How to Write Prompts the Right Way: The 5-Part Formula
Why are your AI answers always just "okay"? Because of the prompt. Learn the 5-part formula I use every day, with before-and-after examples.
If you've ever felt "this AI isn't that smart", the AI probably isn't the problem. Your prompt is too short. This is the number one skill I teach everyone, and it works the same in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and almost every other AI tool.
Why short prompts fail
Imagine sending this message to a new employee: "Write a caption."
A caption for what? Which platform? What tone? How long? The employee will guess, and the result will be just so-so. AI is the same. It can't read your mind; it only has what you type.
The 5-part formula
Every good prompt has these five parts. You don't need all of them every time, but the more you give, the more accurate the result.
1. Role: who should the AI be?
"You are a social media marketing expert who understands Malaysian audiences."
This instantly changes the tone and depth of the answer. See Persona.
2. Context: what is the real situation?
"I sell kuih raya (Hari Raya festive cookies) online, and most of my customers are young mothers aged 25–40 in the Klang Valley. Sales dropped 30% this month."
3. Task: what exactly do you want?
"Write 5 TikTok captions that make people want to buy, for my video of packing the kuih."
4. Format: what should the result look like?
"Each caption under 120 characters, include 3 hashtags, arranged as a numbered list."
5. Limits: what is NOT allowed?
"Don't use the words 'best' or 'cheap'. Don't sound like a TV ad."
Before and after
Before:
Write a caption for my kuih raya.
After:
You are a social media marketing expert who understands Malaysian audiences.
Context: I sell kuih raya online, and most of my customers are young mothers aged 25–40 in the Klang Valley. Sales dropped 30% this month.
Task: Write 5 TikTok captions for my video of packing the kuih, that make people want to buy right now.
Format: Each caption under 120 characters, 3 hashtags, numbered list.
Limits: Don't use 'best' or 'cheap'. Don't sound like a TV ad. Casual Bahasa Melayu.
Try both right now. The difference isn't small. It's like two different tools.
4 extra techniques I use every day
Give examples (few-shot)
Instead of explaining your style at length, just show it:
Here are 3 captions that went viral for me:
1. "These kuih sell out before they even cool down 😭"
2. "My mother-in-law approved. That's all I'm saying."
3. "Same recipe for 4 years. Not changing it, I'd get scolded."
Write 10 more in the same style.
Ask it to ask you first
Before you answer, ask me 3 questions you need answered to give the best result.
This is a game changer. The AI will ask about things you forgot to tell it.
Ask for several options, then combine
Give me 3 different approaches. Then I'll pick one and you expand on it.
Make it think first (chain of thought)
For questions that need logic or calculations:
Think step by step first, show your working, then give the final answer.
Common mistakes
- So polite it gets vague. "Could you maybe help, if you have time…" AI doesn't need manners, it needs clarity. Go straight to the instruction.
- One prompt, ten tasks. Break it up. One task per message, then continue.
- Not continuing the conversation. Answer not right? Reply "change part X". Don't start a new chat.
- Accepting the first result. The first result is a draft. Ask for 2–3 rounds of improvement.
Save the prompts that work
When a prompt gives you a great result, save it. You'll use it again and again. I keep my collection in Tips: free, ready to copy, and I add more every week.
Next: if you want to use AI seriously for office work, read Claude AI for Office Work.