Guide to AI prompting—perfect for beginners and useful for advanced users who want to level up how they interact with AI tools.
What Is AI Prompting?
Prompting is the art of crafting inputs (prompts) to get useful, accurate, or creative responses from an AI model. A prompt is the text or instruction you give to the AI to tell it what you want.
Basic Prompt Structure
A good prompt typically includes:
- Task – What do you want the AI to do?
- Context – What background does the AI need?
- Format – How should the answer be structured?
- Tone (Optional) – Should it be professional, friendly, funny, etc.?
Example:
“Write a friendly email to a customer apologizing for a late shipment and offering a discount on their next purchase.”
Levels of Prompting
1. Basic Prompting
Ask a direct question or make a straightforward request.
- “Summarize this paragraph.”
- “Explain quantum computing in simple terms.”
2. Intermediate Prompting
Add constraints or specify tone, length, style, etc.
- “Summarize this article in 3 bullet points suitable for a LinkedIn post.”
- “Write a professional blog post introduction about AI in healthcare.”
3. Advanced Prompting
Use structured formats, multi-step reasoning, or roleplay.
- “You are an expert UI/UX designer. Critique this app layout and suggest 3 improvements based on accessibility guidelines.”
- “Act as a product manager and draft a PRD (Product Requirements Document) for a new mobile fitness app.”
Prompt Engineering Techniques
| Technique | Example |
|---|---|
| Zero-shot prompting | “Translate this sentence into French.” |
| Few-shot prompting | “Translate the following: Hello → Bonjour. Goodbye → Au revoir. Thanks →” |
| Chain-of-thought | “Explain step by step how you got the answer to 21 x 43.” |
| Role prompting | “You are a chef. Give me a recipe using only pantry ingredients.” |
| Refinement loops | Ask, evaluate, then re-prompt to improve output. |
Tips for Better Prompts
- Be specific – The more details, the better the result.
- Break it down – If it’s complex, ask in parts.
- Use examples – Show what you want (like sample inputs or outputs).
- Ask for format – Bullet points, tables, code blocks, etc.
- Iterate – Don’t hesitate to rephrase if the result isn’t ideal.
Prompt Templates (Quick Starters)
- “Explain [topic] like I’m five.”
- “Summarize this in 100 words or less.”
- “List pros and cons of [idea/product/plan].”
- “Give me a comparison between [A] and [B].”
- “Create a script for a YouTube short about [topic].”
Bonus: Useful Prompting Resources
- Books:
- The Art of Prompt Engineering with ChatGPT
- AI Prompting Guide for Beginners
- Web Tools:
- FlowGPT – Prompt sharing community
- PromptHero – Great for image generation prompts
- LearnPrompting.org – Free interactive lessons