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Prompt Engineering

How to write effective prompts for the Kinetic Email AI Playground to get the best results.

Use the Config Tabs First​

Most structured settings now live in the playground's five config tabs, so you don't have to spell them out in the prompt:

  • Email Type — ecommerce, newsletter, transactional, etc.
  • Kinetic Features — pick up to 2 techniques (Tabs, Accordion, Survey, Quiz, Menu, Carousel, Item Cart)
  • Color Scheme — custom colors, or apply a brand to lock its full design system
  • Images — upload named images for contextual placement
  • Products — select real products from the applied brand's catalog

Anything set in the tabs is injected into generation automatically — reserve the prompt for content, structure, and intent. You can also start from the homepage prompt box (or its starter-idea chips); the prompt carries through sign-up and prefills the playground.

Structured Prompts​

For details the config tabs don't cover, structured prompts with specific sections improve output quality. The RAG system parses these sections to filter relevant examples.

Create a [type] email for [brand/industry].

**Brand/Industry:** [brand name or industry]
**Email Purpose:** [ecommerce, newsletter, transactional, etc.]
**Kinetic Features:** [tabs, carousel, survey, etc.]
**Content Sections:** [list the sections you want]
**Color Palette:** [hex colors, e.g., #2563EB, #1E293B]
**Tone:** [professional, casual, playful, etc.]

Example Prompts​

Product Showcase with Tabs:

Create a product showcase email for a premium headphone brand.

**Brand/Industry:** AudioPro (consumer electronics)
**Email Purpose:** Product launch
**Kinetic Features:** Tabs, carousel
**Content Sections:** Hero banner, 4 product tabs (Features, Specs, Reviews, Buy), image carousel, CTA
**Color Palette:** #0F172A, #3B82F6, #F8FAFC
**Tone:** Premium, technical

Customer Survey:

Create a post-purchase feedback survey email.

**Brand/Industry:** E-commerce (fashion)
**Email Purpose:** Customer feedback
**Kinetic Features:** Survey
**Content Sections:** Thank you header, 3-question survey, thank you message
**Color Palette:** #7C3AED, #F5F3FF
**Tone:** Friendly, appreciative

Interactive Newsletter:

Create a weekly tech newsletter with expandable sections.

**Brand/Industry:** TechDigest (media)
**Email Purpose:** Newsletter
**Kinetic Features:** Accordion, tabs
**Content Sections:** Top stories (accordion), category tabs (AI, Web, Mobile), featured article, subscribe CTA
**Color Palette:** #059669, #ECFDF5
**Tone:** Informative, concise

Tips for Better Results​

  1. Specify the technique — Mentioning "tabs", "carousel", "survey" etc. triggers RAG filtering for relevant examples
  2. Include hex colors — The AI uses them directly. Always use 6-digit hex (#2563EB), never RGB
  3. List content sections — Be specific about what content blocks you want
  4. State the email purpose — Helps the AI choose appropriate layout patterns
  5. Mention the audience — "B2B", "consumer", "internal" changes the output significantly
  6. Keep tab sets small — Tabs have a mobile width budget (max 4 tabs; shorter labels the more tabs you use). A dedicated QA check flags emails that exceed the budget

What the AI Handles Automatically​

You don't need to specify these — the AI follows kinetic email rules automatically:

  • MSO conditional comments for Outlook fallback
  • 6 separate <style> block strategy
  • Lightswitch checkbox pattern
  • Triple-redundancy hiding for interactive elements
  • Table-based fallback for Outlook
  • Tracking pixel integration
  • Responsive design
  • Inline styles on shared/fallback content

Every generation also runs through 26 automated QA checks that produce a quality score — emails with qualifying failures earn a free regeneration.