How to Write a Prompt for AI: 8 Rules and Examples
You typed 'write something good' and got something bad. The AI isn't broken. It just can't read your mind.
The short answer
How to Write a Prompt for AITo write a prompt for AI, say exactly what you want, give the background, and ask for a format. A strong prompt names the job, who it is for, the key facts and how the answer should look. Then treat it as a chat and ask for fixes. These rules work in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Video and music tools follow the same idea.
- Three rules matter most: be exact, give the background and ask for a format.
- Google sums up a good prompt in four parts: persona, task, context and format.
- For video and music, describe what you want to see and hear, not how you feel.
A prompt is just the instruction you type into an AI tool. Knowing how to write a prompt for AI is the gap between a bland answer and a useful one. The makers of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all publish prompt advice, and they agree on most of it.
Here are the eight rules they share, in plain words. Each one comes with an example you can copy. Use one rule or all eight. By the end you can get better answers, pictures, videos and even songs.
The 8 tips
0 of 8 done-
Tip 1
Say exactly what you want
Vague in, vague out. Anthropic's guide says to treat Claude like a smart new coworker who knows nothing about your job. If a person would be confused by your prompt, the AI will be too.
So name the job, the topic and the size. Don't ask it to 'write about dogs'. Ask for a fun, short blog intro on why rescue dogs make great pets.
Before and after Before: Write about dogs. After: Write a fun 150-word intro for a blog post on why rescue dogs make great family pets. Open with a short scene from real life.
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Tip 2
Give the background and the reason
The AI doesn't know your boss, your class or your budget. Tell it. Google's tip for Gemini is to give as much context as you can. Who is this for? What happened before? What must it not say?
Add the why as well. Anthropic's guide shows that a reason helps the AI make smart choices. 'Keep it short' is fine. 'Keep it short, because people will read it on a phone' is better.
Before and after Before: Write an email saying the meeting moved. After: Write a short, friendly email to my team of 6. Our Friday planning meeting moves to Monday at 10 because the client is away. Ask them to reply if they can't come.
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Tip 3
Give the AI a role and a reader
Tell the AI who to be and who it is talking to. Google calls the first part the persona. 'You are a patient maths tutor' gets a very different answer from 'You are a tax lawyer'.
The reader matters just as much. An answer for a ten-year-old should not sound like one for a doctor. One short line about each is enough.
Before and after Before: Explain how vaccines work. After: You are a friendly science teacher. Explain how vaccines work to a curious 10-year-old. Use one everyday comparison and no medical words.
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Tip 4
Ask for the format you need
If you don't say how the answer should look, you get a wall of text. Ask for what you can use: three bullet points, a table, a list of steps, or a reply under 100 words.
Set limits too. OpenAI's guide for ChatGPT tells you to spell out the rules an answer must follow, such as tone and length. Format is also one of Google's four parts of a good prompt.
Before and after Before: Compare iPhone and Android. After: Compare iPhone and Android for a first-time phone buyer. Give me a table with 4 rows: price, ease of use, apps and privacy. Then add one line with your pick.
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Tip 5
Show an example of what good looks like
One good sample beats ten adjectives. Paste a caption, an email or a paragraph you like and say 'match this style'. Anthropic calls examples one of the most reliable ways to steer tone and format.
Its guide suggests three to five examples for the best results. Even one helps a lot. Make sure the sample is close to what you want, because the AI will copy it closely.
Prompt to copy Write 3 Instagram captions for my bakery's new cinnamon buns. Match the style of this one I wrote: 'Flaky, buttery, gone by noon. Our croissants do not wait for late risers.'
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Tip 6
Ask for one thing at a time
A prompt that asks for a plan, a logo idea, a budget and a slogan gets four weak answers. OpenAI's prompt guide puts it simply: one prompt, one deliverable.
For a big job, go in steps. Ask for the outline first. Fix it. Then ask for part one. If the order matters, number the steps in your prompt so nothing gets skipped.
Before and after Before: Plan my whole product launch. After: Step 1 only: list the 5 biggest tasks for opening a handmade candle shop online. One line each. Wait for my reply before you go on.
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Tip 7
Keep chatting until it is right
The first answer is a draft. OpenAI's guide says not to expect your first prompt to work perfectly. Don't open a new chat. Say what to fix: shorter, warmer, less pushy, more detail in part two.
Here is a pro move from the same guide: ask the AI to ask you questions first. It finds the gaps in your request before it writes a word.
Prompt to copy Before you write anything, ask me up to 5 questions about my goal, my reader and the tone I want. Then wait for my answers.
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Tip 8
Describe what you see and hear for video and music
A prompt for an AI video generator works like a shot list. Google's help for Flow says to be specific about the subject, the action, the place, the lighting and the style. Add a camera move if you want one.
A prompt for Suno works like a note to a band. Suno says to describe the genre, the mood and the theme. You can add the speed, the instruments and the type of singer, then paste lyrics you wrote yourself.
Video and song prompts Video: A red fox walks through fresh snow in a pine forest at dawn. Slow tracking shot from the side. Soft pink light, film look. Suno: Warm indie folk, slow, with fingerpicked guitar and a soft female voice. A song about driving home in the first snow.
Know someone who'd use this? or .
The four parts of a strong prompt, from Google's guide for Gemini
| Part | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Persona | Who the AI should be | You are a kind maths tutor |
| Task | The job you want done | Write 5 practice questions |
| Context | The background it needs | My son is 9 and finds fractions hard |
| Format | How the answer should look | A numbered list, with answers at the end |
The four parts come from Google's prompt guide for Gemini. It says you don't need all four every time.
Tools for the job
All ai apps & chatbots-
The best place to practise, since it writes, searches, talks and makes pictures.
Everyday prompts of every kind
Chats train its models unless you turn that off
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Give it a clear brief and the draft comes back sounding like a person.
Emails, essays, reports and long files
No image making, and free limits run out fast
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Your prompt can point at your own Gmail, Drive and Calendar.
People whose work lives in Google's apps
People review some chats, and the app collects a lot
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Type a shot list, get a clip, then change it by describing the fix.
Practising video prompts for free
Free video can stall at peak hours
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Tell it the genre and the mood, and it sings your words back to you.
Trying music prompts in seconds
Free songs can't be downloaded
Mistakes to skip
- Typing a few words and hoping
Name the job, the reader and the size. A longer, exact prompt beats a short, vague one.
- Cramming five jobs into one prompt
Ask for one thing. When it is done, ask for the next.
- Opening a new chat after every miss
Stay in the same chat and say what to fix. The AI keeps the background you already gave.
- Believing every fact it gives you
AI can be wrong and still sound sure. Ask for sources and check the facts that matter.
- Pasting private details into the box
Leave out passwords, health and money details. Some tools train on your chats unless you opt out.
Take the next thing you were going to ask an AI. Add who it is for, the background and the format you want. Send it, then ask for one fix. That small habit beats any list of magic prompts.
Start with ChatGPTCompare the tools
Questions people ask
How do I write a prompt for ChatGPT?
State the goal, the background, the rules and the format you want. OpenAI's guide also says to stick to one deliverable per prompt, and to expect to refine it.
How do I write a prompt for Claude?
Be clear and direct, explain why you want something, and paste an example. For long prompts, Anthropic suggests wrapping each part in its own tag, such as instructions and context.
How do I write a prompt for Gemini?
Use Google's four parts: persona, task, context and format. Write in full sentences, and point Gemini at your own files in Google Drive when they help.
What is a good AI prompt example?
Try this: 'You are a friendly tutor. Explain how plants make food to a 10-year-old in 5 short bullet points.' It has a role, a task, a reader and a format.
How do I write a prompt for an AI video generator?
Describe the subject, the action, the place, the lighting and the style, then add a camera move. If you start from a photo, describe the action you want to see.
How do I write a prompt for Suno?
Write a short style line with the genre, the mood and the theme. Add the speed, the instruments and the type of singer, then paste your own lyrics and give the song a title.
Checked in November 2026 against: platform.claude.com, developers.openai.com, help.openai.com, workspace.google.com, support.google.com, suno.com, help.suno.com.