September 5, 2024

How to write AI prompts that get results

Type Content Team

Experts in AI and writing

Type gives you access to two of the latest large language models (LLMs): OpenAI’s GPT and Anthropic’s Claude. While these two have their differences, crafting prompts for them or any other AI model follow similar rules. Below, we’ll cover some techniques to help you write input prompts to generate outputs closer to what you’re looking for.

What is a prompt?

A prompt is a set of instructions given to AI to guide its response. Prompts act as starting points for the model to generate relevant and coherent text. They can be simple questions, complex scenarios, or detailed requests for specific information.

In Type, you write prompts to generate documents, transform your work in a specific way, get feedback from a professional writing assistant, and more.

What is prompt engineering?

Prompt engineering is the process of designing, building, and refining generative AI instructions to get desired results. By strategically crafting questions, commands, and examples, you can guide the AI to more effective responses.

Nearly all prompt-writing advice can be boiled down to "be specific."

5 tips to write better prompts

1. Be direct and use details.

It’s helpful to have a clear idea of what you’re hoping to achieve. The more context AI models have, the better the output. By knowing what you want, you can guide the AI to generate something that is more aligned to your goals.

Give context. Describe what you’re doing with as much detail as you can. Don’t be afraid to talk about the scenario in great length.
Set goals: What are you trying to do with the output? Who is it for? What does a successful outcome look like, and how will you measure that?
Define the output. You can ask the AI to generate an output that’s at a 5th grade reading level, entirely in Javascript, or 2,000 words. Type can also provide responses in numbered and bulleted lists.
Add requirements and restraints. Tell Type to include or exclude specific buzzwords like “disrupt” because that’s not how your brand speaks.

2. Give examples (few-shot or multishot prompting).

It’s easier to follow an example rather than create from scratch. Providing a gold standard or even just a sample of what you want can help the AI generate more accurate, consistent, and higher-quality results.

For instance, you could use the prompt:

"Write a satirical news headline in the style of the Onion about a recent technological advancement. For example: " New AI Assistant Develops Existential Crisis, Refuses to Answer Simple Math Questions". Now, generate three more headlines in this style."

In Type, you can attach knowledge, style, and format attachments. Type uses knowledge attachments to provide factual context, style attachments to set the tone, and format attachments to structure the document. We’ve also built a free template library filled with dozens of expert-written documents that you can use to generate documents.

3. Assign a role or persona.

Instruct the AI to adopt a particular character, role, persona, or job. The AI can use this role to provide details and context, greatly improving the accuracy, tone, and focus of its output.

Some examples:

“Imagine you are a pirate who has just been hired as a copywriter for Apple. What are 3 brand campaign ideas?”
“Adopt the persona of a time-traveling chef from 3023 and share a futuristic recipe using today's ‘primitive’ tools.”
“Pretend you are a cutting-edge AI researcher explaining how to write more effective prompts to a marketing professional.”

The key is to be as specific as possible about the role, including relevant expertise, background, and perspective that the AI should embody.

4. Make the task easier.

Do you remember when your math teacher would assign three problems for homework and you'd get excited because it was so short, only to find out that a single question required 10 parts? Well, AI loves tasks like that.

Break complex instructions down into simpler subtasks. Structure them as a series of steps, such as summarizing main points, identifying key themes, and drawing conclusions. It could also be helpful to number them by using "Step 1: ..., Step 2: ..., Step 3: ..."
Ask the AI to show its work. While powerful, AI can make mistakes. Instruct the AI to work out its own solution to the problem. For extra measure, you can also tell it to not come to a conclusion until it has finished thinking through a solution itself.‍
Take an iterative approach with Type Chat. Once the AI gives you an output, ask the model if it missed anything on previous passes. Some example prompts include "Is there anything important you didn't mention in your first response?" or "Can you think of any counterarguments to what you just said?"

5. Structure your input.

Organizing your prompt into clear sections or using a consistent format can help the AI better understand and process your request.

Use labels for simple prompts. For example, if you needed a product description, you could divide your prompt into PRODUCT, FEATURES, TONE, TARGET AUDIENCE, CALL TO ACTION, and TASK.

PRODUCT: Reusable, foldable carbon fiber drinking straw keychain FEATURES: - Made from 24k carbon fiber - Double-wall insulation - Portable - 96-hour cold / 48-hour hot temperature retention TONE: Premium, sophisticated, and slightly playful TARGET AUDIENCE: Redditors from the Buy It For Life subreddit, people committed to buying one purchase replacements for all plastic in their lives CALL TO ACTION: Encourage purchase to reduce plastic waste TASK: Write a compelling product description incorporating all the above elements.

Use a template or framework. For more complex prompts, consider using a structured template. Here's an example for a creative writing prompt:

## Story Prompt ### Setting - Time period: [INSERT_TIME_PERIOD] - Location: [INSERT_LOCATION] - Atmosphere: [INSERT_ATMOSPHERE] ### Characters 1. Protagonist: [INSERT_PROTAGONIST_DESCRIPTION] 2. Antagonist: [INSERT_ANTAGONIST_DESCRIPTION] 3. Supporting character: [INSERT_SUPPORTING_CHARACTER] ### Plot elements - Inciting incident: [INSERT_INCITING_INCIDENT] - Main conflict: [INSERT_MAIN_CONFLICT] - Climax: [INSERT_CLIMAX] - Resolution: [INSERT_RESOLUTION] ### Theme [INSERT_THEME] ### Task
Write a short story (approximately 500 words) incorporating all the above elements.

By using a structured format, you provide clear guidance for the AI to follow, resulting in more focused and relevant outputs.

Mark variables and placeholders. Use all caps (e.g., "INSERT_EXAMPLE_HERE", "COMPANY_NAME") or placeholder text (e.g., "XYZ", "Lorem Ipsum") to clearly indicate where specific information should be inserted or customized.

Punchline: *[TAGLINE]* An HBO drama that peels back the curtain on the lives of struggling stand-up comedians. The series follows a diverse group of comics as they navigate the hard world of stand-up and the entertainment industry, battling their personal demons, each other, and of course, nepo babies, for a shot at stardom. Write me a one-line tag line and insert it within the placeholder.

Crafting effective prompts takes time. You can learn how to write better prompts and generate high-quality outputs that meet your specific needs through enough practice.

With Type's powerful AI models at your fingertips, you're well on your way to new levels of creativity and productivity in your writing. Type offers a free 14-day trial, so don't be afraid to adjust your approach based on the results.