# Suggested prompts in the empty AI state

> Seed the blank AI box with realistic starter prompts so users can borrow a good first move instead of freezing at an empty input.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/suggested-prompts-in-empty-ai-state/
- Source: [newsletter.posthog.com](https://newsletter.posthog.com/p/what-weve-learned-about-building)
- GrowthDex source hub: [PostHog Newsletter](/sources/posthog-newsletter-newsletter-posthog-com-2/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-26
- Rarity: uncommon
- Budget: free
- Channels: Onboarding, Activation, Retention
- Stages: ai products, activation, ux, prompting


## Why this can grow

Blank inputs ask the user to do product design in public. They have to imagine what the AI can do, translate that into a prompt, and take the risk of looking wrong if the product disappoints. Suggested prompts remove that cognitive tax. They turn the first session into selection instead of invention, teach the shape of good requests, and give the product more chances to create an early success that users can then adapt to their own work.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where suggested prompts in the empty ai state can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Onboarding and Activation channel.
3. Use the evidence from newsletter.posthog.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

PostHog added prompt suggestions after seeing users open Max AI, stare at the empty box, and forget the kinds of product questions the assistant could actually answer.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Workflow-first AI demand validation](/growth-ideas/workflow-first-ai-demand-validation/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 2 shared stages
- [Task-based model routing for AI speed](/growth-ideas/task-based-model-routing-for-ai-speed/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 2 shared stages
- [Layered context injection for AI answers](/growth-ideas/layered-context-injection-for-ai-answers/) - same source, 1 shared channel, 3 shared stages
- [AI install wizard for 90-second setup](/growth-ideas/ai-install-wizard-for-90-second-setup/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The AI feature only feels smart after the first useful minute](/blog/the-ai-feature-only-feels-smart-after-the-first-useful-minute/) - ai products, activation, product UX

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.