Prompt Strategies
The quality of your prompts directly affects the quality of AI responses. These strategies will help you get better answers, faster.
The anatomy of a good prompt
A strong prompt usually includes:
- Role or context — Who is asking, or what role should the AI play?
- Task — What do you want the AI to do?
- Context — What background information does the AI need?
- Format — How should the answer be structured?
- Constraints — What limitations or requirements apply?
Not every prompt needs all five, but including more of these elements generally produces better results.
Strategy 1: Be specific about format
Tell the AI how you want the answer structured.
❌ “Explain microservices” ✅ “Explain microservices in 3 bullet points, aimed at a non-technical executive”
❌ “Write an email” ✅ “Write a 3-paragraph follow-up email to a client who hasn’t responded to a proposal in 2 weeks. Friendly but professional tone.”
Strategy 2: Give the AI a role
Framing the AI as an expert often improves the quality of responses.
- “Act as a senior TypeScript developer and review this code…”
- “You are an experienced product manager. Help me write a PRD for…”
- “As a UX designer, what would you change about this flow?”
Strategy 3: Use examples
If you have an example of the output you want, share it.
“Write a feature announcement in the same style as this one: [paste example]“
Strategy 4: Ask for options
When you’re not sure of the best approach, ask for multiple:
“Give me 3 different ways to structure this API endpoint, with pros and cons of each.”
Strategy 5: Break complex tasks into steps
For complicated requests, guide the AI step by step.
Instead of: “Help me plan a product launch”
Try:
- “List 10 tasks needed for a B2B SaaS product launch”
- “Now group these into phases: pre-launch, launch day, post-launch”
- “Draft a checklist for the pre-launch phase”
Strategy 6: Use follow-ups to refine
The first answer is a starting point, not the final output.
- “That’s good. Now make it 50% shorter.”
- “Rewrite the third paragraph to be more persuasive.”
- “Add a section about edge cases.”
Treat the AI like a junior colleague: Be specific about what you need, give feedback on the first draft, and iterate until it’s right.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Too vague | Add context, constraints, and desired format |
| Asking multiple unrelated questions at once | One focused question per message |
| Not iterating | Follow up to refine the response |
| Expecting perfect output first try | Plan to edit and iterate |
| Not providing relevant context | Paste the code, text, or data you’re asking about |