Practical guide
A Simple Guide to Prompting AI
How to word your request so the AI gives you its best answer, with good and weak examples side by side and a plain reason why one beats the other.
A prompt is simply the message you type to an AI, your question or request. These tips work the same with any AI assistant (like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude). The simple idea behind this guide is that the clearer your request, the better the answer you get. Everything here is written in plain language, with no technical background needed.
A good prompt usually has these four things
- 1 Give some contextSay what the topic is and who it is for.
- 2 Say exactly what you wantMake the request and its size clear.
- 3 Choose the formatA list, a table, an email or a word count.
- 4 Show an example if neededIf you want a certain style, give a sample.
General tips for writing a good prompt
1. Be clear and specific
- State your request or question right at the start of the message.
- Tell the AI whatever it needs to know to help you well.
- Break big tasks into a few smaller steps.
"Help me with a presentation."
"I need a 10-slide presentation for our quarterly sales meeting. It should cover our Q2 sales performance, our best-selling products, and our Q3 sales targets. Please give me an outline with the key points for each slide."
2. Show an example
- If you already know how you want the answer to look, show a sample of it.
- For a specific format or style, the best move is to put an example in front of the AI.
"Write a professional email."
"I need to write a professional email to a client about a project delay. Here is one I sent before:
"Dear [Client],
I hope you are doing well. I wanted to update you on the progress of [project name]. Unfortunately we have run into an unexpected issue that will push the delivery date back by about two weeks. We are working hard to resolve it and will keep you posted.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Best regards,
[Your name]"
Help me write a new email in the same tone and structure, but for our current situation where we are one month behind because of a supply issue."
3. Ask it to think step by step
- For anything involved, ask the AI to "think step by step" or to "explain its reasoning".
- This simple request usually makes the answer more accurate and more complete.
"How do I boost my team's productivity?"
"I want to improve my team's productivity. Think it through step by step, keeping these four things in mind:
1. What is holding productivity back right now (for example too many meetings, unclear priorities)
2. Possible solutions (for example time-management techniques, project-management tools)
3. How hard each solution is to put in place
4. How I would know things have improved
Give a short explanation for each one and wrap up with a summary at the end."
4. Improve it step by step
- If the first answer is not quite right, ask for a fix.
- Feel free to say: "Close, but can you make this part more like that?"
"Make it better."
"This is a good start. Please make these three changes:
1. Make the tone more casual and friendly
2. Add a specific example of how our product helped a customer
3. Shorten the second paragraph and focus more on benefits than features"
5. Draw on the AI's knowledge
- The AI knows a lot about a huge range of subjects. Feel free to ask it for background or an explanation.
- Still add your context and details, so the answer fits your own situation.
"What is marketing? How do I do it?"
"I am putting together a marketing plan for a new line of eco-friendly cleaning products. Can you give me a short overview of current trends in green marketing? Please include these four things:
1. The kinds of messages that resonate most with environmentally conscious customers
2. The best channels for reaching these customers
3. A few examples of successful green-marketing campaigns from the past year
4. Mistakes to avoid (for example being accused of greenwashing, meaning pretending to be greener than you really are)
This will help me shape our marketing approach."
6. Ask it to play a role
- Ask the AI to take on a certain role or point of view while it answers.
"Help me prepare for a negotiation."
"Imagine you are the fabric supplier for my backpack-making company. I am getting ready to negotiate with you to cut prices by 10%. Playing the supplier, give me:
1. Three objections you might raise to my request for a price cut
2. For each objection, a response I could give
3. Two alternative offers you might make instead of a straight price cut
Then switch sides and, speaking to me as the buyer, tell me the best way to reach my goal in this negotiation."
Ready-made examples for each kind of task
Writing content
1. Name your audience
- Tell the AI who the text is for.
"Write something about cybersecurity."
"I want to write a blog post about cybersecurity tips for small-business owners. They are not very tech-savvy, so the text should:
1. Be simple and easy to follow, avoiding technical jargon where possible
2. Be practical, with tips they can act on quickly
3. Be engaging and a little light-hearted, to keep their attention
Please give me an outline for a 1,000-word post covering the 5 most important security tips."
2. Set the tone and style
- Describe the tone you want.
- If your brand has writing rules, mention the important ones.
"Write a product description."
"Help me write a product description for our new ergonomic office chair. Use a professional but warm tone. Our brand voice is friendly, innovative and health-focused. The description should:
1. Highlight the chair's key ergonomic features
2. Explain how those features support the user's health and productivity
3. Give a brief mention of the sustainable materials used
4. End with a call to action that encourages readers to try the chair
Keep it to around 200 words."
3. Set the structure of the answer
- Give an outline or a list of the things you want covered.
"Make a presentation about our company results."
"I need a presentation about our Q2 results. Structure it with these sections:
1. Overview
2. Sales performance
3. Customer acquisition
4. Challenges
5. Q3 outlook
For each section, suggest 3 to 4 key points. For each one, also tell me what kind of chart (for example bar or line) would work best."
Summarizing documents and Q&A
1. Say exactly what you want
- Say which parts or which aspects of the document you want summarized.
- Ask your questions clearly and directly.
- Say what the summary should look like: how many paragraphs, a list, or another shape.
2. Name the document
- When you attach a document, refer to it by its name.
3. Ask for sources
- Ask the AI to point to the part of the document each point comes from.
The example below combines all three tips at once:
"Summarize this report for me."
"I have attached a 50-page market-research report titled '2023 Tech Industry Trends'. Can you give me a two-paragraph summary focused on AI and machine-learning trends? Then answer these three questions:
1. What are the top three uses of AI in business this year?
2. How is machine learning affecting jobs in the tech industry?
3. What risks or challenges does the report mention about adopting AI?
When you answer, please point to the specific section or page each point comes from."
Analyzing and visualizing data
1. Set the format of the answer
- Say clearly what format you want the result in.
"Analyze our sales data."
"I have attached a spreadsheet named '2023 Sales Data'. Can you analyze it and give me the results in this format:
1. A short summary (2 to 3 sentences)
2. Key metrics:
Total sales per quarter
Best-selling product category
Fastest-growing region
3. Trends:
Three notable trends, each with a short note
4. Recommendations:
Three data-based recommendations, each with a short reason
At the end, suggest three types of chart that would present these findings well."
Brainstorming ideas
1. Say exactly what ideas you want
- Make it clear what the AI should cover in the brainstorm.
"Give me some team-building ideas."
"We want to design some team-building activities for our 20-person remote team. Can you help like this:
1. Suggest ten virtual team-building activities that boost collaboration
2. For each one, briefly say how it builds teamwork
3. Say which activities are best for:
a) Ice-breaking and getting to know each other
b) Improving communication
c) Strengthening problem-solving
4. Suggest one low-cost option and one pricier, special option."
2. Ask for a tidy format so it is easy to read
- For example, ask for bullet points, a numbered list, or a table.
"Compare project-management software options."
"We are considering three project-management tools: Asana, Trello and Microsoft Project. Can you compare them in a table using these criteria?
1. Key features
2. Ease of use
3. Scalability
4. Pricing (name the plans if you can)
5. Integration with other tools
6. Who it suits best (for example small teams, large organizations, specific industries)"
When the answer is not what you wanted
If the AI's answer is off or has a mistake, these three moves usually help.
1. Let it say "I don't know"
- Tell the AI that if it is not sure about something, it should say so. For example: "If you are not sure, that's fine, just say you don't know." This helps prevent wrong answers.
2. Break big tasks up
- If a task is too big and the AI skips steps or does some of them poorly, split it into smaller steps and work through just one step per message.
3. Give the context again in each new chat
- The AI does not remember your earlier chats. So in every new conversation, write out again anything it needs to know.
Two full examples: good vs. weak prompts
These two examples combine several tips at once, to clearly show the difference between a weak prompt and a really strong one.
Example 1: building a marketing plan
"Help me build a marketing strategy."
"As a senior marketing consultant, help me build a complete marketing plan for a new line of eco-friendly smartphone accessories. Our customers are younger, environmentally conscious buyers. Please give me a plan that includes:
1. Market review:
Current trends in eco-friendly tech accessories
2 to 3 key competitors and what they are doing
The size of the market and its growth outlook
2. Target customer:
A detailed description of our ideal customer
Their concerns and how our product solves them
3. Sales and promotion plan:
Product: the features to highlight
Price: a suggested pricing approach with a reason
Sales channels: where we should sell
Promotion:
a) 5 ways to promote, each with its pros and cons
b) 3 creative ideas for launching the product
4. Content plan:
5 content themes that fit our audience
Types of content (for example blog post, video, infographic)
5. Measuring results:
5 key metrics to track
Suggested tools for measuring them
Please lay it all out neatly with headings and bullet points. Where useful, give your reason or add a short example.
At the end, name any likely risks or challenges and suggest a fix for each one."
Example 2: analyzing a financial report
"Analyze this financial report."
"I have attached our company's Q2 financial report, named 'Q2_2023_Financial_Report.pdf'. As an experienced CFO, analyze this report and prepare a briefing for the board. Please structure the analysis like this:
1. A short summary (3 to 4 sentences with the key points)
2. Financial performance review:
a) Revenue: compared with last quarter and with the same quarter last year
b) Profit: gross and net, with notes on any big changes
c) Cash flow: highlight any concerns or positive signs
3. Key metrics:
Our top 5 metrics and the current status of each (use a table)
For each metric, briefly say why it matters and what trend it shows
4. Segment review:
Break performance down across our three main business segments
Name the strongest and weakest segment, with a likely reason for each
5. Balance-sheet review:
Highlight big changes in assets, liabilities or equity
Calculate and interpret a few key ratios
6. Looking ahead:
Based on this data, give 3 forecasts for Q3
Suggest 2 to 3 actions to improve our financial position
7. Risk review:
Name 3 possible financial risks
Suggest a fix for each risk
8. Comparison with rivals:
Compare our performance with 2 to 3 key competitors (using publicly available data)
Say where we are ahead and where we need to improve
Where it helps, use a chart or table. Clearly state any assumption or interpretation you make, and give your reasoning.
After the analysis, prepare 5 questions the board members might ask, along with suggested answers.
Finally, sum up the whole analysis in one paragraph, so I can use it as my opening remark in the meeting."
Three next steps toward more professional prompts
Once you have the basics, these three ideas make answers more precise and readier to act on. They matter especially when you work with different AI assistants.
1. Separate the "data" from the "task"
Sometimes you put everything in one message: the topic, the data, your request, your own opinion, and the shape of answer you want. For complex prompts, it is better to lay them out in clear, separate parts:
Lay out a complex prompt like this
- 1 ContextWhat is the topic?
- 2 DataWhat should it read?
- 3 TaskWhat exactly should it do?
- 4 CriteriaWhat makes a good answer to you?
- 5 LimitsWhat should it not do?
- 6 FormatHow should it hand back the answer?
2. Say "complete" less, give criteria more
Words like "complete", "deep", "thorough" and "serious" are nice, but they are not enough, because they mean different things to different people. Give a clear yardstick instead.
"Analyze it completely."
"Give the analysis on four levels: structure, language, ideas and impact. On each level, give the strengths first, then the weaknesses, then a short verdict. Wherever you are only guessing, say so separately."
3. Ask for output you can evaluate
In professional prompts you do not just say "answer"; you ask for output whose quality you can judge and act on.
"Analyze this and give me your answer."
"At the end, say which part of the answer you are confident about, which part is interpretation, and which part needs a source or more data."
"Give three options and, next to each, write the risk, the cost, the benefit and your recommended choice."
Quick recap
Whenever you sit down to write a prompt, keep these few points in mind:
- Say what you want clearly and specifically.
- Give the context and details it needs.
- Set the format of the answer (a list, a table, a word count).
- If you want a certain style, show an example.
- For hard tasks, ask it to think step by step.
- If the answer is not what you wanted, say exactly what to change.
- Give the context again in each new chat.
- For more serious work: separate context, data, task, criteria, limits and format, and ask for output you can measure.