What is a prompt and how to write one in 5 steps

Step 1: Give it a role

The role tells the AI which expertise to answer from. Asking "someone" for advice is not the same as asking "an accountant with 10 years of experience helping small businesses". The role changes the vocabulary, the level of detail and the kind of recommendations you get.

Example: "Act as a friendly, patient customer service advisor."

Tip: pick a realistic, specific role. "A primary school teacher" works better than "the best expert in the world".

Step 2: State the task in one sentence

The task is what you want to get. Start it with a clear verb: write, summarize, compare, create, fix, translate, plan. One sentence is enough. If you have several tasks, ask for them one at a time or number them.

Example: "Write a reply to a customer who is complaining because their order arrived late."

Avoid vague tasks like "help me with this". The AI does not know what "this" means unless you explain it.

Step 3: Add context

Context is the information only you have: your situation, your audience, what you already tried and what happened before. It is the step that improves results the most, and the one most people skip.

Example: "I run a small online clothing store. The customer waited 5 days longer than promised because the shipping company had a delay. They are a regular customer and we do not want to lose them."

Ask yourself: what would a new person need to know to do this job well? That is your context. Never include passwords, card numbers or other people's private data.

Step 4: Define the format

The format tells the AI how you want the answer delivered. Without it, the AI decides for you and sometimes returns text that is too long or hard to copy. You can ask for a list, a table, a short WhatsApp message, an email with a subject line or an exact word count.

Example: "Keep the message under 80 words, ready to send by email, with a subject line."

Other useful formats:

• A table with columns for day, task and estimated time.
• Three different options for me to choose from.
• Numbered steps, one per line.
• A 5-bullet summary.

Step 5: Set the tone and limits

Tone defines how the text should sound: warm, formal, upbeat, direct. Limits are what the AI should not do: make up facts, use jargon, promise discounts or go past a certain length.

Example: "Use a warm, professional tone. Apologize without blaming the shipping company and do not offer refunds."

Limits matter most when the text speaks for your business. It is easier to say it up front than to fix it afterwards.

The full prompt, put together

Putting the 5 steps together, the prompt reads: "Act as a friendly, patient customer service advisor. Write a reply to a customer who is complaining because their order arrived late. I run a small online clothing store; the customer waited 5 days longer than promised because of a shipping delay. They are a regular customer. Keep the message under 80 words, with a subject line. Use a warm, professional tone, apologize without blaming anyone and do not offer refunds."

It looks long, but it takes a minute to write and saves you several attempts. You can also save it as a template and only change the parts in brackets next time.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Asking for too much at once: split the work into steps.
• Not checking the answer: AI can be wrong, especially with numbers, dates and names.
• Giving up after one try: reply "make it shorter" or "more formal" and the AI will adjust.
• Copying without personalizing: always add your real details.

With practice, these 5 steps become automatic. Start with a task you do every week, like answering emails or planning meals, and you will see the difference from day one.