AI Prompting

How To Prompt AI Properly

Most people are terrible at prompting because they skip the most important part: context. This guide shows you the order to follow before asking ChatGPT, Claude or any AI tool to do the work.

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Most people open an AI tool, type a question and hope for the best.

Then they get a generic answer and assume the tool is the problem.

Usually, the real issue is not the prompt. It is the missing context around the prompt. The AI has not been told who it should act as, what you are trying to achieve, what background matters, what good looks like or how the output will be used.

A better prompt is not always longer. It is clearer. It gives the AI the information it needs before asking for the task.

Why Most Prompts Fail

A weak prompt usually starts at the end.

It asks for the output first: write this, summarise that, give me ideas, make this better. But the AI is missing the setup that would help it make better decisions.

For example, "write a newsletter" could mean a polished founder note, a tactical marketing email, a warm community update, a product launch announcement or a short educational piece.

If you do not define the frame, the AI fills in the blanks with average assumptions. That is how you get average output.

The Order To Follow

Instead of typing a question and hoping for the best, follow this order:

First, tell the AI who it is.
Second, explain the goal.
Third, give it context.
Fourth, explain what success looks like.
Then ask for the task.

This order matters because it changes how the AI interprets everything that comes next. You are not just giving it words to rearrange. You are giving it a job, a reason, a situation and a standard.

The Five Elements Of A Good Prompt

1. Role

Tell the AI who it should act as.

This does not need to be dramatic. You are simply giving it the professional lens it should use.

Act as a marketing manager.

You could also say strategist, editor, operations consultant, social media manager, customer researcher, copywriter or project manager. Choose the role based on the kind of thinking you need.

2. Goal

Explain what you are trying to achieve.

I need to write a newsletter.

The goal tells the AI what the work is for. "Write a newsletter" is useful, but "write a newsletter that gets people to register for a webinar" is stronger because it gives the output a purpose.

3. Context

Give the AI the background it cannot guess.

This is my audience, my brand voice and my offer.

Context might include your audience, offer, product, tone, examples, constraints, customer objections, platform, deadline or anything the AI would need to know if it were working with you in real life.

Most prompting problems are not prompt problems. They are missing context problems.

4. Success Criteria

Explain what good looks like before the AI starts.

It should feel practical, not salesy.

This is where you define taste, tone and quality. You can tell it the output should be direct, warm, evidence-based, concise, beginner-friendly, premium, practical, sceptical, bold or plainspoken.

Success criteria prevent the AI from optimising for the wrong thing.

5. Task

Only after the setup, ask for the thing you want.

Write the first draft of the newsletter.

The task should be specific enough that the AI knows what to produce. Include the format if it matters: draft, outline, table, list, email, script, checklist, plan or critique.

A Complete Prompt Example

Here is what the full structure looks like when you put it together:

Act as a marketing manager.

I need to write a newsletter that encourages my audience to book a free strategy call.

My audience is small business owners who are curious about AI but feel overwhelmed by the tools. My brand voice is practical, direct and warm. My offer is a 30-minute call where we identify one workflow they could improve with AI this month.

The newsletter should feel useful, not salesy. It should explain the problem clearly, give one practical takeaway and make the call feel like a helpful next step.

Write a first draft of the newsletter. Keep it under 500 words. Include a subject line, preview text and a clear call to action.

Copy This Prompt Template

Use this when you want better output from any AI tool:

Act as a [role].

I need to [goal].

Here is the context:
- Audience:
- Brand voice:
- Offer, product or situation:
- Important background:
- Constraints:

Success looks like:
- Tone:
- Quality standard:
- What to avoid:
- What the output should help me do:

Now [specific task].

Format the answer as [format].

Final Thought

The better the context, the better the output.

Before blaming the AI, check whether you gave it enough to work with. Most of the time, the missing piece is not a magic prompt. It is the audience, the goal, the examples, the constraints or the standard you forgot to include.

What is the one thing you always forget to include in your prompts?

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