25 AI Prompts for Exporters: Market Research, Buyer Emails, Quotations and Documents

What makes a good AI prompt for exporters? (direct answer)

A good export prompt has five parts: a role ("act as an export marketing consultant for Indian SMEs"), a context block with your real product, market and terms, a specific task, an output format (table, email, checklist, 150 words), and a verification instruction that tells the model to mark anything it is unsure of instead of guessing. Generic prompts fail because they are missing parts two and five, not because the model is weak.
Think of it the way you would brief a new export executive. You would not say "write to a buyer". You would say who we are, what we sell, at what grade and price basis, to which market, and what we want from this message. The prompt is that briefing, written once and reused.

Start here: the exporter context block

Fill this in once, save it in a note, and paste it at the top of every prompt in this article. It is the single change that moves AI output from generic to usable.

CONTEXT: We are [company name], an Indian [manufacturer / merchant exporter] of [product, with grade or specification]. HS code (to be verified): [code]. Our packing options are [pack sizes]. MOQ is [quantity]. Certifications: [FSSAI, ISO, organic, GMP, none yet]. Current export markets: [countries, or "none yet, this will be our first"]. Target market for this task: [country or region]. Price basis we quote on: [FOB Mundra / CIF Jebel Ali / other]. Payment terms we prefer for a first order: [advance percentage or letter of credit]. Our differentiator: [what makes you a safer or better supplier, in one line]. Tone: professional, plain English, no marketing exaggeration.

Two rules for the block. Keep it factually true, because everything downstream inherits its errors. And keep it short: eight to twelve lines is enough, and it fits in every model's context window without crowding out the task. Below, every prompt begins with, which means "paste the block above, then this prompt".

Group 1: Market research and market selection (prompts 1 to 5)

1. Shortlist three target markets to investigate
   Act as an export market analyst. Suggest three countries worth investigating for this product, and three to avoid for now. For each country, give: why it may fit (demand, price band, buyer type), the main barrier (tariff, certification, logistics, competition), and the two things I must verify before committing. Present as a table. Do not state import volumes, tariff percentages or market sizes as facts; where a number matters, tell me which source to check instead.
2. Build a market comparison scorecard
   Create a scorecard I can use to compare three export markets. Rows should be the decision factors that matter for my product (demand fit, price realisation, certification burden, logistics cost and time, payment risk, competitive intensity, ease of first order). Columns: Market A, B, C. Give me the scoring rule for each row (what a 1, 3 and 5 look like) so I can fill it in from my own research. Leave all cells blank.
3. Understand what a market requires before I approach buyers
   For the target market above, list the categories of requirement I should investigate before approaching buyers: product standards and labelling, certification and registration, packaging rules, documentation, and any category-specific approvals. For each category, name the type of authority or body that governs it and what I should ask a freight forwarder or consultant to confirm. Flag clearly that specific rules change and must be verified at source.
4. Read the price positioning of a market
   Help me think through price positioning in the target market. Explain the likely tiers of buyer (importer-distributor, wholesaler, retail brand, processor), what each tier typically cares about most, what each usually expects on packaging, MOQ and payment terms, and how my price basis should change by tier. Ask me three questions whose answers would sharpen this analysis.
5. Turn trade data into a shortlist rationale
   I am pasting trade data I exported from ITC Trade Map for my HS code. Read it and write a one-page rationale for the two markets that look most promising, based only on what is in this data. Structure: what the data shows, what it does not show, the two markets I should investigate first, and the three checks I must do before I act. Do not add any figures that are not in the data I pasted.

Before you use Group 1 output: treat every number as unverified until you have it from ITC Trade Map, UN Comtrade or an official tariff source. AI is useful here for structure, questions and reasoning, not for facts. Our ITC Trade Map tutorial covers where the real numbers come from.

Group 2: Buyer discovery and qualification (prompts 6 to 10)

A caution before the prompts: AI cannot find you buyers. Ask any assistant for "ten importers of turmeric in Dubai with emails" and it will produce a list that looks convincing and is invented. Use this group to define who you are looking for and to qualify the buyers you find through data, fairs and platforms.

6. Define the buyer profile I am looking for
   Define the ideal buyer profile for this product in the target market. Cover: type of company, likely annual volume, the job titles that handle sourcing, what they are measured on, the three things that make them switch supplier, and the three objections they will raise with a new Indian supplier. Do not name real companies or people.
7. Build a verification checklist for one buyer
   I am evaluating a potential buyer. Build me a verification checklist covering identity, business registration, evidence they actually import my category, and contact validity. For each item, tell me what a pass looks like, what a fail looks like, and what to ask the buyer directly. Keep it to one page I can reuse.
8. Analyse a buyer's website before I write to them
   I am pasting text from a prospective buyer's website. Tell me: what they appear to sell and to whom, whether they look like an importer, distributor or retailer, which of my products could fit them, what is missing from their site that I should ask about, and three specific things I can reference in my first email to show I have read their business. Base your answer only on the text I pasted.
9. Prepare qualification questions for the first call
   Write 12 questions for a 20-minute first call with a prospective buyer, ordered from easy to sensitive. Cover their current sourcing, volumes, specifications, packaging, payment practice and decision process. For each question, add one line on what a concerning answer sounds like.
10. Score an inquiry that just arrived
    I am pasting an inquiry I received. Summarise what the buyer is asking for, list what is missing that I need before quoting, flag anything in the message that should make me cautious, and draft three clarifying questions I should send before I spend time on a quotation. Do not assume facts that are not in the message.

Group 3: Outreach emails and follow-ups (prompts 11 to 15)

These export email prompts assume the buyer knows nothing about you and owes you no reply, which is the only useful assumption to write from.

11. First-contact email to a specific buyer
    Write a first-contact email to the buyer described here: [paste what you know about them]. Rules: under 150 words, subject line under 60 characters, no flattery, no "we are the leading", one specific reason I am writing to them, one concrete offer (specification sheet or sample terms), one clear ask (a 20-minute call). Plain English a non-native speaker reads easily. Give me two subject line options.
12. Build a five-touch follow-up sequence
    Build a five-touch follow-up sequence over 14 days for a buyer who has not replied to my first email. Mix channels: email, LinkedIn, one WhatsApp message if a number is available. Each touch must add something new (a specification detail, a market reference, a packaging option, a sample offer), never "just following up". Give the day, the channel and the full text of each message.
13. LinkedIn connection note and first message
    Write a LinkedIn connection note (under 300 characters) and a first message (under 120 words) to a sourcing manager at a company that imports my category. No pitch in the connection note. The first message should reference something specific about their business and end with a question that is easy to answer.
14. Rewrite my email so a buyer trusts it
    Here is an email I wrote: [paste]. Rewrite it to sound like a supplier an international buyer would take seriously. Cut length by at least a third, remove anything unverifiable, replace vague claims with specifics from my context block, and fix any English that reads awkwardly to a native or business-fluent reader. Then list what you changed and why, so I can write better next time.
15. Answer a price objection without dropping price
    A buyer says my price is higher than another supplier. Draft a reply that: acknowledges the comparison, asks two questions that surface what is actually being compared (grade, packing, incoterm, payment terms, quality assurance), restates my value in one line, and offers one concession that costs me least. Under 140 words, calm and professional.

Before you use Group 3 output: read every draft aloud once and cut anything you would not say on a call. Then put the sequence into a tracker rather than your memory; our export outreach system explains how the touches are logged. If you want the email itself pulled apart line by line, see our guide to export inquiry emails buyers answer.

Group 4: Quotations, pricing and negotiation (prompts 16 to 20)

16. Structure a professional quotation
    Give me the structure of a professional export quotation for this product and market: every section, in order, with a one-line note on what belongs in each and the three mistakes new exporters make in it. Include validity, incoterm, packing, delivery schedule, payment terms and bank details placement. Leave all prices and numbers blank for me to fill.
17. Build my cost build-up checklist for a CIF price
    List every cost line I must include when I build a CIF price for this product to the target market, grouped by stage (ex-works, inland to port, port and documentation, freight, insurance, finance and risk, margin). For each line, note who normally quotes it to me. Do not estimate any amounts; this is a checklist I will price myself.
18. Check my proforma invoice before I send it
    Here is my draft proforma invoice: [paste]. Check it against what an international buyer and their bank normally expect. List anything missing, anything ambiguous, and anything that could cause a problem under a letter of credit. Do not rewrite it; give me a numbered list of corrections.
19. Prepare a negotiation brief before a buyer call
    Prepare a one-page negotiation brief for a call with this buyer: [paste what you know]. Include my likely walk-away point given my costs (I will fill the numbers), the three concessions I can make in order of cost to me, the three I should not make, the two questions I must ask, and the four objections I should expect with a one-line response to each.
20. Draft payment terms language for a first order
    Draft the payment terms paragraph for a first order with a new buyer, offering an advance percentage with the balance against documents, and an alternative letter of credit option. Write it in plain, polite language that explains why a first order works this way without sounding distrustful. Then list the questions I should ask my bank before I send it.

Before you use Group 4 output: never let a model produce a number you will quote. Costs come from your suppliers, forwarder, bank and insurer; incoterm definitions come from the ICC rules; duty and classification come from official tariff sources. Use AI for the structure and the wording, then fill the figures yourself.

Group 5: Documents, product copy and daily admin (prompts 21 to 25)

21. List the documents I need to investigate for a shipment
    For a shipment of this product to the target market, list the documents typically involved, grouped into commercial, transport, regulatory and payment. For each, say who issues it, who needs it and what commonly goes wrong. State clearly at the top that requirements vary by product and destination and must be confirmed with my freight forwarder and the relevant authority.
22. Turn my specification into a buyer-ready one-pager
    Here are my product details: [paste your raw specification]. Turn them into a one-page product sheet for an international buyer: product name and grade, specification table, packing options, MOQ, lead time, certifications, port and price basis, contact block. Flag any field where my information is incomplete rather than filling it in.
23. Write website and catalogue copy for international buyers
    Write the product section of my website for an international buyer audience: a 40-word intro, a specification table, packing and MOQ, certifications, and a short "why buy from us" of three bullets, each with a concrete proof point I must supply. No superlatives, no "world class", no claims I have not given you.
24. Summarise a long buyer thread and give me the next actions
    Here is an email thread with a buyer: [paste]. Summarise where the conversation stands in five lines, list what the buyer has asked for that I have not yet answered, list what I asked that they have not answered, and give me the three next actions with a suggested date for each.
25. Run my weekly pipeline review
    Here is my buyer pipeline: [paste your tracker rows: buyer, market, stage, last touch, next step]. Act as a sales coach. Tell me which five buyers deserve my time this week and why, which to drop and why, which have gone stale because I did not follow up, and what one habit would most improve this pipeline. Be direct.

Before you use Group 5 output: document lists and regulatory summaries are starting points for a conversation with your forwarder or consultant, never a compliance answer. For the copy prompts, check the result against what buyers actually look for in a supplier before you publish it.

What AI gets wrong for exporters (read this before you use anything above)

AI assistants invent facts confidently. For export work the recurring failures are: fabricated buyer companies, contact names, emails and phone numbers; wrong or outdated HS codes; invented duty rates, tariff percentages and market sizes; outdated regulatory requirements; and plausible but fictional trade statistics. AI cannot confirm a buyer is real. That needs a 4-level verification check, done outside the chatbot. The rule that keeps you safe is simple: AI drafts and structures, sources verify. Nothing produced by a model should reach a buyer, a bank or a customs form until you have checked it at source.

Task	Safe to use AI for	Never rely on AI for
Market selection	Framing, comparison structure, questions to ask, reading data you paste	Import volumes, growth rates, tariff rates, market size
Buyer discovery	Defining the buyer profile, qualification questions, analysing text you paste	Actual company names, contacts, emails, phone numbers
Outreach	Drafting, shortening, rewriting, sequencing, language quality	Claims about your product or certifications you have not given it
Quotation and pricing	Structure, wording, checklists, negotiation preparation	Any cost, freight rate, insurance rate or final price
Documents and compliance	Explaining what a document is for, checking your draft for gaps	Whether a specific document or approval is required for your shipment

Two habits make this practical. First, add to any prompt where facts matter: "mark anything you are not certain about and tell me which source to check". Second, keep a short verification list beside your desk: trade data from ITC Trade Map or UN Comtrade, classification and procedure from DGFT and the customs tariff, incoterms from the ICC rules, product requirements from your export promotion council, buyer identity from the registry of the buyer's country.

How to adapt these prompts to your own product

The prompts above are written to be edited, not obeyed. Four adjustments make them yours:

1. Replace the placeholders with your reality, including the awkward parts. "Certifications: none yet" produces better advice than pretending you have them.
2. Name the output format you want. A table, 150 words, five bullets, a one-page brief. Vague format instructions are the second most common cause of unusable output, after missing context.
3. Give an example of good. Paste one email or quotation you were happy with and say "match this tone and level of detail". Models copy patterns better than they follow adjectives.
4. Iterate in two steps, not one. Ask for an outline or a list of questions first, correct it, then ask for the full draft. One-shot prompting is where quality is lost.

A 60-minute practice plan

If you have an hour, use it in this order rather than trying all 25 prompts at once:

1. Minutes 0 to 10: write your context block and save it where you can paste it quickly.
2. Minutes 10 to 25: run prompts 1 and 2 for one product, and note every number the model produced that you would need to verify.
3. Minutes 25 to 40: run prompt 6, then prompt 11 for one real prospect, and compare the email with the last one you actually sent.
4. Minutes 40 to 55: run prompt 14 on an email you sent last month, and read the list of changes it suggests. This is usually the moment exporters see the value.
5. Minutes 55 to 60: save the three prompts that worked into a document. Three prompts you use weekly beat twenty-five you read once.

Exporters who want to do this with guidance can join the ₹99 live workshop (one to two hours). We run the prompts live on participants' own products, show where the output goes wrong, and answer questions. The prompts on this page are complete and free; the workshop is for adapting them to your product with someone watching your screen, and it is also where we explain the full six-level program if you want to go further.

Mistakes exporters make with AI prompts

• Pasting a prompt without the context block, then blaming the model for generic output.
• Sending an AI-written email without reading it aloud once.
• Letting a model produce prices, freight rates or duty percentages.
• Trusting a list of "buyers" a model generates, instead of finding buyers in trade data and verifying them.
• Asking for a finished document in one prompt instead of an outline, a correction and then the draft.
• Collecting hundreds of prompts and using none. Keep the three you actually run every week.
• Using AI to sound impressive. Buyers respond to specific and plain, not to polished and vague.

AI prompts for exporters work when they carry the context of a real export business: your product, grade, market, terms and constraints. With the context block at the top of this article and the 25 prompts below it, you can research a market, define and qualify buyers, write outreach that reads like a supplier worth answering, structure quotations and clean up your documents and admin, in a fraction of the time it takes today.
Then draw the line clearly. AI drafts, structures and rewrites. It does not find you buyers, price your shipment or tell you what customs requires. Real market data comes from trade sources, real buyers come from data and verification, and real numbers come from your own suppliers and bank. Get that division right and AI for export business work becomes the most useful assistant you have. Get it wrong and it becomes a very confident source of expensive mistakes. If you want to see these prompts run on your own product, join the next ₹99 live workshop. If you would rather start with your buyer list, send us 10 leads and we will verify them free.