Prompting That Works

Time: ~30 minutes What you'll learn: The CRAFT framework and templates that consistently produce better results

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This Page Covers

• Why Most People Under-Prompt - The gap between what you ask and what you want
• The CRAFT Framework - Context, Role, Ask specifically, Format, Test & iterate
• Prompts for Analysis - Templates for analyzing documents and data
• Prompts for Writing - Templates for different content types
• Prompts for Decision-Making - Structured comparison prompts
• Prompts for Learning - How to use AI as a teacher

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Why Most People Under-Prompt

There's a gap between what you ask and what you actually want. When you type "write me an email," AI has to guess:

• Email to whom?
• About what?
• What tone?
• How long?
• What's the goal?

AI fills these gaps with generic assumptions. The result is generic output.

The fix is simple: Tell AI what you actually want. The CRAFT framework helps you do this systematically.

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The CRAFT Framework

C - Context

Give AI the background it needs. Without context, AI makes assumptions that are often wrong.

Bad prompt:

Write an email about the project delay.

Good prompt:

I'm a project manager at a software consulting firm. We're 2 weeks behind on a client deliverable due to unexpected technical issues. The client is generally understanding but has mentioned budget concerns. Write an email...

Context to include:

• Who you are - Your role, expertise, relationship to the recipient
• The situation - What's happening, what led to this point
• The audience - Who will read this, what do they care about
• Constraints - Budget, time, technical limitations, company policies

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R - Role

Assign AI a persona or expertise. This primes it to respond from that perspective.

Without role:

Explain blockchain to me.

(Generic, textbook explanation)

With role:

Act as a patient teacher explaining blockchain to a complete beginner. Use simple analogies and avoid technical jargon.

(Clear, accessible explanation)

Useful roles:

• "Act as an experienced [job title] who specializes in..."
• "You are a [expert type] helping a [audience type]..."
• "Respond as if you're [specific persona]..."

Why This Works

Role assignment activates relevant patterns from AI's training. A prompt starting with "Act as an experienced copywriter" draws on patterns from professional copywriting, not generic text.

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A - Ask Specifically

Vague asks get vague responses. Be precise about what you want.

Vague:

Give me some marketing ideas.

Specific:

Give me 5 marketing taglines for a sustainable coffee brand. Each tagline should be under 8 words, emphasize environmental responsibility, and appeal to millennial professionals.

Things to specify:

• Quantity - "Give me 3 options" vs "give me ideas"
• Length - "In 2-3 sentences" or "a 500-word article"
• Style - "Professional but friendly" or "casual and conversational"
• Constraints - "Avoid industry jargon" or "must include a call to action"

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F - Format

Tell AI how to structure the output. This saves you reformatting later.

Request formats like:

• "Format this as a table with columns for [X], [Y], and [Z]"
• "Use bullet points with bold headers"
• "Structure this as: Problem → Solution → Next Steps"
• "Present as a numbered list, ordered by priority"
• "Write in markdown with H2 headers for each section"

Example:

Compare these 3 project management tools. Format as a table with columns: Tool Name, Best For, Pricing, Main Limitation.

Tool Name	Best For	Pricing	Main Limitation
Asana	Teams needing task dependencies	Free - $25/user/mo	Complex for simple projects
Trello	Visual kanban workflows	Free - $17.50/user/mo	Limited reporting
Notion	All-in-one workspace	Free - $10/user/mo	Steeper learning curve

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T - Test & Iterate

Your first response is rarely perfect. Iteration is expected and normal.

Refinement techniques:

• "Make it more concise"
• "Make it more formal/casual"
• "Add more detail about [specific aspect]"
• "Remove the section about [X]"
• "Rewrite this for [different audience]"

When to start over:

• The conversation has drifted far from your goal
• AI seems confused about what you want
• You've made many contradictory requests
• The context window is getting full (long conversation)

Pro Tip

If you get a great response, save the prompt. You can reuse it for similar tasks.

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Prompt Templates

Copy and customize these templates for common tasks.

For Analysis

I need to analyze [DOCUMENT/DATA TYPE].

Context: [Brief background on what this is and why you're analyzing it]

Please:
1. Summarize the key points in [X] bullet points
2. Identify [specific things to look for - risks, opportunities, patterns]
3. Highlight anything unusual or concerning
4. Suggest [X] follow-up questions I should consider

Format the output with clear headers for each section.

Example filled in:

I need to analyze a vendor contract for our marketing agency.

Context: We're a 50-person tech company evaluating a 12-month contract with a new PR firm. This would be our largest marketing spend.

Please:
1. Summarize the key terms in 5 bullet points
2. Identify any unusual clauses or potential risks
3. Highlight anything that differs from standard agency contracts
4. Suggest 3 questions I should ask before signing

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For Writing

Write a [CONTENT TYPE] about [TOPIC].

Context: [Who you are, the situation, any background]
Audience: [Who will read this, what they care about]
Tone: [Professional, casual, persuasive, informative, etc.]
Length: [Word count or structure guidance]

Key points to include:
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
- [Point 3]

Avoid: [Anything to exclude - jargon, certain topics, etc.]

Example filled in:

Write a LinkedIn post announcing our company's new sustainability initiative.

Context: I'm the CEO of a 200-person software company. We just achieved carbon neutrality.
Audience: Our employees, clients, and industry peers
Tone: Proud but humble, authentic, not preachy
Length: 150-200 words

Key points to include:
- The milestone we achieved
- One specific action we took
- Invitation for others to share their journey

Avoid: Greenwashing language, bragging, technical details

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For Decision-Making

Help me decide between [OPTION A] and [OPTION B].

Context: [The situation and why this decision matters]

For each option, analyze:
- Pros
- Cons
- Risks
- Best suited for: [what scenario]

My priorities are: [List what matters most to you]

Format as a comparison table, then provide a recommendation based on my priorities.

Example filled in:

Help me decide between hiring a full-time content writer vs. using a freelance agency.

Context: We're a B2B SaaS startup that needs to produce 4 blog posts per month. Budget is $4-6K/month.

For each option, analyze:
- Pros
- Cons
- Risks
- Best suited for: what type of company

My priorities are: Consistent quality, someone who learns our industry, flexibility as needs change.

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For Learning

Explain [CONCEPT] to me.

My background: [Your level of expertise in this area]
I learn best through: [Examples, analogies, step-by-step, visuals described, etc.]

Please:
1. Start with a simple explanation
2. Give a concrete example or analogy
3. Explain why this matters / when I'd use it
4. Point out common misconceptions
5. Suggest what I should learn next

If I ask follow-up questions, adjust your explanation based on what I'm struggling with.

Example filled in:

Explain how API rate limiting works.

My background: I'm a product manager, not a developer. I understand basic web concepts.
I learn best through: Real-world analogies and examples

Please:
1. Start with a simple explanation
2. Give a concrete example I'd encounter in my work
3. Explain why this matters when evaluating vendor APIs
4. Point out misconceptions non-technical people often have
5. Suggest what related concept I should understand next

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Common Prompting Mistakes

1. Being Too Vague

Problem:

Help me with my presentation

Better:

Help me create 5 slides for a 10-minute presentation to our board about Q3 sales results. The main message is that we exceeded targets despite market challenges.

2. No Context

Problem:

Write a professional email

Better:

Write a professional email from a sales manager to a prospect who went silent after our demo last week. Goal is to re-engage without being pushy.

3. Asking for Too Much at Once

Problem:

Write me a complete marketing strategy with target audiences, messaging, channels, budget, timeline, and KPIs

Better: Break it into steps. Start with:

Help me define 3 target audience segments for [product]

Then build from there.

4. Not Iterating

Problem: Accepting the first response even if it's not quite right

Better:

Good start, but make it more concise

or

The tone is too formal, make it friendlier

5. Copying Without Review

Problem: Using AI output directly without reading it carefully

Better: Read everything. Edit for your voice. Verify facts. Make it yours.

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Key Takeaways

• Use CRAFT: Context, Role, Ask specifically, Format, Test & iterate
• Specificity wins: The more precise your request, the better the output
• Iteration is normal: First response is rarely final - refine it
• Save good prompts: When something works, save it for reuse
• Stay in control: AI is a tool to accelerate your work, not replace your judgment