Learn prompt writing
A short guide to getting better answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI assistants.
The six parts of a strong prompt
1. RoleTell the AI who it should act as. "Act as a senior recruiter" narrows tone and vocabulary.
2. TaskStart with one clear action verb: write, compare, summarize, plan. Avoid stacking several tasks in one sentence.
3. ContextGive the facts the AI cannot guess: your audience, goal, location, constraints and what you have already tried.
4. FormatSay what the answer should look like: a table, five bullets, a 150-word email, JSON.
5. ConstraintsState limits and exclusions: word count, reading level, topics to avoid, claims it must not invent.
6. ExamplesShow one sample of what good looks like. A short example often beats a long explanation.
A weak prompt and a stronger one
Weak
Write a cover letter.
Stronger
Act as a career coach. Write a 250-word cover letter for a junior SEO role at a Chicago agency. I have 1 year of internship experience and grew a blog from 200 to 3,000 monthly visits. Tone: confident but not boastful. Open with a specific hook, not "I am writing to apply".
Six techniques worth knowing
Zero-shotAsk directly with a clear task and context. Best for simple, well-known tasks.
Few-shotInclude two or three input and output examples so the AI copies the pattern.
Role promptingAssign a perspective, such as "a skeptical editor", to change how it reasons and writes.
Step by stepAsk it to work through a problem in stages and show its reasoning. Helpful for math, plans and analysis.
Iterative refinementTreat the first answer as a draft. Reply with specific changes: "shorter, add a table, remove jargon".
Ask before answeringEnd with "Ask me up to 3 questions if anything is unclear." This surfaces missing context early.