How to Use AI Tools as an Insurance Agent (Without Getting Overwhelmed)
Author: Jo Barker
Quick Answers
How can insurance agents use AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude?
Insurance agents can use AI tools to create content, write follow-up emails, brainstorm post ideas, and build their personal brand online. The key is to set the tool up correctly first so it understands who you are, then start with one task and get good at it before moving on.
Which AI tool is best for insurance agents, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude?
All three can help you with content and marketing tasks. ChatGPT is the most widely used and has the largest library of tutorials. Microsoft Copilot is built into Microsoft 365 which many agents already use. Claude tends to produce longer, more conversational writing. Try the one that fits your existing tools and stick with it.
What should an insurance agent use AI for first?
Start by setting up your AI tool so it knows who you are. Then use it to interview you about your business. Use those answers to create your first piece of content. Master that one workflow before you try anything else.
Will AI make my content sound like me?
Only if you train it to. Out of the box, AI sounds generic. The agents who get the best results spend time upfront teaching their tool who they are, how they speak, and who they serve. After that, the content it helps you create actually sounds like you.
Every week I talk to agents who are excited about AI tools and completely overwhelmed at the same time. They have signed up for ChatGPT, maybe poked around in Copilot, heard someone mention Claude, and watched a dozen YouTube videos about prompts.
And then they have done nothing with it. Or they have started five different things and finished none of them.
Sound familiar?
Here is what I tell every agent I work with. The problem is not the tool. The problem is that nobody told you where to start. So you started everywhere, which is the same as starting nowhere.
Train your AI like you would train a new assistant. Make sure it knows you before you let it speak for you.
That is the principle behind everything in this post. By the end you are going to know exactly where to start, what to do first, and how to build from there at your own pace.
First, let’s clear something up about the tools
ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude are all large language models. That is just a fancy way of saying they are AI tools that understand and generate text. They are not the same product but they do similar things, and for what we are going to talk about today, any of them will work.
Here is a quick way to think about each one:
- ChatGPT (by OpenAI) is the most widely used and has the most tutorials and examples available. Great starting point if you are brand new.
- Microsoft Copilot is built into Microsoft 365. If you already use Word, Outlook, or Teams, this one fits naturally into your existing workflow.
- Claude (by Anthropic) tends to write in a more conversational tone and handles longer pieces of content well. Good if you want output that feels more human.
Pick one. Not all three. The tool matters a lot less than how you use it.
Step one: Set up your tool before you ask it to do anything
This is the step most agents skip and it is the reason their content comes out sounding generic. When you open a new AI tool and just start typing questions, it has no idea who you are. It is going to give you the same answer it would give any insurance agent on the planet.
Think about it this way. If you hired a new assistant and handed them the phone on day one without any introduction, you would not be surprised if they said the wrong things. The same principle applies here.
Here is what to tell your AI tool upfront. You can paste this in as your first message or save it in the custom instructions settings:
Sample Setup Prompt:
I am [Your Name], a licensed insurance agent based in [City, State]. I specialize in [your niche, e.g. Medicare, life insurance, health insurance for small businesses]. My clients are typically [describe your ideal client]. My communication style is warm, straightforward, and conversational. I do not use insurance jargon or corporate language. I want my content to sound like me talking to a client across the table, not like a press release. When I ask you to help me write something, always write in first person, keep it simple, and make it feel human. Never use em dashes. Do not start sentences with I when possible.
Fill in the blanks with your actual information and save this somewhere you can paste it quickly. Every time you start a new chat, drop this in first. Now the tool knows who it is working with.
Step two: Let it interview you
This is my favorite thing to teach agents and the one that gets the biggest reaction every time. Instead of sitting there trying to figure out what to write, flip it around. Let the AI ask you the questions.
Here is the prompt to use after your setup message:
Interview Prompt:
I want to create a LinkedIn post about [topic, e.g. why referrals are not enough anymore]. Instead of writing it for me right away, I want you to interview me first. Ask me five questions one at a time. Use my answers to write the post in my voice after we are done.
What happens next is the part agents love. The AI starts asking you real questions about your experience, your clients, and your perspective. You answer in your own words. It uses those answers to write something that actually sounds like you, because it literally came from you.
This one workflow alone can produce weeks of content. And it takes the blank page problem completely off the table.
Step three: Use it for inspiration posts, not just finished content
Once you have the interview workflow down, the next thing to add is using your AI tool for inspiration. This is different from asking it to write something for you. You are asking it to help you think.
Here are a few prompts that work well for this:
Inspiration Prompts to Try:
- Give me 10 LinkedIn post ideas for an insurance agent who specializes in Medicare. Focus on posts that educate without selling.
- What questions do people ask Google about life insurance that I could answer in a short blog post?
- I want to post about a common mistake clients make when picking their coverage. Give me five angles I could take.
- What are the most searched questions agents ask about marketing themselves online? Give me alist I can turn into content.
Use these outputs as a starting point, not a finished product. Pick the idea that resonates, go back to the interview method, and let the AI pull the real content out of you.
The rule that keeps everything on track
Here is the mistake I see over and over. An agent discovers the interview method, loves it, and then immediately wants to use the AI for email campaigns, website copy, follow-up sequences, social media, video scripts, and a newsletter all in the same week.
And then they finish none of it.
The fortune is in the follow through. That applies to AI just as much as it applies to everything else in your marketing.
Here is the rule I want you to follow:
Pick one task. Do it ten times. Then add the next one.
For most agents that first task should be the interview method for LinkedIn posts. Do it ten times. Get comfortable with how to guide the tool, how to give good answers, and how to edit the output so it sounds exactly like you. Once that feels easy, add the next workflow.
What AI should never do for you
There is a version of this that goes wrong and I want to be direct about it. If you hand your AI tool a topic and publish whatever it gives you without reading it, adding your voice, or making sure it is accurate, your content is going to feel hollow. People can tell.
Your clients trust you because they know you. Your content has to reflect that. AI is a tool to help you show up more consistently and more confidently. It is not a replacement for your experience, your judgment, or your personality.
Always read what it produces. Always add one thing that only you would know. And never post anything you would not say out loud to a client sitting across from you.
Your action plan for this week
Here is exactly what to do. One step at a time.
- Pick your tool. ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude. Just pick one and stick with it.
- Write your setup prompt using the template in this post. Fill in your name, location, niche, and tone.
- Open a new chat, paste your setup prompt, and read back what it says to confirm it understood you.
- Use the interview method to create your first LinkedIn post. Let it ask you five questions. Answer honestly. See what it creates.
- Edit the output until it sounds exactly like you. Then post it.
- Do the same thing next week. And the week after that.
That is it. Six steps. Do not add anything else until you have done those six things at least four times.
Final thought
AI tools are not going to replace good insurance agents. But agents who know how to use them are going to have a real advantage over agents who do not. The gap is not about the technology. It is about who actually puts in the work to learn one thing at a time and follows through.
You do not need to be a tech person. You just need to treat this like you would treat training any new assistant. Teach it who you are. Give it clear direction. Check its work. And let it help you show up consistently for the people who need to find you.
Start with one task. Follow through. The rest will build from there.
About the Author
Jo Barker is a licensed insurance agent and digital marketing expert specializing in SEO, AEO, GEO, and personal branding. She helps agents and advisors build a real online presence that generates leads, builds trust, and grows their business. Connect with her at MarketingMentors.AmeriLife.com.
