ChatGPT Prompt Techniques

Getting better results from LLMs comes down to how you structure your prompts.

Core Techniques

Be Specific

Instead of "write me an email," try "write a professional email to a client explaining a 2-week project delay, apologetic but confident in the new timeline."

Provide Context

Tell the model who it is, what the situation is, and what format you want.

Use Examples

Show the model what good output looks like (few-shot prompting).

Chain of Thought

Ask the model to "think step by step" for complex reasoning tasks.

Set Constraints

• Specify length ("in 3 bullet points")
• Specify tone ("casual but professional")
• Specify format ("as a markdown table")

Prompt Structure Template

Role: You are a [role]
Context: [background information]
Task: [what you want done]
Format: [how you want it delivered]
Constraints: [any limits or requirements]

Common Mistakes

• Too vague → garbage in, garbage out
• Too long → model loses focus on key instruction
• No examples → model guesses your intent
• Not iterating → first prompt rarely perfect