Guide
How to write a good ChatGPT prompt
A good ChatGPT prompt has five parts: role, context, task, constraints, and output format. Most weak prompts only specify the task and leave the other four to chance.
The five parts
- Role — who the AI should be ("You are a senior copywriter")
- Context — the background it needs to answer well
- Task — the specific thing you want done
- Constraints — length, tone, what to avoid
- Output format — list, table, email, code block, etc.
Before / after
Weak: "write a welcome email for new users"
No role, no context about the product, no length or tone constraint, no format guidance — ChatGPT has to guess all of it.
Strong:
You are an experienced SaaS lifecycle email copywriter.
Context: new users just signed up for a project-management tool aimed at small teams.
Task: write a welcome email that (1) makes them feel confident about getting started, and (2) points them to the single most important first action.
Constraints: warm, conversational tone, no corporate jargon, 150-200 words.
Format: subject line + email body, no preamble or explanation.
Common mistakes
- Burying a requirement inside a long paragraph instead of listing it — list items get followed more reliably than clauses buried mid-sentence.
- Skipping the output format and then being surprised the response isn't structured the way you needed.
- Not stating what to avoid — "no jargon" or "no bullet points" is often more useful than more positive instructions.
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