5 practical tips to improve your prompt engineering

Be specific and detailed about what you want. Instead of “write about dogs,” try “write a 300-word informative article about golden retriever care for new pet owners, focusing on feeding schedules and exercise needs.” The more context and constraints you provide, the more targeted the response will be.

Use examples to show the desired format or style. If you want a specific structure, provide a sample. For instance: “Summarize this data in bullet points like this: • Key finding: [insight] – Impact: [consequence].” Examples act as templates that guide the AI’s output format.

Request step-by-step reasoning for complex tasks. Add phrases like “think through this step by step” or “explain your reasoning” when you need problem-solving or analysis. This encourages more thorough, logical responses rather than quick surface-level answers.

Specify the role or perspective you want. Frame requests with context like “as a financial advisor” or “from a beginner’s perspective” to get responses tailored to the appropriate expertise level and viewpoint. This helps align the tone and depth of information.

Use XML tags or structured formatting for multi-part requests. When you need several different outputs, organize your prompt with clear sections: <task1>summarize this</task1> <task2>list key points</task2>. This prevents confusion and ensures each part gets proper attention.

The key is iteration—start with a basic prompt, see what you get, then refine by adding more specificity, examples, or structure based on what’s missing from the initial response.