Module 1 of 5 · Beginner · 8 min read
The anatomy of a strong prompt
Goal, context, examples, constraints, format and success criteria: what each part does.
- 1Every strong prompt answers: what, for whom, why, in what shape, and what good looks like.
- 2Context and goals matter far more than personas.
- 3Start with the action verb you want carried out.
01The six building blocks
Most great prompts contain some version of the same parts. You will not need all of them every time, but knowing them lets you diagnose what is missing.
- Task: the action, starting with a verb (draft, rewrite, compare, extract).
- Context: who it is for, the situation, and why it matters.
- Examples: samples of the output you want.
- Constraints: limits on length, scope, tone and what must not change.
- Format: the exact shape of the output.
- Success criteria: what a great result achieves.
02Why personas matter less than you think
"You are a world-class copywriter" was popular advice in 2023. On today's models it adds little. What helps is the substance a real expert would bring: the audience, the goal, the constraints and the standard of quality.
Use a role to set a perspective ("review this as our security lead would"), not to flatter the model.
03A before and after
Weak: "Write something about our new feature." Strong: "Write a 120-word changelog entry announcing offline mode for field technicians who lose signal on job sites. Lead with the benefit, no exclamation marks, and end with how to turn it on."
The strong version is longer, but every extra word removes a guess the model would otherwise make.
Finished reading?
Mark it complete to track your progress, then test yourself with the Prompting Fundamentals quiz.