Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly taken over our day-to-day lives; it’s in our emails, our phones, and now, increasingly, in our mortgage practices. For UK mortgage advisers, AI offers powerful tools to streamline administrative processes, personalise client service, and even supercharge marketing efforts. The key to unlocking its full potential, though, lies in one essential skill: prompting.
In this article, we’ll explore how to ‘prompt like a pro’; which essentially means writing effective, targeted instructions that help AI deliver exactly what you need. Whether you're automating emails, generating content, or analysing data, good prompting can mean the difference between a useful assistant and a frustrating waste of time.
Why prompting matters in mortgage advising
Prompting is how humans interact with AI tools like ChatGPT or other language models. Think of it as giving clear instructions to a very fast, very eager trainee. This digital trainee is fluent in English, compliance jargon, and mortgage market terminology, but needs direction.
The better your prompt, the more useful the output. Poor prompting, on the other hand, can result in vague, generic, or even misleading information. For mortgage advisers juggling compliance requirements, client expectations, and time constraints, getting this right is vital.
Common AI use cases for mortgage advisers
AI isn't just for writing blog posts, as it can enhance almost every part of a mortgage adviser's workflow. Below are some of the most impactful ways UK mortgage advisers are leveraging AI tools today, along with tips for getting the most out of each use case:
Client communication and engagement
AI can help you maintain consistent, timely communication with prospects and clients without adding to your workload. Whether drafting tailored follow-up emails after a consultation or creating automated appointment reminders, AI can really help you effectively engage with clients. It can even be used to help inform customers by writing clear explanations of mortgage terms or next steps.
Marketing and content creation
Whether you're nurturing leads through newsletters or building credibility via LinkedIn, AI can help you produce high-quality, audience-specific content at scale. It’s great at generating blog articles that explain mortgage trends, rates or processes. It’s also versatile enough to help with your social media posts to help promote your brand in a more organic way. It’s even useful in sales, as it can write lead magnets such as guides for first-time buyers or remortgaging checklists.
Regulatory and compliance support
While AI cannot replace human compliance checks, it can assist with summarising complex regulations, drafting policy templates, or creating staff training material. For example, AI is really good at condensing FCA guidance into digestible summaries. You can also have AI draft internal policies or onboarding documents or create training documents for junior advisers.
Always cross-check the generated content with the latest FCA guidance, as AI models may not always reflect up-to-date regulations. You can make this a little easier by using an industry-focused AI platform such as MortgagX, as it will be kept up-to-date with the latest FCA regulations.
Document summarisation and admin support
One of the biggest time-savers AI offers is help with paperwork. Mortgage advisers can use AI to condense long documents or create first drafts of standard reports. Whether that’s summarising lender criteria sheets or extracting key details from client case files, AI is a fantastic time saver.
Lead qualification and segmentation
AI can help mortgage advisers better understand their databases and target the right clients with the right messages. This might mean having it analyse past enquiries to identify trends such as the surge in buy-to-let interest. It is also great for drafting personalised outreach messages based on lead profiles. You can even feed anonymised lead data into AI tools to generate insights or suggest marketing strategies without breaching data protection rules.
Presentation and proposal writing
If you're preparing proposals for introducers, clients, or lender meetings, AI can help you organise your ideas and polish your pitch. This includes:
• Drafting slides or summaries for client recommendation meetings.
• Creating proposal documents for estate agents or business partners.
• Generating scripts or Q&A briefs for webinars or seminars.
Ongoing client education
AI can also help you stay visible between deals by delivering educational, value-led content that positions you as a trusted adviser. It is adept at writing regular email newsletters to help keep your audience informed while also championing your brand. This can be expanded to include short guides on remortgaging, buy-to-let, or Help to Buy schemes.
The anatomy of a great prompt
A good prompt includes context, instructions, and often a desired format. Here's a simple structure to follow to get you started with writing great prompts:
Be clear and specific
Tell the AI exactly what you want. Instead of saying “write something about mortgages,” try using clearer and specific language. For example: “Write a 200-word blog post explaining the difference between fixed rate and tracker mortgages for first-time buyers in the UK.”
Add context
Include who the audience is, what tone you want, or the purpose of the content. This will help guide the AI towards writing content that is both contextual and purpose-driven. For example: “Act as a UK-based mortgage adviser speaking to a couple in their early 30s with limited knowledge of how mortgages work. Keep the tone friendly and informative.”
State the format
Do you want a list, a blog, a table, or a script? Make sure you convey the format of the content to the AI to help it create the right type. For example: “Create a comparison table of three common mortgage types: fixed rate, tracker, and variable.”
Give examples (if needed)
If you have a preferred style or format, share a sample. AI tools can mimic tone or structure when provided with an example.
Avoiding common prompting pitfalls
Even experienced advisers can stumble when using AI. There’s a fair amount of nuance with great prompting that comes with time and experience. However, there are a few common pitfalls that you can avoid early by knowing about them. These include:
Vague prompts
“Write about mortgages” is too broad. Narrow it down with who it’s for, what it's about, and why it matters.
Forgetting compliance
AI doesn't automatically follow FCA guidelines. Always fact-check and ensure any output meets regulatory requirements.
Overloading the prompt
Avoid cramming too many tasks into one go. Break large tasks into manageable parts for better results.
Get more out of AI with great prompts
Prompting may sound technical, but it’s really just about asking better questions. As AI becomes more embedded in the mortgage industry, the advisers who know how to guide it clearly, ethically, and strategically will be the ones who stand out. So don’t wait for the tech wave to pass. Start experimenting today, and prompt like a pro.
