Chapter 7 of 7·5 min read
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Prompting Like a Pro
10 golden rules every prompt engineer should know
You've Come a Long Way 🎓
You started with a magic genie and a vague request. Now you know zero-shot, few-shot, roles, systems, context, chain-of-thought, step-back, self-consistency, Tree of Thoughts, and ReAct. This final chapter is your cheat sheet — 10 golden rules distilled from Google's research and the world's best prompt engineers. Bookmark this page. Come back to it whenever your prompts aren't giving you what you want.
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Rule 1
Be Specific
Instead of
Write about food.
Try this
Write a 200-word persuasive argument for why pizza is better than sushi, aimed at a teenager who loves both.
Why: Specific prompts get specific, useful answers. Vague prompts get vague, generic responses.
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Rule 2
Show Examples
Instead of
Classify emails as spam or not spam.
Try this
"Free money!!! Click NOW" → SPAM
"Meeting rescheduled to 3pm" → NOT SPAM
"Congratulations! You've won!" → ?
Why: Examples are more powerful than descriptions. If you can show the pattern, show it.
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Rule 3
Assign a Role
Instead of
Explain compound interest.
Try this
You are a friendly high school economics teacher. Explain compound interest using a savings example that a 16-year-old would find motivating.
Why: Roles transform the tone, vocabulary, and approach of the entire response.
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Rule 4
Use Strong Action Verbs
Instead of
Do something with this text.
Try this
Summarize / Translate / List / Compare / Classify / Rewrite / Explain / Generate / Analyze
Why: Verbs define the task. "Summarize" is infinitely clearer than "do something with".
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Rule 5
Specify the Format
Instead of
Tell me about time management tips.
Try this
List 5 time management tips as a numbered list. Each tip should be one sentence max.
Why: Without format guidance, AI invents a format. You'll get a wall of text when you wanted bullet points.
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Rule 6
Control the Length
Instead of
Explain machine learning.
Try this
Explain machine learning in exactly 2 sentences suitable for a business executive with no tech background.
Why: AI will write as much as you let it. Set the length you need. "Tweet-length" and "one paragraph" are valid instructions.
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Rule 7
Tell It What TO Do (Not Just What NOT To Do)
Instead of
Don't be boring. Don't use jargon. Don't be too formal.
Try this
Write in a friendly, conversational tone using simple everyday words, like you're texting a friend.
Why: Positive instructions are clearer than negative constraints. Tell AI where to go, not just where not to go.
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Rule 8
Use Variables for Reusable Prompts
Instead of
Writing the same prompt 50 times with slight changes.
Try this
Write a product description for {PRODUCT_NAME} that targets {TARGET_AUDIENCE}. Highlight {KEY_BENEFIT}.
Why: Variable-based prompts are reusable templates. Great for automation, apps, and repeated tasks.
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Rule 9
Iterate — Your First Prompt Is Rarely Your Best
Instead of
Give up if the first response isn't perfect.
Try this
First: "Write about climate change"
Second: "Make it simpler"
Third: "Add one shocking statistic"
Final: Perfect ✅
Why: Prompt engineering is iterative. The best prompts come from testing, refining, and improving.
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Rule 10
Document Your Best Prompts
Instead of
Forget the prompt that worked perfectly last week.
Try this
Keep a prompt library. Note: what task it does, which model, what settings (temperature), and what the output was.
Why: Your best prompts are intellectual assets. Save them, organize them, and reuse them.
You're now a prompt engineer! Go back to our Prompts Library and try applying these techniques.