Everyone on-board the AI Train!
Now departing for Make-Life-Easyville.
ChatGPT is an incredible tool that can generate very specific answers to your wildest questions, but not all prompts are created equal. If you want to get the best results possible, you need to know how to write effective prompts that will elicit high-quality responses from the model.
Here are some tips for writing better prompts that will help you get the most out of ChatGPT.
Be specific
The more specific your prompt is, the better your results will be. For example, if you ask “What is the meaning of life?” you will get a very general response. However, if you ask “What is the meaning of life according to Nietzsche?” you will get a much more targeted and informative response.
Use keywords
Using keywords in your prompts can help it understand what you are looking for and generate more relevant responses. For example, if you want to know about the benefits of meditation, include the keyword “meditation” in your prompt. (Seems like a no-brainer here but you’d be amazed what people forget to do.)
Provide context
Giving context to your prompt can help ChatGPT understand what you are asking and generate more accurate responses. For example, if you want to know about the best restaurants in Boston, provide some context such as “I am planning a trip to Boston and want to know the best restaurants in the city.”
Be concise
Long prompts can be confusing for the model and generate less accurate responses. Try to keep your prompts concise and to the point.
Add persona
I like to start my prompts with “I’m a professional marketer looking for information about…” or “I’m writing a blog that is targeting engineers who love technical information…”
Here are some examples of effective and ineffective prompts.
Effective Prompt: What are some common causes of back pain in athletes?
This prompt is specific, uses keywords, and provides context. The model is likely to generate a targeted and informative response.
Ineffective Prompt: Tell me about back pain.
This prompt is too general and lacks specificity. The model may generate a response that is not relevant to what the user is looking for.
Effective Prompt: Can you give me some tips for improving my public speaking skills?
This prompt is specific and provides context. The model is likely to generate a response that is relevant to the user’s needs.
Ineffective Prompt: What are some tips for getting better at things?
This prompt is too general and lacks specificity. The model may generate a response that is not relevant to the user’s needs.
Effective Prompt: What are some best practices for remote work?
This prompt uses keywords and is specific. The model is likely to generate a response that is relevant and informative.
Ineffective Prompt: Tell me about working from home.
This prompt is too general and lacks specificity. The model may generate a response that is not relevant to the user’s needs.
Writing effective prompts is essential if you want to get the best results. It’s very similar to the evolving skill of searching on Google — especially for those of us old enough to remember when Google was first introduced and quickly overtook the Yahoos and Alta Vistas of the world. Google was excellent at finding information if you asked it the right question. But if your search was too vague you’d struggle to get the results you wanted.
By following the tips outlined above, you can write better prompts that will help you get higher quality results. Next time you use ChatGPT, keep these tips in mind and see how much better your results will be.