An AI tool can do a lot, but without the right instructions, its output is all over the place. We experienced this firsthand while building our AI content assistant. Want AI to function like a real colleague that takes work off your plate? Then it’s time to learn how to craft powerful prompts. With the right instructions, you’ll not only get better results, but also save time and ensure consistent, relevant content. In this article, we dive into the world of prompting and show you how to effectively guide AI for the best possible output.
What is prompting?
Prompting is the process of giving an AI system clear instructions or questions to generate the desired output. You can do this directly in a chat message, but instructions in your custom GPT or our AI content assistant also function as prompts. It’s more than just asking a question—it’s about providing the right context, details, and expectations so the AI understands exactly what you mean and delivers what you need.
Think of prompting like onboarding a new colleague. This colleague has the knowledge and experience but doesn’t yet know how your processes work or what’s expected of them. You wouldn’t expect them to get everything right immediately—you’d train them, provide manuals and guidelines, and introduce them to the company and team. The same applies to AI.
Prompting forms the foundation of how you collaborate with AI, whether it’s for answering questions, generating creative content, or solving complex problems.
Different types of prompting
Prompting can generally be divided into two categories:
- Informational prompting – Using AI to gather facts, data, or answer questions, such as for technical analysis or research.
- Creative prompting – Leveraging AI for brainstorming, storytelling, or visual concepts, like generating marketing ideas or ad copy. This broader category also includes content prompting, which focuses specifically on text-based content creation—and that’s exactly where we at Sterc specialize!
Content prompting
Content prompting is the structured and goal-oriented application of creative prompting, focusing on text-based output like blogs, social media posts, emails, and ads. While creative prompting can be broader (such as generating ideas for a new product concept), content prompting is directly aimed at producing applicable and useful content.
We believe that content prompting is more than just having an AI tool generate text. At Sterc, we use AI strategically to ensure that the generated content is not only creative but also perfectly aligned with your brand, audience, and goals. Content prompting allows you to:
- Maintain a specific tone of voice, whether professional or informal.
- Create content that perfectly fits a chosen format (like a blog or social post) and target audience.
- Ensure immediate usability by incorporating specific guidelines and objectives.
Why is a good prompt so important?
A prompt is essentially just the question or instruction you give to an AI tool. Sounds simple, right? Yet, this is where things often go wrong. A bad prompt is like giving unclear instructions to your team—you’ll end up with a messy result. But a well-crafted prompt? That makes AI work as if you’ve hired a specialist.
An effective prompt usually contains multiple elements, such as:
- Context: Why are you asking this question, and what background information is relevant?
- Specific details: What exactly should the AI include or avoid?
- Goal: What do you ultimately want to achieve with the response?
By combining these elements, you equip AI with everything it needs to respond accurately and relevantly.
For example, if you want AI to help write a blog about digital accessibility, don’t just mention the topic—also include details about the target audience, preferred writing style, and specific themes. Only when these aspects are clear will the output exceed your expectations.
Let’s make it practical:
❌ Bad prompt: “Write a text about marketing.”
✅ Good prompt: “Write a 300-word article on how small businesses can use social media to attract more customers. Keep the tone informal and enthusiastic.”
See the difference? It’s all about clarity and context. AI is incredibly powerful, but it can’t read your mind. You set the direction, and AI follows. The better we guide it, the better the results.
Our step-by-step guide to the perfect prompt.
The success of AI depends entirely on the quality of your prompts. The better you guide AI, the more relevant and useful the results will be. Our 10-step plan helps you create the most complete and effective prompt possible.
1. Role
What role should the AI take on? The AI should embody someone who truly understands your audience or topic, ensuring the content resonates deeply. So think beyond an HR consultant writing a job listing—focus on the role of the person you're trying to engage.
Example: "Write from the perspective of an experienced hiker who has completed numerous treks through Scandinavia, is familiar with the challenges of extreme weather, and prefers user-friendly, reliable gear."
2. Goal
What is the purpose of the AI-generated text? What outcome are you aiming for?
Example: "The goal is to provide an overview of trekking gear, including specifications, pros, and cons, so the audience can make an informed decision and purchase the right equipment for their needs."
3. Target audience
Who is this content for? Consider factors like age, interests, and challenges. Clearly define your target audience.
Example: "The target audience is beginner hikers preparing for their first long trek in cold climates. They need simple, reliable recommendations for high-quality, durable gear."
4. Tone of voice
What tone should AI use? It should align with your audience while maintaining your unique brand voice.
Example: "Use a helpful, motivational tone, as if you’re an experienced friend getting someone excited and reassuring them about their first trek."
5. Style
What writing style should AI follow? This includes language level, sentence structure, and formatting preferences. AI tools often default to capitalizing every word in headers, which is common in the U.S. but less so elsewhere.
Example: "Write in short, clear paragraphs with headings and bullet points. Minimize jargon. Use plain English at a B1 reading level. Use sentence case for headers."
6. Output
What structure should AI follow? This could be a specific document format or a page layout.
Example: "Create a product page with:
- A descriptive H1 including the product name (1-5 words).
- A short introduction (20-50 words) highlighting the product’s key features and use cases.
- A section listing the benefits, with each benefit explained in 5-10 words.
- A bullet-point list of product specifications.
- A section with recommended related products."*
7. Knowledge
What sources should AI rely on? Without guidance, AI may pull from various, sometimes unreliable, sources—including competitors. If you want AI to use only specific references, make this clear.
Example: "Use only the uploaded knowledge documents to create the product page."
8. Steps
Define the steps AI should follow to generate its response.
Example: "Step 1: Read and analyze the input. Step 2: First, review the uploaded files and use them as the primary source. Step 3: Use additional information only if it is verifiable and clearly enhances the relevance and accuracy of the page."
9. Conditions
What requirements must the generated text meet? If SEO is essential, specify the keywords and long-tail keywords to include.
Example: "Ensure the text is SEO-optimized, using keywords like ‘best trekking gear,’ ‘waterproof jacket,’ and ‘lightweight sleeping bag.’"
10. Validation
Have AI verify its own output to ensure it follows all steps correctly and only uses the specified sources. This reduces hallucinations, which is especially important when accuracy is critical.
Example: "Check that all data comes exclusively from the uploaded knowledge documents. Verify that sentence case is used for headings."
In the end, your prompt should look somewhat like this:
Role
Write from the perspective of an experienced hiker who has completed numerous treks through Scandinavia, is familiar with the challenges of extreme weather, and prefers user-friendly, reliable gear.
Goal
The goal is to provide an overview of trekking gear, including specifications, pros, and cons, so the audience can make an informed decision and purchase the right equipment for their needs.
Target audience
The target audience is beginner hikers preparing for their first long trek in cold climates. They need simple, reliable recommendations for high-quality, durable gear.
Tone of voice
Use a helpful, motivational tone, as if you’re an experienced friend getting someone excited and reassuring them about their first trek.
Style
- Write in short, clear paragraphs with headings and bullet points.
- Minimize jargon.
- Use plain English at a B1 reading level.
- Use sentence case for headers.
Output
Create a product page with:
- A descriptive H1 including the product name (1-5 words).
- A short introduction (20-50 words) highlighting the product’s key features and use cases.
- A section listing the benefits, with each benefit explained in 5-10 words.
- A bullet-point list of product specifications.
- A section with recommended related products.
Knowledge sources
Use only the uploaded knowledge documents to create the product page.
Process steps
Step 1: Read and analyze the input.
Step 2: First, review the uploaded files and use them as the primary source.
Step 3: Use additional information only if it is verifiable and clearly enhances the relevance and accuracy of the page.
Conditions
Ensure the text is SEO-optimized, using keywords like ‘best trekking gear,’ ‘waterproof jacket,’ and ‘lightweight sleeping bag.’
Validation
- Check that all data comes exclusively from the uploaded knowledge documents.
- Verify that sentence case is used for headings.
By making your prompt specific, you provide AI with the right context and keep your output consistent.
Examples of good and bad prompts.
Every department in your company can use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude in unique ways. To make our step-by-step approach more concrete, here are real-world examples per department. This way, you can see exactly how AI can support your team.
Marketing
❌ Bad prompt: "Write a landing page for a Google Ads campaign about our marketing tool."
Why doesn’t this prompt work?
- No clear role: It’s unclear who is delivering the message or what perspective is being used.
- No goal: Without a goal, it’s uncertain whether the page should convert, inform, or generate leads.
- No target audience: There’s no information about who will read the page or what problems they need to solve.
- No structure: It doesn’t specify how the page should be structured.
- No specifications: There’s no mention of SEO, call-to-actions, or other requirements.
✅ Good prompt:
"Write a landing page from the perspective of a marketing consultant who helps businesses optimize their online advertising campaigns. The goal is to convince marketers and business owners to try our marketing tool by showing them how it improves their ad ROI.
The target audience consists of small to mid-sized businesses using Google Ads, struggling with inefficient campaigns and high costs. Use a motivational and professional tone with short paragraphs and clear call-to-actions.
Page structure:
- A compelling H1 that immediately states the problem and solution.
- A short introduction (20-50 words) outlining the issue of inefficient ads.
- A paragraph listing three key benefits of the tool, each explained in bullet points (5-10 words per benefit).
- A concrete customer case study demonstrating how the tool has worked for a similar business.
- A strong call-to-action encouraging users to try the tool for free.
Optimize the text for SEO with keywords like ‘Google Ads optimization,’ ‘increase ad ROI,’ and ‘marketing tool for small businesses.’
Ensure the landing page directly addresses the target audience’s needs and is persuasive enough to drive action."
Sales
❌ Bad prompt: "Write a presentation about our product and why it’s useful."
✅ Good prompt:
"Write a sales presentation as if you are an IT consultant helping a logistics manager understand the benefits of transport management software (TMS). The goal is to convince the logistics manager that the software improves efficiency and reduces costs.
The target audience consists of logistics managers at mid-sized companies who are familiar with operational challenges but lack in-depth technical knowledge. Use a professional and solution-oriented tone, and structure the presentation as follows:
- A powerful opening sentence to grab attention.
- A short introduction outlining the challenges logistics managers face.
- An overview of three to five key benefits of the software.
- A real-world customer case study demonstrating the software’s impact.
- A clear call-to-action encouraging them to request a demo.
Keep the writing concise, use bullet points, and avoid technical jargon. Ensure the presentation is relevant and persuasive for the target audience."
HR
❌ Bad prompt: "Write a job posting for a software developer."
✅ Good prompt:
"Write a job posting as if you are a senior software developer who understands what experienced professionals value. You know how crucial challenging projects, autonomy, and a healthy work-life balance are, and you want to excite other senior developers to join your team.
The goal is to persuade experienced software developers to apply by showcasing that this role offers exactly what they need: technical challenges, creative freedom, and a great work environment.
The target audience consists of senior software developers with at least five years of experience who are looking for a position where they can apply their expertise and have a significant impact on projects.
Use a professional yet engaging tone that resonates with senior developers—avoid being overly formal. Speak directly to the reader and emphasize how valuable their experience is. Keep the text structured with short paragraphs and bullet points to clearly outline responsibilities and benefits. Ensure the job post is compelling and to the point.
The job post should follow this structure:
- A strong opening sentence that sparks curiosity.
- A brief role description that highlights why this position is exciting for senior developers.
- A list of three to five key responsibilities.
- A list of three to five benefits of working at the company, specifically tailored to experienced professionals.
- A clear call-to-action encouraging them to apply.
Optimize the job post for SEO with keywords like ‘senior software developer job,’ ‘experienced developer wanted,’ and ‘software development job opening.’
Ensure the text speaks directly to senior developers and aligns with their priorities and expectations."
Tip!
Create your ideal candidate and let them roast your job posting before rewriting it.
Our tips to get started yourself.
No matter what department you work in, an AI tool is only as smart as the instructions you provide. Think of it like onboarding a new colleague—the clearer you explain your expectations, the better the results. By guiding AI effectively, you can work faster, more efficiently, and more consistently.
Whether you use our step-by-step guide or not, these five golden rules will always help you get better output:
- Provide context: Explain it as if you were instructing a new colleague. What’s the background? What does AI need to know to generate the right output?
- Be specific: The more concrete you are, the better the results. Include details about the target audience, tone of voice, and structure.
- Stay consistent: Ensure the tone and style match your brand identity. A uniform style strengthens your message.
- Prioritize important information: AI processes instructions from top to bottom. List key guidelines and requirements first.
- Test and optimize: AI learns from your input. Experiment with different prompts to see which wording produces the best output.
By following this approach, you’ll get the most out of AI while avoiding wasted time on incoherent, generic content. Ready to get started? Download our handy cheat sheet, where we’ve compiled all our best tips!
