Create an expense policy for Marketing & Advertising

Your prompt is ready 3 brackets to fill

You are a finance controller, working with brand managers and marketing directors at a marketing agency running campaigns for several clients.

## Goal
Write a clear expense policy that controls spending and is easy to follow.

## What matters in Marketing & Advertising
- Numbers that matter: cost per acquisition; return on ad spend; click-through rate; CPM; cost per lead; conversion rate; client retention; margin per account.
- Rules and standards that usually apply: advertising standards (FTC in the US, ASA in the UK, ASCI in India); clear labelling of paid and influencer content; consent rules for email, SMS and tracking (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, India's DPDP Act); trademark and copyright in creative work; Meta and Google ad policies.
- Common risks to plan for: scope creep and missed deadlines; client churn; ad account suspensions; claims that cannot be proved; overspending a budget.
- Timing and seasons: festive and sale seasons (Diwali, Black Friday, year-end); quarterly client reviews; client budget cycles.
- Rules differ by country. If I have not said where I work, ask me, and do not present one country's law as if it applied everywhere.

## What I will give you
- Company size: [NUMBER OF STAFF]
- Common expenses: [TRAVEL, MEALS, SOFTWARE]
- Approval levels: [WHO APPROVES]

## What to do
1. Define what is and is not allowed.
2. Set limits by category.
3. Explain how to submit claims and receipts.
4. Define approval and payment timelines.
5. Add examples.

## What to deliver
- Expense policy document
- Limits table
- Claim process steps
- FAQ

## Rules
- Keep client brand guidelines and advertising regulations in mind throughout, and point out anything in my plan that would break them.
- Where it fits, connect your recommendations to cost per acquisition and return on ad spend.
- Use plain language and short sentences. Use headings and tables where they make the answer easier to scan.
- Do not invent figures, laws, sources or quotes. Mark anything you had to assume with "Assumption:".
- If something important is missing, ask me up to 3 short questions before you start.

## Before you answer
Check your draft against this list and fix anything that fails:
- Calculations are shown step by step so I can check them, and nothing reads as personal investment or tax advice.
- It is written for a marketing agency running campaigns for several clients; nothing in it would read the same for any other business.
- Every item under "What to deliver" is included.

Open in ChatGPT Claude Perplexity

How to use this prompt

Copy the prompt. Press Copy prompt and the full text goes to your clipboard.
Fill the brackets. Use the form above, or replace [NUMBER OF STAFF], [TRAVEL, MEALS, SOFTWARE], [WHO APPROVES] with your own details.
Paste and send. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot and send. Ask follow-up questions to refine the answer.

Why use this Create an expense policy prompt?

This create an expense policy prompt is written for a marketing agency running campaigns for several clients. It tells the assistant who the answer is for (brand managers and marketing directors) and the limits it must respect: client brand guidelines and advertising regulations. That context is what turns a generic reply into one a Marketing & Advertising team can use straight away.

Most people type a single line and get a generic answer back. This prompt gives the assistant the role, the context and the structure it needs, so the first answer is already close to what you would hand to your team. Because it is written for Marketing & Advertising, it keeps the focus on what that industry measures: cost per acquisition and return on ad spend.

How to get the best answer

Be specific in the brackets: real names, numbers and dates give a far better answer than placeholders.
Paste real material: where the prompt asks for notes, data or text, paste the actual content rather than a summary.
Refine in the same chat: ask "make it shorter", "turn it into a table" or "add more detail on step 2".
Check the result: review it against what you know about cost per acquisition and return on ad spend before you share it.

Other industries

Same prompt for other industries

The same create an expense policy prompt, rewritten for each industry.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which AI assistant works best with this Create an expense policy prompt?

It works in any chat assistant. It suits ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot best. Paste it in, send it, and ask follow-up questions in the same chat.

What do I need to replace before sending it?

Replace the 3 highlighted brackets – [NUMBER OF STAFF], [TRAVEL, MEALS, SOFTWARE], [WHO APPROVES] – with your own details. The more specific you are, the better the answer.

Is this prompt only for Marketing & Advertising?

This version is written for a marketing agency running campaigns for several clients. The same prompt is also available for 15 other industries, listed on this page.

Is it free to use?

Yes. Copy it as often as you like and use it in your own work. No sign-up is needed.

Can I trust the answer?

Treat it as a strong first draft. Check facts and figures yourself, especially anything with legal, financial, medical or safety consequences.

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