Guides · Updated 5 November 2026

How to write better prompts for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini

OpenAI, Anthropic and Google each publish prompting guides for their models. They differ in detail but agree on a handful of habits. Here they are in plain English, with examples you can copy.

Be clear and specific

All three vendors' guides start here. Say what you want, who it is for, how long it should be and what format to use. The assistant cannot read your mind about the details you left out.

Before: "Write about our product launch." After: "Write a three-paragraph email to existing customers announcing our new invoicing feature. Friendly, no jargon, end with one link to the help page."

Give context and the reason behind it

Paste the material the answer should rely on, such as notes, a draft or a policy, rather than expecting the model to know it. Explaining why you need something (for example, the reader is new to the topic) helps the model choose the right level of detail.

Show an example of the output you want

Vendor guides describe this as giving examples, sometimes called few-shot prompting. One or two samples of the style or structure you want usually work better than a long description of it.

Break big tasks into steps

Ask for an outline first, then expand each section.
For analysis, ask the model to work through the problem step by step before giving its conclusion.
For long documents, ask for a summary of each part before asking questions across the whole thing.

Separate instructions from material

Put your instructions first and mark off pasted text with clear labels or delimiters such as quotation marks, headings or tags. This makes it less likely the model confuses your source text with your instructions.

Check the answer yourself

All three vendors note that models can make mistakes. Ask for sources where the tool supports web search, open them, and verify names, dates and numbers before you rely on them. Do not paste confidential information into a tool unless your plan and settings allow it.

Questions

Do I need special prompt formulas?

No. Clear instructions, relevant context and an example of what you want cover most everyday needs.

Does the same prompt work in every assistant?

Usually well enough, but results differ between models. If an answer misses, rephrase or add context rather than repeating the same prompt.

Sources and further reading

Written by the AI Week Daily editors. Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.