The prompt structure I use for everything
Four parts. Two extra minutes. The difference between a draft you rewrite and a draft you send.
The short version
- Bad output usually means a short request with no context.
- The fix: Role, Context, Example, Format. Every time.
- Write it once. Save it. Reuse it forever.
You'll need
Most bad AI output isn't the model's fault.
Short request. No context. So it fills the gaps with the most average answer it can find.
Average in, average out.
The four parts
Step 1: Role
Not "you are an expert".
The actual job: "You're the account manager at a B2B lead generation agency."
Step 2: Context
Everything a new hire would need on day one.
Who's reading. What happened before. What good looks like. What to avoid.
Step 3: Example
One real example of the output you want.
It does more than any adjective you could add.
Step 4: Format
Exactly what comes back.
Length. Structure. Tone. What to leave out.
ROLE You are [the job, specifically] at [type of company]. CONTEXT The reader is [who they are and what they care about]. Background: [what happened before this task]. Good looks like: [one sentence]. Avoid: [the mistakes you have seen before]. EXAMPLE Here is one we were happy with: """ [paste a real example] """ FORMAT Reply with [length], in [structure], in a [tone] tone. Do not include [things you always delete]. TASK [the actual request]
Before and after
"Write a follow-up email to a lead." A polite, generic email. Could be from any company on earth.
Same request, plus our setter as the role, the lead's answers as context, one email that booked a call as the example, and "under 90 words, end with a question" as the format. Sounds like us. A light edit, not a rewrite.
Here's that "after" prompt, filled in. Copy it and swap in your own details.
ROLE You are the appointment setter at a B2B lead generation agency. You write short, warm follow-ups that get a reply. CONTEXT The reader is a founder who filled in our form yesterday and hasn't booked a call. Their answers: [paste the form answers]. Good looks like: they reply with a time that suits them. Avoid: "just checking in", "circling back", long intros about us, more than one question. EXAMPLE Here is one that booked a call: """ [paste your best follow-up] """ FORMAT Under 90 words. Plain text, no subject line. Friendly, direct tone. Mention one thing from their answers. End with one question. Do not include a signature or a list of services. TASK Write the follow-up for this lead.
Make it reusable
Got a prompt that works? Don't retype it.
Put the role, context and example in a Claude Project or a custom GPT. Now you only write the task.
That's the first step from using AI to having a system.
My examples were too perfect. Every email came back the same length, with the same phrasing.
Give two or three examples that differ. Say which parts must stay fixed.
Harsh