1. Ask the AI to Play a Role
Assigning a specific role to the AI can make its response more relevant and aligned with your use case.- Before: Summarize this <document>.
- After: Imagine you are a senior product marketer with 10+ years of experience. How would you summarize this <document>?
2. Clarify the Context
Providing detailed context within your prompts helps the AI understand the situation better.- Before: Generate ten ideas on how to solve <problem>.
- After: We are performing continuous product discovery. One of the identified opportunities in our <product> is <problem> for <customer segment>. Generate ten ideas that align with our <objective>.
3. Write Like You’re Talking to a Human
Sometimes, writing your prompts as if you’re having a conversation with a person makes the prompt clearer and allows the AI to respond more naturally.- Before: Generate summary.
- After: Summarize the main issues discussed in this report.
4. Set Clear Expectations
Be explicit about what you need from the AI. Define what a good answer looks like, including any constraints or limitations.- Before: What are the latest trends in the <industry>?
- After: Provide a detailed analysis of the latest trends in the <industry>, focusing on new technologies and market shifts in the US over the past year. Limit your response to three key trends that might have the highest impact on <product>.
5. Provide an Example or Template
Including examples or templates in your prompts can guide the AI to produce responses that match your expectations.- Before: Create a set of user stories for <a new feature>.
- After: Here are two examples of user stories I wrote in the past: <examples>. Create a set of similar user stories for <a new feature>.
6. Provide Step-by-Step Instructions
This technique, also known as the “chain of thought,” involves guiding the model to think step-by-step through complex problems or questions.- Before: Conduct a competitive analysis for the <product> based on <market data>.
- After: Imagine you are a senior product manager responsible for the <product>. First, identify the top five competitors based on <market data>. Then, analyze their value proposition based on <value proposition template>. Finally, summarize how our product compares using a <value curve template>
7. Avoid Leading Questions
Avoid suggesting the expected answer to prevent biasing the AI’s response.- Before: Why is <product> better than its competitors based on <data>?
- After: What are the strengths and weaknesses of <product> compared to its competitors based on <data>?
8. Raise the Stakes
Framing the task as high-stakes or important can encourage the AI to “try harder.”- Before: Provide a detailed analysis of <user feedback>.
- After: Imagine you are preparing a report for the executive team. Provide a detailed analysis of <user feedback>.
9. Iterate and Provide Feedback
This is perhaps the most important tactic. If the initial response isn’t what you need, give constructive feedback and ask again.- Wrong feedback: Improve this product description.
- Correct feedback: This product description needs to emphasize the unique selling points more. Focus on the benefits of the new features and make it more engaging. Also, simplify the language so that a primary school graduate can understand it.
10. Bonus: Reverse-Engineer the Prompt
Sometimes, the best way to create the right prompt is to provide the AI with the expected answer and then reverse engineer the prompt.- Example: Act as an LLM expert. Help me create the prompt that might have resulted in the following outcome: <outcome>. I will give you a $1,000 tip if you guess the right prompt.
