The formula
- 01Role — who the AI should write as (an editor, a practitioner, a teacher).
- 02Audience — who will read it and what they already know.
- 03Goal — what the reader should think, feel or do afterwards.
- 04Format — length, structure, headings, platform.
- 05Constraints — what to avoid: jargon, hype, claims, certain words.
- 06Examples — one or two pieces that show the style you want.
Before and after
Vague: “Write a post about email marketing.” Specific: “You are an email marketer who works with solo creators. Write a 250-word LinkedIn post for creators with under 1,000 subscribers who feel they have nothing to send. Goal: they leave with one email idea they can send this week. Short paragraphs, no hashtags, no exclamation marks, no promises about results.”
Ask for options, then choose
Ask for three angles or three openings, pick the best and ask the model to develop that one. Choosing is faster than describing what you want in more detail.
Save the prompts that work
Keep a document of prompts that produced good results, with the blanks marked. A good prompt library is worth more than any single tool.
Fill in six fields and copy a complete, structured prompt for any AI assistant — role, audience, goal, format, limits and voice.