What if I told you the difference between AI slop and good output is how you talk to large language models?
Today, I'm breaking down the exact prompting methods that Google's engineers recommend for getting the most out of any AI system.
Once you learn how to write AI prompts, you can create amazing blog posts, images, videos, and more.
What Is AI Prompting?
AI prompting is the process of creating clear, simple instructions for AI tools, no-code builders, and applications.
A good prompt provides the context that directs the AI to produce your desired output.
When you give an AI vague instructions, you'll receive generic, unhelpful responses, but detailed, thoughtful prompts consistently deliver better results.
You know the saying, Garbage in, garbage out. It works the exact same way when trying to use AI tools.
So by improving your prompt engineering skills, you can get way better output from any AI model.
The more context you provide in your prompt, the more valuable the AI's response will be.
What Makes A Good AI Prompt
To move beyond "garbage in" and get the best possible output from AI-generated content, focus on these key elements:
- Be Specific: The more specific you are, the better the AI can understand your needs. Instead of asking "Write something about AI," try "Write a 100-word summary of the latest advancements in natural language processing."
- Provide Context: Give the AI the necessary background information. This helps it respond to your specific situation. For example, instead of "Write a marketing email," try "You are a marketing expert writing an email to small business owners about the benefits of AI in social media marketing."
- Define Format: Specify how you want the output to be presented. Do you need a bulleted list, a table, a report, or a creative story? Clearly stating your desired format helps the AI deliver the information in a usable way.
- Use Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords to guide the AI and ensure the output is focused on the right topic. This is especially important for tasks like content creation or research.
- Set Tone: Specify the desired tone of the output. Do you want it to be formal, informal, friendly, persuasive, or humorous? This helps the AI adjust its writing style accordingly.
- Provide Examples: If you have a specific style or format in mind, provide the AI with an example. This can be incredibly helpful in guiding the AI towards the desired output.
How To Write Effective AI Prompts
Creating powerful AI prompts doesn't require technical expertise, just a clear method.
Start with clarity: define exactly what you need instead of using vague requests. Be specific about format, length, and style requirements.
Provide context about your audience and purpose. This helps the AI understand what you want and why you need it.
Break down difficult requests into numbered steps or bullet points. This organization helps the AI process your instructions step by step.
When results fall short, don't start from scratch. Refine your existing prompt by adding details or examples that guide the AI toward your desired outcome.
This is called meta-prompting and I talk about it in this video:
Use An AI Prompt Generator
Not sure how to phrase your request? AI prompt generators can create effective prompts for you.
ChatGPT and Claude have built-in tools to help you write prompts from scratch. Just sign up to create or improve existing prompts for your specific needs.
These generators work especially well with deep thinking models and understand how different AI models respond to deliver better results.
Even experienced users rely on prompt generators when tackling unfamiliar topics or needing consistent, high-quality responses from their AI tools.
The Types of AI Prompts You'll Use
Zero-Shot Prompting
Direct instructions without examples
Simple, common tasks
"Write a professional email declining a job offer while maintaining a positive relationship with the company for future opportunities."
Few-Shot Prompting
Instructions with examples to follow
Pattern-based tasks, specific formats
"Transform these marketing concepts into engaging YouTube video titles:
Concept: 'Email list segmentation strategies' → Title: '5 Email Segmentation Tricks That Doubled My Open Rates Overnight'
Concept: 'Social media content calendar planning' → Title: 'How I Plan a Month of Viral Content in Just 2 Hours (Content Calendar Hack)'
Now transform this marketing concept: 'Customer retention tactics for e-commerce'"
Chain-of-Thought
Step-by-step reasoning process
Complex problems, math, logic
"I need to determine if my marketing campaign is profitable. My customer acquisition cost is $30. The average customer makes a $45 purchase with a 30% profit margin and has a 20% chance of making a second purchase within 6 months. Walk through the calculation step by step to determine if this campaign is profitable in the long run."
Role Prompting
Assigning a specific persona to the AI
Domain-specific expertise
"As an experienced UX researcher, analyze these three user complaints about our mobile app's checkout process. Identify the underlying usability issues, prioritize them by potential impact on conversion rates, and suggest evidence-based solutions that could be implemented within two weeks."
Self-Consistency
Multiple reasoning paths for one answer
Complex decisions, verification
"I need to decide whether to invest in expanding my small business or paying down business debt. Current situation: $50,000 available cash, $120,000 in business loans at 7% interest, and potential expansion that could increase revenue by 25% with 60% probability. Analyze this decision from three different financial perspectives (cash flow, risk management, and opportunity cost) and determine the most financially sound approach."
Tree of Thoughts
Exploring multiple reasoning branches
Strategic planning, evaluating options
"I'm designing a new onboarding process for our SaaS product. Let's explore three different approaches:
1. Guided tour approach: Explore the benefits, drawbacks, and implementation requirements
2. Progressive disclosure approach: Explore the benefits, drawbacks, and implementation requirements
3. Templates-first approach: Explore the benefits, drawbacks, and implementation requirements
After analyzing each approach, recommend which would work best for a technical B2B product with a 14-day free trial."
ReAct Prompting
Combining reasoning with specific actions
Multi-stage projects, complex planning
"Help me create a comprehensive content strategy for launching my new productivity app:
1. First, reason about the target audience demographics and pain points
2. Based on those insights, identify 3-5 content pillars that would resonate with this audience
3. For each pillar, suggest specific content formats (blog, video, social) that would be most effective
4. Develop a 3-month content calendar with specific topics
5. Finally, recommend KPIs to track the effectiveness of this strategy"
Multimodal Prompting
Combining text with images or code
Visual analysis, data interpretation
"I've attached a screenshot of my website analytics dashboard. Based on the traffic patterns and conversion data shown:
1. Identify the three most significant trends or anomalies
2. Explain possible causes for each
3. Recommend specific actions I should take to improve performance
4. Suggest which additional metrics I should monitor closely in the next 30 days"
Format Specification
Requesting specific output formats
Structured information, tables, lists
"Create a comprehensive project plan for developing a mobile app. Format your response as a table with these columns:
1. Phase (Discovery, Design, Development, Testing, Launch)
2. Key Tasks
3. Deliverables
4. Timeline (in weeks)
5. Required Resources
6. Potential Risks
7. Mitigation Strategies
Include all critical tasks from initial concept to post-launch monitoring."
System and User Prompts
Setting context and specific requests
Consistent AI persona, specialized assistance
"System: You are an expert financial advisor specializing in retirement planning for self-employed professionals. You focus on practical, actionable advice that balances tax efficiency, growth potential, and risk management.
User: I'm a 42-year-old freelance graphic designer making approximately $85,000 annually with inconsistent monthly income. I have $30,000 in an emergency fund, $65,000 in a SEP IRA, and $15,000 in a Roth IRA. I'm concerned I'm behind on retirement savings and unsure how to optimize my contributions given my variable income. What retirement strategy would you recommend?"
Prompt Chaining
Sequential prompts that build on each other
Complex projects with logical progression
"First, analyze the current competitive landscape for direct-to-consumer fitness equipment brands, identifying the top 5 players and their key differentiators.
[After receiving response]
Now, based on these competitive insights, develop a unique value proposition and positioning strategy for a new premium yoga equipment brand entering this market.
[After receiving response]
Finally, create a go-to-market strategy for this yoga brand, including channel strategy, pricing approach, and key marketing initiatives for the first 6 months."
RAG
Enhancing prompts with specific data
Data-based analysis, specific information needs
"Using the following quarterly sales data for our product lines:
Electronics: Q1: $245K, Q2: $310K, Q3: $285K, Q4: $390K
Home Goods: Q1: $180K, Q2: $165K, Q3: $195K, Q4: $250K
Apparel: Q1: $120K, Q2: $95K, Q3: $105K, Q4: $175K
Create a comprehensive sales analysis that identifies:
1. Year-over-year growth rates by product line
2. Seasonal patterns and their potential causes
3. Which product lines should receive increased marketing investment
4. Specific recommendations for Q1 sales strategy based on historical performance"
Iterative Refinement
Multiple rounds of feedback
Important content requiring polish
"Draft a persuasive investor pitch for my sustainable packaging startup that highlights our proprietary technology, market opportunity, and early traction.
[After receiving response]
Now enhance this pitch by adding specific metrics around market size, competitive advantages, and projected financials. Also, strengthen the call to action for a seed round of $750,000.
[After receiving response]
Finally, condense this into a compelling 2-minute elevator pitch that maintains the key selling points while creating urgency around our limited-time opportunity."
Self-Reflection
AI evaluates and improves its response
Polished output with fewer iterations
"Create a comprehensive employee onboarding plan for a remote-first software company. After providing your plan, critically evaluate it for potential gaps or weaknesses in addressing remote worker engagement, technical setup challenges, and cultural integration. Then improve your plan to address these issues."
Constrained Prompting
Setting specific limitations
Content with strict requirements
"Develop a crisis communication strategy for a company facing a data breach. Your strategy must:
1. Include only actions that can be implemented within the first 24 hours
2. Comply with GDPR and CCPA notification requirements
3. Address three distinct audiences: affected customers, employees, and media
4. Not exceed 1,000 words total
5. Avoid technical jargon while still conveying the severity of the situation
6. Include template messaging for each communication channel"
Persona-Based Refinement
Adapting content for different audiences
Multi-audience communications
"I've created a technical white paper explaining our new machine learning fraud detection system. Adapt this content for three different audiences:
1. For C-suite executives: Focus on ROI, competitive advantage, and strategic implications in a 1-page executive summary
2. For the marketing team: Highlight customer benefits and differentiating features they can use in campaigns
3. For potential enterprise clients' IT departments: Address implementation requirements, security protocols, and integration capabilities"
Meta-prompting
Asking the AI to help create or improve your prompts
Complex prompt structuring, improving mediocre results, specialized technical topics
"I need to create a comprehensive content strategy for my SaaS startup, but I'm not sure how to structure my prompt. Please help me with prompt engineering by creating a better prompt that would generate a detailed, actionable content strategy. Include specific questions the AI should answer and what format the response should take."
What To Avoid When Creating AI Prompts
When writing prompts for AI tools, these common mistakes can lead to disappointing results:
- Being too vague. Instead of "Write about marketing," try "Write a 500-word guide about email marketing strategies for small businesses."
- Overloading with requirements. Too many instructions in one prompt confuses the AI. Break complex requests into separate prompts or use numbered steps.
- Using technical jargon unnecessarily. Use natural language when telling AI what you need. Write as if you're explaining the task to a colleague.
- Assuming AI understands context. AI doesn't know your business or situation unless you explain it. Be clear about your expectations, audience, and purpose.
- Forgetting format specifications. Always mention your desired format and length. This ensures the AI delivers content in exactly the structure you need.
The best prompts are clear, specific, and provide just enough context without overwhelming the AI with information.
Final Thoughts
Mastering AI prompts changes average outputs into exceptional results.
Like learning any language, practice makes perfect. Your digital assistant needs clear instructions.
Now go create something amazing with your new prompting superpowers!
FAQs
What are the key elements of an effective AI prompt?
Effective AI prompts include clear instructions, specific details, and contextual information.
When writing prompts for generative AI tools, focus on your desired output, provide relevant context, and specify the format you need.
This way of prompting helps the AI model produce more useful outputs.
How do I write AI prompts that generate better content?
To write good prompts that generate quality AI content, be specific about your requirements, provide examples when possible, and use natural language.
The writing process should include tone, audience, and purpose details to help the generative AI tool understand your intent and produce relevant content.
Can I use AI prompts to generate images?
Yes, you can write prompts to generate images with AI models designed for any use case.
High-quality AI art prompts include detailed descriptions of what you want to see, style references, and specific artistic elements.
The more contextual information you provide, the closer the generated images will match your vision.
What Are The Benefits of Prompt Engineering
Learning how to prompt offers a lot benefits:
- Save Time and Effort: Effective prompts can significantly reduce the time you spend refining AI-generated content.
- Achieve More Accurate and Relevant Results: By providing clear instructions, you can ensure the AI delivers information that directly addresses your needs.
- Unlock the Full Potential of AI Tools: Good prompting allows you to tap into AI's advanced capabilities and achieve results that would otherwise be impossible.
- Improve Efficiency: Streamline your workflows and automate tasks more effectively with well-crafted prompts.
What's the difference between zero-shot and few-shot prompting?
Zero-shot prompting gives instructions without examples, relying on the AI model's existing knowledge.
Few-shot prompting provides examples of desired outputs before your request.
Few-shot prompting typically produces more consistent results when the AI needs to follow specific patterns or formats.
How Can I Write Better Prompts?
If your first prompt doesn't generate good content, refine it by adding context, being more specific about your desired outcomes, or providing examples.
The writing process often requires iteration of the initial AI content as a starting point and guiding the model with more detailed instructions.
What types of tasks can AI prompts help with?
AI prompts can help quickly generate articles, emails, marketing copy, creative writing, code, conversation starters, and new ideas.
When given clear instructions about the specific task and desired output style, generative AI tools excel at producing content across different formats.
Should I use technical language in my AI prompts?
Use natural language rather than technical terms unless necessary for your specific task.
Write prompts as if you're explaining the task to a person.
This approach improves intent recognition and helps the AI model better understand what you're asking for, resulting in more useful outputs.
How do I prompt AI to write in a specific style or tone?
To get AI content in a specific style, you need to mention the desired tone (professional, casual, humorous) and provide examples if possible. This is known as a brand voice.
You can also assign a persona to the AI, such as "Write as a personal trainer explaining workout routines," to naturally influence the writing style.
What's the best way for a beginner to start using AI prompts?
Begin with simple, clear prompts for basic tasks, then slowly experiment with more complex requests. Start by asking the AI to generate ideas or short pieces of content. As you become familiar with how the model responds, incorporate more specific details and contextual information in your prompts.