{"id":14292,"date":"2026-09-10T22:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T03:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/?p=14292"},"modified":"2026-09-30T14:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T19:11:13","slug":"06-how-to-write-better-ai-prompts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/06-how-to-write-better-ai-prompts","title":{"rendered":"How to Write Better AI Prompts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Write Better AI Prompts<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want consistently better results from AI, the biggest shift is to stop thinking of prompts as questions and start thinking of them as instructions with context and success criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n

A simple prompt formula<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Role + Task + Context + Constraints + Output format + Example<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, instead of:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWrite me a workout plan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Try:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAct as a certified personal trainer. Create a 4-day strength-training plan for a beginner who can train 45 minutes per session.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prioritize full-body strength, use dumbbells and machines, and include warm-ups, exercises, sets, reps, and rest periods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Format it as a day-by-day table. Keep each session under 45 minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The second prompt gives the AI a much clearer definition of what good looks like.<\/span><\/p>\n

7 techniques that make prompts better<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

State the exact task<\/span><\/p>\n

Bad: \u201cTell me about marketing.\u201d<\/span>
\nBetter: \u201cExplain the three most important digital-marketing strategies for a small local business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Give relevant context<\/span>
\nTell the AI who you are, what you’re trying to accomplish, and what constraints matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Specify the audience<\/span>
\n\u201cExplain this to a 10-year-old\u201d produces a very different answer from \u201cExplain this to a software engineer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Define the output<\/span>
\nAsk for a table, bullet points, step-by-step instructions, examples, a comparison, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set constraints<\/span>
\nExamples: word count, budget, tone, reading level, available tools, deadline, things to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Provide examples<\/span>
\nIf you have a preferred style or format, show the AI one example. Examples often communicate your intent better than lengthy descriptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ask for iteration<\/span>
\nYou don’t need to create the perfect prompt immediately. Start with a reasonable prompt, inspect the result, then say:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMake this more concise and practical.\u201d<\/span>
\n\u201cGive me three alternatives.\u201d<\/span>
\n\u201cWhat assumptions did you make?\u201d<\/span>
\n\u201cWhat information would improve this answer?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A reusable template<\/span><\/p>\n

Role: You are a [relevant expert\/role].<\/span><\/p>\n

Task: [Exactly what you want the AI to do.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Context: [Important background, goals, audience, and information.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Requirements:<\/span><\/p>\n

[Constraint or requirement 1]<\/span>
\n[Constraint or requirement 2]<\/span>
\n[Constraint or requirement 3]<\/span><\/p>\n

Output: [Describe the format you want.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality standard: [Explain what would make the answer useful or successful.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Example, if helpful:<\/span>
\n[Provide an example of the desired result or style.]<\/span><\/p>\n

One important rule<\/span><\/p>\n

More words \u2260 better prompts.<\/span><\/p>\n

A good prompt contains the right information, not necessarily lots of information. If the task is simple, a one-sentence prompt can be excellent. If the task is complex, additional context and constraints become valuable.<\/span><\/p>\n

A useful mental model is:<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell the AI what you’re trying to accomplish, give it the information it needs, and define what a good answer looks like.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Write Better AI Prompts If you want consistently better results from AI, the biggest shift is to stop thinking of prompts as questions and start…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"How to Write Better AI Prompts - AI Prompts","description":"Write Better AI Prompts If you want consistently better results from AI, the biggest shift is to stop thinking of prompts as questions and start thinking of the"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-prompts","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14292\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/aiprompts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}