✍️ Writing a Good Prompt

Follow a structured framework for your prompts to achieve AI results that are much more relevant, useful, and tailored to what you're looking for.

Seven Guidelines for Writing a Great Prompt

1. GOAL: Start with the need.
2. AI ROLE: Give AI a Role
3. DETAILS: Add Helpful Context
4. TONE: Describe the Style, Mood, or Vibe
5. FORMAT: Design the Results
6. EXCLUSIONS: Improve Accuracy and Narrow the Results
7. POSSIBILITIES: Revisions, Tweaks, Etc.

CLICK HERE: For a free AI template that follows these guidelines.

1. GOAL: Start with the Need

Begin by asking for something specific. Instead of typing a vague phrase like “marketing ideas,” imagine you’re asking a friend to help you.

“Give me five creative marketing ideas for a small coffee shop trying to attract local college students.”

The more direct and thorough the prompt, the better the response. Your prompt does not have to be perfect, spelled correctly or grammatically correct — just clear about what you want help with.

2. AI ROLE: Give AI a Role

AI does better when it has a role because that shapes how it responds—like asking it to “act as a travel agent” or “explain something like a teacher.”

“You are a nutrition coach. Create a simple one-week meal plan for someone trying to eat healthier on a tight budget.”

This small trick often leads to more thoughtful, relevant responses.

3. DETAILS: Add Helpful Context

Good prompts include the basics: who it’s for, what it’s about, and anything you want it to include (or leave out).

“Write a thank you email from a small nonprofit director to a first-time donor. Keep it warm, personal, and under 150 words.”

You don’t need to over-explain—but a little context makes a huge difference.

4. TONE: Describe the Style, Mood, or Vibe

Tone matters if you are working on a project that will be shared with others. Do you want it to be friendly? Professional? Funny? You can also mention a style you like—such as “in the voice of a blog post” or “like something you'd read in a newsletter.”

“Write a LinkedIn post about finishing a big team project. Make it sound proud but humble, and keep the tone conversational.”

If the tone is off, you can always ask for a different version.

5. FORMAT: Design the Results

The way you ask affects how the AI responds. Do you want a paragraph? A list? A table? Full report? Be specific about how you want the information presented.

Start small and build up—especially for long or complex tasks.

“Write an introduction paragraph for an article about how remote work has changed teamwork. Keep it under 75 words.”

“List five pros and cons of electric vehicles in bullet point format.”

“Create a simple table comparing three popular meal delivery services, including price, delivery speed, and menu variety.”

“Summarize this blog post in 3 short sentences, then rewrite it as a social media caption.”

You’re not just telling the AI what you want—but how you want to see the results organized the first time through. You can always expand on it later.

6. EXCLUSIONS: Improve Accuracy and Narrow the Results

AI will almost always give you something—often without limits, it might give you too much, go off-topic, or include things you don’t want. That’s why setting boundaries in your prompt can be just as helpful as asking the right question.

You can guide the results by saying what not to include:

“Write a product description for this candle. Keep it under 100 words and don’t mention pricing or shipping.”

“List five common causes of burnout at work, but exclude anything related to parenting or home life.”

Being clear about what to exclude can keep the results focused and saves you time cleaning them up.

Pro-Tip: AI results can sound confident even when they’re wrong. If you’re working on something factual, sensitive, or professional, include a checkpoint within your prompt to double-check by design.

Ask AI to review its own output before sharing it:

“List sources for each claim, or say if no reliable source could be found.”

“Before giving the final answer, double-check the response for accuracy and remove anything speculative.”

“For each source, provide the web address for the source.”

While AI doesn’t truly "fact-check," prompts like these help guide it toward more accurate results.

7. POSSIBILITIES: Revisions, Tweaks, Etc.

You don’t have to get it right the first time. AI is a patient creative partner standing by to tweak, revise, rework and try again.

“That’s close! Can you make the second paragraph more casual and add a short sentence at the end thanking the reader?”

You can ask it to reword, shorten, clarify, or completely change something—without starting over every time.

AI is a great tool for writing, brainstorming, and polishing. But it’s not perfect.

· It can sound confident while getting facts wrong.

· It’s not good at math, real-time events, or checking sources.

· It reflects biases from the internet—always give sensitive topics a second look.

IMPORTANT: Use AI to support your thinking—not replace your judgment.

Final Thought: You’re Already Closer Than You Think

If you’ve ever thought “where do I begin…” or “I just need a little help thinking of…” then you are well on your way to a great AI prompt. The key is to keep things clear, be somewhat specific, and don’t be afraid to ask for revisions.

Start simple. Test a few prompts.

You don’t need to be a master, you just need to be clear.

For example, you can test out AI by copying this entire article and ask AI to:
“Summarize this article in one short paragraph, then tell me how it could help me on a school or work project.”