Context hint examples for 8 industries

Context hints are easiest to understand by example. For each industry below there's a weak hint, the kind people write when they copy a keyword list, and better ones that describe a real situation. Use them as patterns, then write your own from the conversations your customers have.

The rules behind them are in Writing context hints that match real conversations: one situation per hint, the person's own words, and the constraint that makes your product the right answer.

Ecommerce: a furniture shop

• Weak: “sofa beds”
• Better: “renter in a studio flat who needs a bed for occasional guests”
• Better: “choosing a sofa bed comfortable enough to sleep on every night”
• Why it works: each says who's asking and what matters to them, so the ad can answer it.

Travel: a boutique hotel in Lisbon

• Weak: “Lisbon hotel”
• Better: “couple planning a quiet long weekend in Lisbon without a car”
• Better: “where to stay on a first visit to Lisbon to walk to the sights”
• Why it works: the constraint, no car or a first visit, is exactly what a central hotel solves.

Local services: a plumber

• Weak: “plumber”
• Better: “boiler stopped working and no hot water this morning”
• Better: “landlord who needs a yearly gas safety check for a rental flat”
• Why it works: urgency and obligation are the moments a local service wins.

Software: invoicing for small businesses

• Weak: “invoicing software”
• Better: “freelancer chasing late payments from clients every month”
• Better: “small agency moving its invoicing out of spreadsheets”
• Why it works: it describes the pain the software removes, not the category it belongs to.

Education: an online coding course

• Weak: “learn to code”
• Better: “career changer wondering if they can learn to code in the evenings”
• Better: “choosing between a coding bootcamp and teaching yourself”
• Why it works: doubt and comparison are where people want guidance, and where an ad can give it.

Wellness: a yoga studio

• Weak: “yoga classes”
• Better: “complete beginner nervous about joining a yoga class”
• Better: “office worker looking for an evening class to unwind after work”
• Why it works: it speaks to the feeling or routine that brings people in, not just the activity.

Real estate: a letting agency

• Weak: “flats to rent”
• Better: “moving to Barcelona for work and looking for a flat to rent”
• Better: “landlord deciding whether to use a letting agent or manage the flat themselves”
• Why it works: tenants and landlords are two different conversations, so they get two ad groups.

Professional services: an accountant

• Weak: “accountant”
• Better: “freelancer filing a tax return for the first time”
• Better: “small business owner unsure whether to register for VAT”
• Why it works: a specific first or a specific worry is easier to answer than a job title.

Patterns to copy

• Name the person: freelancer, renter, career changer, landlord.
• Name the moment: the boiler has stopped, the first tax return, the first visit.
• Include the constraint: a small flat, no car, evenings only, a tight budget.
• Keep to one situation per hint. If it needs an “and”, it's probably two hints.
• Write each market's hints in its own language, the way people there describe the need, rather than translating them.

Refract drafts hints like these from your website for every ad group and market, and you can edit every one before you export. To see how they fit into a full campaign, read how to structure a scaled ChatGPT Ads campaign.