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Practice

4 Key Tips for Writing Great Prompts

Inefficient prompts can waste your valuable time by failing to elicit the desired response from the AI.

To write a great prompt that yields a satisfactory answer on the first try, consider the four key factors below:


1. Clearly Specify Numbers, Regions, and Times in Prompts​

Like interacting with people, giving instructions to AI requires as much specificity as possible.

To get the most precise results, specify number, region, and time in your prompts.

Bad Prompt Example
Recommend a good book.
Good Prompt Example
Recommend three best-selling self-help books published in the U.S. in 2023.

In the above prompt, the time is specified as 2023, the region as the U.S., and the number of results as three.


2. Provide an Example Answer​

Offer a clear example of the answer you want, providing the expected format and details.

Bad Prompt Example
Create a project plan for a website development project.
Good Prompt Example
Create a project plan for developing a company introduction website following the format below:

1. Project Overview: Explain the purpose and scope of the project
2. Key Phases: Outline the main tasks and estimated time for each development phase
3. Personnel and Budget: Summarize necessary personnel and budget

Example:
1. Project Overview: Redesign the existing e-commerce website and optimize the server to provide a smooth user experience
2. Key Phases:
   - Requirement Gathering: Interview clients and stakeholders (1 week)
   - Design: Create UI/UX design and prototypes (2 weeks)
   - Development: Frontend and backend development (4 weeks)
3. Personnel and Budget:
   - Personnel: 1 frontend developer, 1 backend developer, 1 designer
   - Budget: Total $50,000

3. Use Delimiters​

Enhance readability by using delimiters to separate important information or text blocks.

Bad Prompt Example
Translate to English
If this technology is successfully implemented, it could be used extensively across various industries.
We expect it to bring positive changes to society as a whole.
Good Prompt Example
### Instructions
You are a professional translator.
Translate the text below into English and emphasize three key English terms.

### Text to Translate
"""
If this technology is successfully implemented, it could be used extensively across various industries.
We expect it to bring positive changes to society as a whole.
"""

### Translation Result
[Enter translation result here]

### Key Terms
[Enter key terms explanation here]

In the example above, ### is used to separate sections, and placeholders [ ] indicate where the translation result and key terms explanation should be entered.

Triple quotation marks """ are used for quoting blocks of text, or use single quotation marks for emphasis.


4. Set Length Restrictions or Goals​

Guide clear answers by setting a limit on the length of the response or by establishing specific goals.

Bad Prompt Example
Explain the seriousness of population decline due to low birth rates.
Good Prompt Example
Explain the seriousness of population decline due to low birth rates in under 200 characters.

Using these four points will help you obtain the desired responses more easily.

We will dive into the details of each point in the following chapters.


Practice​

Send prompt examples and compare the AI responses.

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