How to Write the Perfect Prompt

Knowing how to write good AI prompts is as essential now as knowing how to search Google was in the pre-AI era. No matter what your job, industry, or profession might be, the ability to communicate clearly with AI tools is quickly becoming a fundamental skill for work and life.

But the simple fact remains that there's really no such thing as a "perfect prompt." Virtually no prompt will give you a perfect result the first time, every time. There’s always an element of back and forth. 

Good prompting is more like a conversation than a command. It’s an inherently iterative process that helps you and the AI collaboratively create the output you need and want, in the end.

What Makes a Good Prompt?

A prompt is just how you tell an AI tool what you want it to do. It’s a lot like a recipe — the clearer the instructions, the more likely you are to get the results you want.

Is there an objectively “perfect” version of your favorite dish? Not really — but there is a version that suits your personal preferences and circumstances best. Do you prefer spicy or bland food? Indulgent or lean? Should it take a few minutes to toss together, or do you enjoy spending all day in the kitchen, making everything just right?

That’s the level of detail you need to include in your prompt. You need to be very specific about what your tastes, preferences, and circumstances are — not just the ingredients the AI should include.

Remember that AI tools won’t know what "good" looks like to you unless you tell them. Unless you give them specific and clear guidance (about what to do) and guardrails (about what to avoid), AI will end up giving you something that’s pretty generic. That’s what it’s been trained to do — to match the output to the most common pattern of the thing you’ve asked for. 

So if you give your AI tool basic, generic instructions, it’ll give you basic, generic results.

A Powerful Prompt Formula

Good prompts include two types of instructions:

1. Expectations

• What do you want the AI to do?
• What do you want it to avoid?
• How do you want the response formatted, structured, or presented?

2. Context

• The "why" behind your request
• Who the content is for
• What you hope they will think, do, or consider as a result

The important thing is to include as much detail as possible about what you prefer — what will a good output look like? What specific assumptions, instructions, and background information do you need to include?

Embrace the Iterative Process

If you’ve been prompting AI tools for any amount of time, you know: It’s not about creating the “perfect prompt.” Great prompting is an iterative process at heart, and you’ll get better results if you treat it that way.

When you think of it as a process, it becomes less about getting it right the first time, and more about getting curious about what the AI needs to know — and how you can be a more effective partner to the AI so you both get what you need.

1. Start with a simple prompt
2. Assess the response: What works? What’s missing the mark?
3. Refine your prompt with your feedback and any additional detail
4. Repeat the above steps until you get the output you need

Each iteration brings you closer to exactly what you want. It’s about creating a partnership, not chasing perfection. 

You’ll find it particularly useful to lean on this framework when you’re:

• Using a new AI tool for the first time
• Creating something highly personalized
• Working on complex or nuanced requests

Watch: How to Write the Perfect Prompt

The video below walks through the prompting process, using a fun example of writing a bedtime story with the help of AI. 

Start Crafting Better Prompts Today

The beauty of this approach is that it works across any AI tool and for virtually any type of content. Whether you’re working on a creative writing project, a performance report, or a strategic plan, using this framework for prompting will give you results that match your expectation, your needs, and your personal taste.

Writing a good prompt doesn’t require years of technical expertise or a secret handshake. It’s as simple as communicating what you need to a new coworker. Be clear, be direct, and be ready to give feedback about what’s working — and what’s not.