The structure that works
Most good prompts contain the same six parts. You will not always need all of them, but checking them avoids most poor results.
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Who the AI should act as | You are an experienced B2B copywriter |
| Context | The situation and audience | For a small accounting firm targeting freelancers |
| Task | One clear action verb | Write three subject lines |
| Inputs | The material to use | Based on the service description below |
| Constraints | Length, tone, what to avoid | Under 50 characters, no exclamation marks |
| Format | How to present the answer | A numbered list with one line of rationale each |
Give examples
Showing one or two examples of what you want (few-shot prompting) is often more effective than describing it. Paste a past email you liked and ask for the same style.
Advanced techniques
- Ask for steps: "First list the key facts, then draft the answer."
- Ask it to question you: "Before writing, ask me the five questions you need answered."
- Split big tasks: outline first, then each section.
- Ask for options: three versions with different tones, then pick and refine.
- Ask for self-review: "Check your answer against the brief and list anything missing."
- Use reference documents and tell it to answer only from them.
Common mistakes
- Vague tasks: "write something about our product".
- No audience: the same text cannot fit a CEO and a student.
- Too many tasks in one prompt.
- Trusting figures, quotes or sources without checking them.
- Pasting confidential data into a tool that is not approved.
Iterate like an editor
Treat the first answer as a draft. Give precise feedback: "shorter", "more concrete", "remove jargon", "add one example from retail". Two or three rounds usually beat one long prompt.
Examples by profession
| Profession | Prompt idea |
|---|---|
| Sales | Summarise this prospect's website and suggest three questions for a discovery call. |
| Marketing | Turn this blog article into five LinkedIn posts with different hooks. |
| Customer service | Draft a polite reply to this complaint, offering the options in our policy below. |
| HR | Write a job description for this role, inclusive and under 400 words. |
| Finance | Explain the main changes between these two monthly reports in plain language. |
| Training | Create a 10-question quiz with answers from this course chapter. |
Build your library
Save prompts that work in a shared document with the context, the prompt and an example output. See our prompt library and templates to start.
Prices, budgets and timelines are indicative orders of magnitude for an international audience. Adjust them to your local market and check official sources before any decision. No income is promised.
