Guide to Basic Prompt Engineering

What is Prompt Engineering?

Prompt engineering is the practice of crafting effective inputs (prompts) to guide AI models (like ChatGPT) in generating relevant, high-quality responses. The goal is to structure prompts clearly and precisely to get the best output.

Key Principles of Prompt Engineering

1. Be Clear and Specific

• ✅ Good: “Summarize the key points of the book Atomic Habits in 5 bullet points.”
• ❌ Bad: “Tell me about Atomic Habits.”

2. Provide Context

• ✅ “You are a marketing expert. Explain how to create a high-converting landing page.”
• ❌ “How do I create a landing page?”

3. Define the Output Format

• ✅ “List five pros and cons of remote work in a table format.”
• ❌ “Tell me about remote work.”

4. Use Step-by-Step Instructions

• ✅ “Explain machine learning to a beginner in three simple steps.”
• ❌ “What is machine learning?”

5. Set Constraints (Word Limit, Style, or Perspective)

• ✅ “Write a 100-word summary of AI ethics from a business perspective.”
• ❌ “Tell me about AI ethics.”