Skip to main content

6 principles for writing good prompts (with copy-ready templates)

· 5 min read
KD Chang
KD Chang
Builder, Curator & Educator

Same question — so why do other people get great answers while you get a pile of waffle?

The difference almost never comes down to the tool. It comes down to whether you said everything you needed to say. This post gives you six principles and templates you can copy straight away.

First, a side-by-side comparison​

How most people ask

Write me a leave request email

What you get: a generic, overly polite email that needs a major rewrite.

The improved version

[Role] You are a senior administrative assistant who knows the etiquette of business emails in a Taiwanese workplace.
[Task] Help me write a leave request email to my direct manager.
[Context] I'm a marketing specialist taking 3 days of annual leave (Oct 14–16) to travel abroad.
My social media posts are already scheduled through the end of the month, and my coworker Lin will cover anything urgent.
I get along well with my manager, but the email still needs to stay professional.
[Format] Under 200 words, formal but not stiff, subject line listed separately, with handover notes at the end.

The AI didn't get any smarter. You just gave it all the information it needed.

Principle 1: Role × Task × Context × Format​

This is the single most important formula, and it solves 90% of problems:

[Role] You are a ____ with 10 years of experience.
[Task] Please help me ____.
[Context] The background is ____. The audience is ____. My goal is ____.
[Format] Please present it as ____, about ____ long, in a ____ tone.

Of the four parts, context is the one people most often leave out, and the one that affects the result most.

Principle 2: One example beats ten adjectives​

This is the technique with the biggest payoff.

Following the style and structure of the example below, write three new ones for me:

[Example]
Title: Taiwan's new labor pension system, explained in 3 minutes
Opening: That 6% on your payslip every month? It isn't coming from the government.
Structure: Intriguing opening → three key points → one call to action

[My topic] (write your topic here)

(The example is about Taiwan's workplace pension, where employers must contribute 6% of salary — swap in any topic from your own world.)

Adjectives like "funny but professional" or "warm" mean something different to everyone. One real example clears up every misunderstanding at once.

Principle 3: Have it ask you questions first​

Before you start, ask me 3–5 questions about what you need to know,
and wait for my answers before writing anything. Don't make assumptions.

This is the cure for "it made up a whole bunch of things I never said." It works especially well for complex tasks.

Principle 4: Ask for an outline first, then the full text​

Please give me an outline first. Once I approve it, write the full text.

This keeps it from writing 3,000 words in one go, only for the whole direction to be wrong. Change only one thing per round, and you stay in control.

Principle 5: Say clearly what you don't want​

AI has plenty of default habits, and it will keep doing them until you tell it to stop:

Please avoid:
- All-purpose openings like "In today's fast-changing world"
- Empty adjectives (powerful, outstanding, remarkable)
- A summary paragraph at the end (I don't need one)
- Any data I didn't provide

Principle 6: Have it check its own work​

When you're done, check your work against these criteria and fix anything that falls short:
1. Did you add any information I didn't provide?
2. Is it over 200 words?
3. Will the reader know what to do after reading it?

This step weeds out a good half of the problems, especially made-up content.

One more line: give "I don't know" a way out​

If there isn't enough information, just say "Not enough information — I need to know ___."
Don't fill gaps with guesses.

This is the simplest, most effective way to reduce hallucinations. I recommend adding it to all your templates.

Putting it all together​

Combine all six principles and it looks like this:

[Role] You are an HR consultant who knows small and mid-sized businesses in Taiwan well, with 10 years of recruiting experience.
[Task] Help me write a job description for a front-end engineer.
[Context]
- Company: a 15-person SaaS startup that builds back-office tools for online stores
- Requirements: React, 3+ years of experience, must work closely with designers
- Strengths: flexible remote work, little technical debt, fast decisions
- Weaknesses: mid-range salary, not a well-known brand
[Format] Markdown, five sections, under 500 words, sincere tone without hype.
[Limits] Don't use phrases like "passionate" or "we're like a family"; don't list any benefits I didn't provide;
mark any missing information with (to be added).
[Check] When you're done, read it from the point of view of "a senior engineer thinking about changing jobs,"
point out the least convincing part, and fix it.

The single most important habit​

The moment you get a great answer, save that prompt to your notes.

Three months from now, the template collection you've built yourself will be more useful than any tutorial. That's also why we put together the Prompt Library — to give you a starting point, though in the end everyone should have their own version.

What's next: