Writing a good Opening Greeting

How to write the first sentence your AI Avatar speaks. Length sweet spot, four good examples, three bad ones, and what to avoid.

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The opening greeting is the first thing your avatar says when someone starts a conversation. It's a single line, usually under 15 words, but it carries a lot of weight — it tells visitors whether they're talking to a human-feeling avatar or a clunky chatbot in the first two seconds.

What a good greeting does

Introduces the avatar by name (helps the visitor remember they're talking to "Maya" not just "the chatbot").
Hints at what the avatar can help with — without listing every option.
Invites the visitor to talk by ending with a question or an open prompt.
Matches the System Prompt's tone. A warm prompt and a stiff greeting create instant whiplash.

Length sweet spot

One sentence, 8–15 words. Anything longer feels scripted; anything shorter feels abrupt. The visitor is still figuring out how to react — give them just enough to respond to.

Examples that work

"Hi, I'm Lina from Glow Skincare — what can I help you with today?" (support persona)
"Hey there, I'm Ben. Quick question — what are you trying to solve?" (sales persona)
"Welcome. I'm Mr. Carter, your physics tutor. What topic are we tackling today?" (tutor persona)
"Hi! I'm Sofia — happy to walk you through our product. Where would you like to start?" (demo persona)

Examples that don't work

"Hello, my name is Lina and I am the AI customer support agent for Glow Skincare. I can help you with returns, shipping, product information, account questions, and many other topics. Please let me know how I can assist you today." — too long, reads like a script, ends weakly.
"Hi." — too short. The visitor doesn't know what to say next.
"I am an AI assistant. How may I help you?" — generic, gives away that it's a bot, no warmth.

What to avoid

Don't list every capability. Tease one thing, let the visitor ask for more.
Don't say "AI" or "assistant". The whole point is the avatar feels human-like; the greeting shouldn't flag the magic.
Don't over-promise. "I'll get you a refund instantly" backfires the moment a refund needs human review.
Don't use jargon. The first sentence is not the place to introduce your brand's special vocabulary.

One greeting per persona

Each persona has its own greeting. The same avatar (Replica) can have a friendly greeting in your "Customer Support" persona and a more direct greeting in your "Sales Qualifier" persona. The greeting is part of the persona, not the face.

Record yourself saying the greeting out loud before saving it. If you stumble over a word, the avatar will too. Listen for awkward phrasing or odd cadence and rewrite until it flows.