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Knowing how to craft a great prompt can be the difference between getting what you want in one go and trying repeatedly until you’re out of free credits for your preferred AI tool’s flagship model. I know this because I’ve been there.
Getting the result you want in one prompt often hinges on how you phrase your prompts. It’s like a conversation—you need to be clear, direct, and intentional about what you want. Here’s a simple formula that changed everything for me.
I wish I could take full credit for “inventing” this formula. However, I didn’t. This formula is a result of personal experience and my takeaways from Google’s 45-page prompting guide for Gemini.
Here’s the formula: Persona + Task + Context + Output Format. Let's break these down and see how they work together.
Imagine who or what you want the AI to be. Is it a helpful mentor offering career advice? A knowledgeable travel guide planning your next trip? A fitness coach designing a workout plan? Defining your persona is one of those AI prompting tips that actually work because it helps the AI know the lens through which you're approaching the task.
Example: "You are a knowledgeable travel guide helping me plan a vacation..."
Here's where you clearly state what you want the AI to do. Are you looking for an itinerary, packing list, or suggestions for local experiences? Be as specific as possible about the action you need.
Example: "...create a detailed itinerary for a 7-day trip to Japan..."
Provide any relevant details that will help the AI understand the full picture. This might include your travel preferences, budget, or any special activities you're interested in.
Example: "...I’m traveling with my family, and we love cultural experiences, local cuisine, and outdoor activities..."
Specify how you want the information presented. Do you need a day-by-day breakdown? A list of top attractions? A map with key locations?
Example: "...Present it as a day-by-day itinerary with recommendations for morning, afternoon, and evening activities."
When you combine these elements, you end up with a comprehensive prompt that gives the AI everything it needs to generate a tailored, highly relevant response. Here's our full example:
"You are a knowledgeable travel guide helping me plan a vacation. Create a detailed itinerary for a 7-day trip to Japan. I’m traveling with my family, and we love cultural experiences, local cuisine, and outdoor activities. Present it as a day-by-day itinerary with recommendations for morning, afternoon, and evening activities."
With this prompt, the AI knows exactly who it’s supposed to be (a knowledgeable travel guide), what it needs to do (create a detailed itinerary), the context (a family vacation to Japan with a focus on cultural experiences, local cuisine, and outdoor activities), and how you want the information delivered (a day-by-day breakdown). This formula helps you craft prompts that get you what you want without needing to use an AI prompt generator.
This four-part formula works because it brings clarity, context, and specificity to your requests. When you break down what you want into these components, you force yourself to think clearly about your needs. That clarity translates into a more precise prompt, giving the AI a much better chance of delivering exactly what you’re after.
This approach also makes it easier to diagnose where things might go wrong. If the output isn’t what you expected, you can tweak the persona, task, context, or output format to refine the results. It’s a bit like adjusting the dials on a radio until you find the perfect station.
I can’t recommend this formula enough. It’s made a world of difference for me, and I’m confident it can do the same for you. Whether you’re writing, brainstorming, or problem-solving, these four simple steps will help you get the most out of your AI interactions.
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