Stop Telling Copilot to ‘Be Creative’ – Here’s What to Say Instead
Last updated November 26, 2025
Last Thursday, a frustrated SaaS VP sent me her latest sales deck with a note: “I told Copilot to be creative. This is what I got.” The slides looked like a design student’s fever dream. Random gradients. Mismatched fonts. Stock images that had nothing to do with enterprise software. One slide had a sunset photo with the heading “Revenue Optimization Strategy.”
Here’s what I’ve learned testing PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts on over 50 client decks in banking, biotech, and consulting: “Be creative” is the worst thing you can tell Copilot.
It doesn’t make your slides better. It makes them unpredictable, off-brand, and often unusable.
After 35 years creating presentations and 18 months testing every PowerPoint Copilot update on real client work — including £100M+ pitches — I can tell you exactly what to say instead.
Why “Be Creative” PowerPoint Copilot Prompts Fail
When you tell Copilot to “be creative,” you’re asking an AI to interpret a completely subjective term without any constraints or direction.
Think about it from Copilot’s perspective. “Creative” could mean:
- Bold unusual colour combinations
- Unconventional layouts that break design rules
- Abstract imagery with symbolic meaning
- Experimental typography approaches
- Unexpected visual metaphors
Without context, PowerPoint Copilot defaults to what looks “creative” in its training data — which is usually design-forward consumer presentations, not professional business decks.
The result? Slides that might win design awards but lose you the deal.
A major European bank learned this the hard way. Their team asked Copilot for “creative slides” for a client pitch. The output used vibrant purple and orange — striking, certainly. Also completely wrong for conservative banking clients expecting navy and grey.
They spent 90 minutes undoing Copilot’s “creativity.”
What Actually Works: Specific PowerPoint Copilot Creative Prompts
The secret to better PowerPoint Copilot creative output isn’t asking for creativity. It’s defining exactly what kind of creativity you need.
Replace vague creative requests with specific design instructions that give Copilot clear parameters.
Instead of “Make This Creative” Say This:
For visual variety without chaos:
“Create visually distinct slides using data visualizations, process diagrams, and comparison layouts. Maintain consistent colour palette throughout.”
For engaging executive presentations:
“Design slides with minimal text (maximum 3 bullet points per slide), large impactful numbers, and clean professional layouts. Use icons to represent concepts.”
For memorable sales decks:
“Create slides with strong visual hierarchy using customer logos, before/after comparisons, and ROI calculations prominently displayed. Professional corporate style.”
For technical content that doesn’t bore:
“Transform technical details into simple diagrams, step-by-step process flows, and annotated visuals. Minimize dense text blocks.”
Real Example: From Disaster to Deal-Winner
A biotech client needed an investor deck. First attempt with PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts:
“Make creative slides about our gene therapy platform.”
Result: Slides with abstract DNA imagery, gradient backgrounds, and artistic interpretations of science. Beautiful — and completely wrong for conservative institutional investors expecting rigorous data.
Revised prompt using specific PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts:
“Create professional scientific slides with clear data visualizations showing efficacy results, safety profiles in table format, and competitive landscape comparison charts. Use clean layouts with prominent statistics. Conservative professional design suitable for institutional investors.”
Result: Crisp, data-focused slides that looked credible and authoritative. They raised £3.8 million.
The Five PowerPoint Copilot Creative Prompts That Actually Work
After testing hundreds of variations on client decks, these five approaches consistently produce better results than “be creative.”
1. The Data-Forward Prompt
“Create slides emphasizing key metrics and statistics using large numbers, comparison charts, and visual data representations. Minimal decorative elements.”
When to use: Financial presentations, performance reviews, data-heavy pitches
2. The Visual Metaphor Prompt
“Illustrate concepts using relevant business icons and professional imagery. Each slide should have one clear visual element supporting the main point.”
When to use: Strategic presentations, vision documents, transformation initiatives
3. The Customer-Focused Prompt
“Design slides featuring customer logos prominently, testimonial quotes in callout boxes, and case study results with specific ROI numbers.”
When to use: Sales presentations, customer success stories, proof-of-value decks
4. The Process-Driven Prompt
“Create slides using step-by-step diagrams, numbered sequences, and timeline visualizations. Show clear progression and logic flow.”
When to use: Training materials, methodology explanations, implementation plans
5. The Comparison Prompt
“Design slides with side-by-side comparisons using tables, before/after layouts, and competitor analysis grids. Highlight differentiators clearly.”
When to use: Competitive positioning, solution comparisons, ROI justification
What Banking Taught Me About PowerPoint Copilot Creative Prompts
After 24 years in corporate banking at institutions like JPMorgan Chase and Royal Bank of Scotland, I learned something crucial: creativity in business presentations isn’t about being artistic. It’s about being memorable and persuasive within professional constraints.
The investment bankers who closed the biggest deals didn’t use sunset photos and gradient backgrounds. They used:
- Clear data visualizations that made complex financials instantly understandable
- Strategic use of white space to emphasize critical points
- Consistent professional design that built credibility
- Visual hierarchy that guided attention to key insights
That’s what “creative” means in high-stakes business presentations. And that’s what your PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts should reflect.
The Three Mistakes Everyone Makes With Creative PowerPoint Copilot Prompts
Mistake #1: Asking for Creativity Without Context
Wrong: “Make this more creative”
Right: “Make this more visually engaging using data charts, customer logos, and clear section breaks while maintaining professional corporate design standards”
Mistake #2: Confusing Creative with Complicated
A consulting client asked for “creative and sophisticated slides.” Copilot delivered ornate layouts with multiple fonts, decorative borders, and complex color schemes.
They wanted sophisticated, which actually means simple, clean, and confident — not elaborate.
Better PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts: “Create sophisticated slides using minimal design, generous white space, and one strong visual element per slide. Professional and understated.”
Mistake #3: Not Specifying Your Industry Standards
What looks creative in tech might look unprofessional in finance. What works for startups might fail for pharma.
Always include industry context in your PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts:
- Banking: “conservative professional design,” “institutional investor appropriate”
- Tech/SaaS: “modern clean aesthetic,” “tech-forward visual style”
- Healthcare: “clinical professional appearance,” “regulatory submission appropriate”
- Consulting: “strategic executive presentation style,” “boardroom appropriate”
Quick Reference: Better PowerPoint Copilot Creative Prompts
Instead of: “Be creative”
Try: “Use data visualizations, icons, and clear layouts with consistent professional design”
Instead of: “Make it interesting”
Try: “Emphasize key statistics with large numbers, use comparison charts, and include customer proof points”
Instead of: “Make it pop”
Try: “Create visual contrast using strategic white space, bold headlines, and one strong visual per slide”
Instead of: “Add some flair”
Try: “Include relevant business icons, process diagrams, and visual hierarchy that guides attention”
How I Actually Use PowerPoint Copilot Creative Prompts
When I’m creating a client deck, I never start with “be creative.” I start with strategic decisions about what the audience needs to see, feel, and remember.
Then I translate those decisions into specific PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts:
Strategic goal: Make executives see the ROI immediately
Copilot prompt: “Create slides with ROI calculations prominently displayed, cost-benefit comparisons in table format, and payback period highlighted. Use large numbers for key metrics.”
Strategic goal: Differentiate from competitors
Copilot prompt: “Design comparison slides showing our solution versus competitors, highlighting unique capabilities in callout boxes. Use side-by-side layout.”
Strategic goal: Build credibility quickly
Copilot prompt: “Create slides featuring customer logos from Fortune 500 companies, specific results achieved (with numbers), and testimonial quotes in professional design.”
The difference isn’t the tool. It’s knowing what you’re trying to achieve and giving Copilot the specific instructions to deliver it.
Ready to Master PowerPoint Copilot Prompts That Actually Work?
These five creative prompts will get you started. But here’s what I’ve learned training over 200 professionals on PowerPoint Copilot:
The difference between average users and power users isn’t experimentation — it’s having proven prompt libraries for every situation.
Average users waste 20-30 minutes testing prompts that don’t work.
Power users have tested prompt collections organized by use case, industry, and objective.
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Get the 25 most effective PowerPoint Copilot prompts that work immediately — no guessing, no experimentation.
For Comprehensive Mastery:
Master every aspect of PowerPoint Copilot with 100+ tested prompts, 8 industry-specific playbooks, and complete troubleshooting guides.
→ £29 Copilot PowerPoint Master Guide (201 pages, tested on real client work worth £100M+)
Want the Complete Tutorial?
This spoke article tackles one specific problem. For the comprehensive guide to PowerPoint Copilot — including all features, workflows, and monthly updates:
→ Read the Complete PowerPoint Copilot Tutorial
The Bottom Line on PowerPoint Copilot Creative Prompts
Stop telling Copilot to “be creative.”
Start telling it exactly what kind of creativity you need:
- Data-focused visualizations for financial presentations
- Clean professional layouts for executive audiences
- Customer-centric designs for sales decks
- Process diagrams for methodology explanations
- Comparison layouts for competitive positioning
The PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts that work aren’t about being artistic. They’re about being specific, strategic, and audience-appropriate.
That SaaS VP I mentioned at the start? After I showed her these specific prompt techniques, she recreated her deck in 18 minutes. Professional. On-brand. Persuasive.
She closed a £450,000 deal the following week.
The presentation didn’t win because it was “creative.” It won because it was strategically designed to address her buyer’s specific concerns using clear, credible visuals.
That’s what the right PowerPoint Copilot creative prompts deliver.
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About Mary Beth Hazeldine
Mary Beth Hazeldine is Owner and Managing Director of Winning Presentations, with 35 years of experience in presentation training and 24 years in corporate banking. Her clients have raised over £250 million using her proprietary methodologies. She tests every PowerPoint Copilot update on real client work across investment banking, biotech, SaaS, and consulting.
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