BAB Framework
Three acts that turn any AI prompt into a compelling narrative. BAB maps the journey from problem to solution — Before (where you are), After (where you want to be), and Bridge (how to get there).
Origin: The BAB (Before, After, Bridge) framework was adapted for prompt engineering from a classic copywriting formula popularized in direct-response marketing. The original BAB structure has been used by copywriters for decades to craft persuasive narratives: describe the reader’s current pain (Before), paint a picture of the improved future (After), then present the product or solution as the path between them (Bridge). In 2023, prompt engineers recognized that this same narrative arc produces highly effective AI outputs for persuasive writing, change management communications, and proposal drafting.
Modern LLM Status: BAB remains highly effective for narrative and persuasive prompts. While modern LLMs like Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini can generate persuasive text without explicit structure, they tend to default to feature-listing or informational styles. BAB’s strength is that it forces a narrative arc — problem, vision, solution — that is inherently more engaging than a flat description. The framework is especially valuable when you need AI to generate content that motivates action rather than merely informs.
Structure Prompts as Stories
Most prompts tell AI what to produce. BAB tells AI what story to tell. The difference matters because human decision-making is narrative-driven — we are more persuaded by a story of transformation (from pain to relief) than by a list of features or facts. When you frame a prompt as a Before-After-Bridge journey, the AI naturally produces content with emotional momentum.
Before anchors the reader in a recognizable problem — a situation they are currently experiencing. After paints a vivid picture of the desired outcome — what life looks like once the problem is solved. Bridge connects the two states with a clear path, solution, or call to action. Together, these three components create a natural persuasive arc.
Think of BAB like a movie trailer: it shows you the world as it is (conflict), the world as it could be (resolution), and the one thing that makes the difference (the hero’s journey).
A prompt that says “write about our product’s benefits” produces a feature list. A BAB prompt that says “describe the frustration of manual data entry, then the relief of automated workflows, then how our tool bridges that gap” produces a story. Stories activate empathy, create urgency, and drive action — exactly what persuasive content needs to accomplish.
The BAB Process
Three stages from current pain to solution path
Before — Describe the Current State
Paint a vivid picture of the current situation, problem, or pain point. The Before component grounds the reader in a reality they recognize. Be specific about the frustrations, inefficiencies, or gaps that exist right now. The more relatable the Before state, the more compelling the transformation will feel.
“Your marketing team spends 15 hours per week manually formatting reports from three different analytics platforms. Data is always a day behind, formatting is inconsistent, and half the meeting time is spent explaining discrepancies rather than making decisions.”
After — Paint the Desired Future
Describe what the world looks like once the problem is solved. The After component creates aspiration and emotional momentum. Focus on the tangible improvements — time saved, stress reduced, outcomes improved. Make the reader feel what success looks like, not just understand it intellectually.
“Imagine opening a single, unified dashboard every Monday morning with real-time data from all three platforms, auto-formatted and ready to present. Your team reclaims those 15 hours for strategy, and meetings focus on action items instead of data reconciliation.”
Bridge — Present the Solution Path
Connect the Before and After with a clear solution, product, or action step. The Bridge is the “how” — the specific mechanism that transforms the current pain into the desired outcome. It should feel like the natural, logical connection between the two states rather than a hard sell.
“DataSync Hub integrates with Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Salesforce in under 10 minutes. It pulls data automatically, applies your custom report templates, and delivers a presentation-ready dashboard to your inbox before your first coffee. Start a free trial and see Monday mornings differently.”
See the Difference
Why narrative structure outperforms flat descriptions
Flat Prompt
Write marketing copy for our project management tool.
Our project management tool helps teams collaborate effectively. Features include task assignment, deadline tracking, file sharing, and real-time updates. Boost your productivity and keep your projects on track with our intuitive platform.
BAB Prompt
Before: Remote teams juggle Slack threads, email chains, and spreadsheets to track who is doing what. Deadlines slip because no one has the full picture.
After: Every team member sees all tasks, deadlines, and dependencies in one place. Status meetings take 10 minutes instead of 45.
Bridge: Our tool unifies task management, communication, and timelines in a single workspace. Describe how it transforms the chaos into clarity.
You know the feeling: three Slack threads about the same deliverable, a spreadsheet that was last updated on Tuesday, and a status meeting where everyone spends 30 minutes figuring out what everyone else already knew. Now picture this — you open one dashboard and see every task, every deadline, every dependency, updated in real time...
Natural Language Works Too
While structured frameworks and contextual labels are powerful tools, LLMs are exceptionally good at understanding natural language. As long as your prompt contains the actual contextual information needed to create, answer, or deliver the response you’re looking for — the who, what, why, and constraints — the AI can produce complete and accurate results whether you use a formal framework or plain conversational language. But even in 2026, with the best prompts, verifying AI output is always a necessary step.
BAB in Action
See how narrative structure creates more persuasive AI outputs
Before: Small business owners spend 8+ hours per week on invoicing. They chase late payments manually, lose track of which clients have paid, and dread month-end reconciliation. Cash flow unpredictability forces them to delay hiring and investments.
After: Invoices go out automatically on schedule. Payment reminders are sent without awkward follow-up emails. A real-time dashboard shows exactly who has paid, who is overdue, and what the projected cash flow looks like for the next 90 days.
Bridge: Write a landing page hero section for InvoiceFlow, a tool that automates invoice creation, sends payment reminders, and provides cash flow forecasting. The audience is small business owners who are not accountants. Keep the language simple, benefits-focused, and under 120 words. Always verify any claims before publishing.
Stop Chasing Payments. Start Growing Your Business.
You did not start your business to spend Sunday nights reconciling spreadsheets. Yet here you are — tracking invoices by hand, sending awkward payment reminders, and guessing whether next month’s cash flow will cover your team’s salaries.
InvoiceFlow changes that. Invoices go out on your schedule, automatically. Late-payment reminders send themselves. And a live dashboard shows you exactly where every dollar stands — today, next week, and 90 days from now.
Get back the 8 hours a week you are spending on busywork. Your business needs a strategist, not a bookkeeper.
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Before: Our customer support team uses three separate systems to handle tickets: a legacy CRM for logging, a shared inbox for email, and Slack for internal escalation. Agents spend 20% of their time just switching between tools and copying information. Average resolution time is 4.2 hours, and customer satisfaction scores have dropped to 72%.
After: All support interactions flow through a single platform. Agents see the full customer history, ticket status, and internal notes in one view. Resolution time drops below 2 hours, and CSAT targets of 85%+ become achievable.
Bridge: Write an internal email from the VP of Customer Success announcing the migration to a unified support platform, addressing anticipated team concerns about learning a new system. Use an encouraging but honest tone. Note: verify all statistics mentioned before sending.
Subject: One Platform, Less Context-Switching, Better Support
Team,
I want to be direct about something we have all felt: our current support setup is holding us back. Toggling between three systems to resolve a single ticket is not just frustrating — it is costing us time we should be spending with customers. Our resolution times reflect that, and so do our satisfaction scores.
Starting next month, we are consolidating everything into a single platform. One login, one view, one place to find everything you need about a customer’s history and their open issues.
I know what you are thinking: “Great, another system to learn.” Fair concern. Here is what we are doing about it...
Before: K-12 teachers spend an average of 12 hours per week grading assignments and providing feedback. Most feedback is limited to letter grades and brief comments because there is simply not enough time to write detailed, personalized guidance for each student. Students receive feedback days after submission, when the learning moment has passed.
After: Every student receives detailed, personalized feedback within minutes of submission. Teachers review AI-generated feedback drafts rather than writing from scratch, spending 80% less time on grading while providing 3x more detailed comments. Learning happens in real time.
Bridge: Write the opening narrative slide for a Series A pitch deck for EduFeedback, an AI-assisted grading tool. The audience is education-focused VCs. Keep it to 3 short paragraphs. All performance claims should be verified against actual product data before presenting.
There are 3.7 million K-12 teachers in the United States. Each one spends roughly a quarter of their working hours on grading — not teaching, not mentoring, not inspiring. Just marking papers. And the feedback students receive after that effort? Often a letter and a sentence.
Now imagine a classroom where every essay, every problem set, every lab report gets detailed, personalized feedback within minutes. Where teachers spend their grading time reviewing and refining AI-generated comments rather than starting from a blank page. Where students get guidance while the lesson is still fresh.
EduFeedback makes that classroom real. Our AI reads student work, generates draft feedback aligned to rubrics, and puts teachers back in control of what matters most: the quality of their guidance, not the volume of their red ink.
When to Use BAB
Best for persuasive content that needs to motivate action
Perfect For
Landing pages, email campaigns, product descriptions, and ad copy where you need to move the reader from awareness to action through an emotional narrative arc.
Internal announcements about new tools, processes, or organizational changes where you need to acknowledge current pain and sell the vision of improvement.
Business proposals, grant applications, and investor pitches where you need to frame a problem, present a vision, and position your solution as the bridge.
Customer success stories that follow the natural transformation arc — where the client was, where they ended up, and what made the difference.
Skip It When
API docs, user manuals, and reference guides where clarity and accuracy matter more than narrative persuasion. Use structured frameworks like CRISP instead.
Data analysis, fact-checking, or reasoning tasks where the goal is accuracy, not persuasion. Use Chain-of-Thought or Self-Ask for these scenarios.
News articles, policy summaries, or educational content where maintaining objectivity is more important than driving action or emotional engagement.
Use Cases
Where BAB delivers the most value
Product Marketing
Transform feature-heavy product descriptions into compelling narratives that lead with the customer’s problem, show the transformed outcome, and position the product as the natural bridge.
Employee Onboarding
Frame new tool adoption or process changes by acknowledging the old way (Before), describing the improved workflow (After), and introducing the training path (Bridge).
Grant and Proposal Writing
Structure grant applications around the current gap in knowledge or resources, the envisioned impact of funding, and the specific project plan that connects the two.
Email Campaigns
Craft drip sequences and newsletters that open with a relatable challenge, present the subscriber’s ideal outcome, and guide them toward the next step in their journey.
Stakeholder Presentations
Build executive presentations that frame the current business challenge, the strategic vision, and the recommended initiative as a coherent transformation story.
Consulting Deliverables
Structure client recommendations around the current-state assessment, the target-state vision, and the implementation roadmap that bridges the gap.
Where BAB Fits
BAB bridges simple prompts and full persuasion frameworks
While BAB originated in copywriting, the Before-After-Bridge structure works anywhere you need to persuade, motivate, or explain a transformation. Use it for performance reviews (current skill level, target growth, development plan), therapy session notes (presenting concern, treatment goal, therapeutic approach), or even personal goal-setting (where I am, where I want to be, what I will do to get there). The narrative arc is universal.
Related Techniques & Frameworks
Explore complementary approaches to structured prompting
Build Your BAB Prompt
Structure your next persuasive prompt with Before, After, Bridge or find the right framework for your task.