Prompt engineering is the skill of writing instructions that help to guide a large language model (LLM) into producing your desired output. An LLM is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) trained on large amounts of data to understand and generate human-like responses. These models, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude, can handle a variety of tasks, but getting the output you want depends on how you ask. By utilizing prompt engineering, you can unlock the full potential of AI, and begin to augment tasks, making it a powerful tool for both personal and professional use.
Key Principles of Effective Prompt Engineering
Be clear and specific
Clearly state what you want the LLM to do, avoiding vague instructions. Instead of saying, “Write a blog,” say, “Write a 500-word blog about the 7 rivers of the world. Make sure the blog is written in a professional tone and includes an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.” Treat the LLM like a human collaborator—explain your request as you would to a new employee or team member. If the task is complex, consider breaking it into smaller steps to ensure clarity.
Provide enough context
Give the LLM the background it needs to understand your request fully. Without sufficient context, the model may provide irrelevant or incomplete responses. Including details like names, topics, or intended tone helps tailor the output to your needs. When necessary, add situational or emotional context to provide additional clarity. For example, frame the task by saying, “Imagine you’re a salesperson preparing for a critical meeting.”
Keep it simple
Simplify your language and focus only on what’s relevant. Overloading your prompt with unnecessary details can confuse the model, straightforward instructions ensure better results.
Repeat Key Details
Repeating key details, such as tone, format, or length, can ensure clarity and emphasize what’s most important. For instance, you might say: “Write a 200-word blog post that… {describe what you want to see in the blog post, topics, etc.}. Make sure the blog is professionally written and is 200 words.” In this example, the detail about the blog being exactly 200 words is repeated to highlight its importance. By reinforcing critical details, your prompts become clearer and more actionable.
Test and refine
Not every prompt will work perfectly on the first try, so it’s important to experiment with different wording, adjust based on the results, and refine until you achieve the desired outcome. A useful method involves using a pre-prompt like this:
“I am trying to give a new employee instructions on a task they must complete. Act as the new employee and ask me any clarifying questions you may have on the following instructions: {insert your prompt here}.”
Address the clarifying questions, then use this follow-up:
“Now that I have clarified the questions, please rewrite the original task in the language an LLM can understand while incorporating the clarifications.”
This process ensures your instructions are clear and actionable.
Finding Your Ideal AI Model
Not all large language models are the same, and the differences can impact your output. If something doesn’t work well on ChatGPT, try Gemini. Need more up-to-date information? Perplexity might be a better fit. Running the same prompt on ChatGPT, Gemini, and Anthropic can yield surprisingly different results. Each LLM has unique strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities, so it’s worth exploring multiple options to determine which one best suits your needs. Consider factors like accuracy, speed, interface preferences, and how well the model aligns with your goals.
Mastering prompt engineering is the key to unlocking the full potential of AI. By being clear, specific, and iterative, you can guide AI models to deliver accurate and effective results. Although AI is a powerful tool, it’s not perfect. Fact-check its outputs and, when appropriate, disclose that the content was AI-generated. Keeping a human in the loop is a must. At 7Rivers, we’re here to help you make the most of AI, whether you’re just starting or looking to integrate these tools into your business. Mastering prompt engineering is just the beginning—let’s explore how you can use AI to achieve exceptional results and begin to augment your business for future success.
