prompt be updated monthly or quarterly. Has the market shifted? Have mortgage rates changed? Do you have a new team member? The more salient data the AI has, the better and more customized its outputs will be. 

“The more context you can provide, the better the result will be,” Fielden said. “While it might take 20 pages, that’s the investment that gives you a real return.”

Step No. 3: How to load into your AI tool 

Here are ChatGPT’s recommendations about how to load your master prompt with different AI tools.

• • ChatGPT: Paste the doc here and tell me: “Use this as my Master Prompt.” I’ll store it in our context. From then on, I’ll write in your voice and remember your workflows.
  • Claude (Anthropic): Go to your Claude profile settings and upload the document to preferences. It will apply that to every future chat.
  • Gemini (Google): Use Gemini Advanced and upload your file into memory when available.

Step No. 4: Creating prompt shortcuts

Once you have uploaded your master prompt into any of the AIs above, here are some prompts you can use: 

• • Write an Instagram carousel post based on my brand tone and target audience.
  • Create a follow-up text for open house visitors — buyer-focused, warm and concise.
  • Give me 3 blog headlines about buying duplexes in [City] using my preferred voice.
  • Generate a client email for my upcoming listing appointment using my staging checklist and style.

The benefits of using a master prompt

Agents who create a detailed master prompt will spend less time rewriting content, obtain higher quality outputs faster and maintain brand consistency across all the outputs their AI generates. 

In fact, Fielden said he’s repeatedly heard how effective the Master Prompt Method is at producing better quality results, improving productivity and increasing revenue. 

The action step you need to take today

If you’re using any of the main AI models, go to your website, your LinkedIn or other social media bio, and copy as much content from those sources as possible. If you have client recommendations or referrals, use those. You can also load in relevant sales for your market area, FAQS you may have written, and social media posts relevant to buyers and sellers.

While the front end of this process may take a little bit of time, the results your AI will generate will definitely be worth the effort.