AI Prompt Engineering Basics

What is a Prompt?

A prompt is simply the set of instructions you give an AI. It’s the way you tell the AI what you want — whether that’s an explanation, a summary, a creative draft, a detailed analysis, or anything else you can think of.

The quality of its output depends on the clarity of your request. If you’re vague, you’ll get vague answers. If you’re specific, you’ll get much closer to what you are actually looking for.

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Basic Prompting Framework

A simple way to write better prompts is to follow this three-step structure. If you include all three, you’ll almost always get clearer, more useful results.

Context

Context gives the AI the key information it needs in order to follow your instructions. It sets the scene, explains the situation, and helps the AI understand what you’re asking it to do. Without context, the AI has to guess — and its answers will usually be too broad or off-target.

Task

The task is the instruction itself. This is where you tell the AI exactly what you want it to do. The more precise and direct you are, the better the result. Since the AI takes language literally, a well-defined task removes ambiguity and keeps the answer focused on the outcome you actually need.

Format

The format is how you want the response to be delivered. By specifying format, you control the structure and style of the answer, making it easier to read, compare, or use. Without it, the AI decides for you — and that may not align with your goals. Format is what turns a raw answer into something you can apply right away.

Bad vs Good Prompt Examples

Create a Travel Itinerary Prompt

❌ Bad Prompt:

Plan me a trip.

✅ Good Prompt:

I’m planning a 3-day weekend in Paris on a $500 budget. 

Create a travel itinerary.

Present it as a day-by-day schedule with morning, afternoon, and evening activities.  

Write a Blog Post Prompt

❌ Bad Prompt:

Write a blog post

✅ Good Prompt:

Topic: Dogs
Subtopic: Dog Care for new pet owners
Tone: Encouraging and Educational

Write a blog post using the information above.

The blog post should be properly formatted with headers and should include "Quick tips:" bullet points for each section.