General Prompt Template
Use this template as a starting point for any AI request that does not fit a more specific template. Fill in the sections that apply. Remove sections that are not relevant to your specific task.
Template
TASK DESCRIPTION
[What do you need AI to produce? Be specific about the type and purpose of the output.]
CONTEXT
[What background information does AI need to do this well?
Include: relevant project background, what this fits into, any relevant history or decisions.]
AUDIENCE
[Who is this for? Include:
- Their role and background
- Their level of expertise on this topic
- What they already know (what AI can assume)
- What they care about most]
GOAL / OUTCOME
[What should this output accomplish? What should the reader be able to do, decide, or understand after reading it?]
TONE
[How should this feel? Examples: direct and plain / formal and professional / warm and conversational / credible and specific]
FORMAT
[How should this be organized? Examples: three sections with headers / short paragraphs / bullet points / one-page summary / two-column comparison]
LENGTH
[How long should this be? Examples: under 300 words / no more than one page / three to five sentences per section]
INCLUDE
[Specific things that must be in the output]
AVOID
[Specific things to leave out — topics, phrases, approaches, formatting choices]
Notes on using this template
- You do not need every section every time. Use only what changes or improves the output.
- The most commonly skipped (and most impactful) sections are Audience, Goal, and Avoid.
- Tone guidance does not need to be long. One sentence describing how it should feel plus one sentence describing what it should avoid is enough.
- If you are not sure about format or length, omit those sections and add them as a refinement instruction after seeing the first output.
Quick version (for simple tasks)
Task: [What to produce]
Audience: [Who it's for]
Goal: [What it should accomplish]
Tone: [How it should feel]
Avoid: [What to leave out]
Length: [Rough limit]