What to include.
THE TASK
What you want done, stated directly.
"Write", "summarise", "extract", "compare", "explain".
THE CONTEXT
Who you are, who this is for, what the situation is.
The most commonly omitted element and the one that changes output most.
THE AUDIENCE
Who reads this, and what they already know.
THE FORMAT
Length, structure, whether you want prose, bullet points, a table.
THE CONSTRAINTS
What to avoid, what to include, tone, anything non-negotiable.
THE MATERIAL
Any document, data or example the model should work from.
AN EXAMPLE
Of the output you want, where you have one. Worth more than several paragraphs of description.
WHAT A COMPLETE PROMPT LOOKS LIKE
"Write a product description for [product]. Buyer: [who and why]. Include size and materials. Around eighty words. Plain, no superlatives. Here are the specifications: [data]."
WHAT TO DROP
Politeness, which changes nothing. Clarity is what matters.
