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As language models become more sophisticated, we are witnessing an increasing number of tools and applications that leverage them to generate text. Prime examples of this are OpenAI's ChatGPT models, which are capable of crafting high-quality text in diverse styles and formats. However, to truly maximise their potential, one must master the art of writing an effective prompt. Writing better prompts will help you leverage those new tools in your business and personal life.
Why have the most powerful assistant of all time if you can not make him understand you well? Let's fix it now.
Step 1: Defining the Task
The initial step in crafting an effective prompt is to explicitly define the task you want the ChatGPT model to perform. This should include both a verb and a noun, such as "write a cold email," "create a tweet thread of 10 tweets," or "summarise in 3 paragraphs." Defining the task is crucial as it sets clear expectations for the model. Mastering this part is essential and will serve as breadcrumb trail for the rest of the prompt.
Step 2: Specify the Topic
Once the task is defined, the subsequent step is to specify the topic of the text. This should be as specific as possible. For instance, if you want the model to generate a sales pitch, specify the product you want to sell. If you require a news article, specify the article's topic. Do not hesitate to add details such as how you want the customer to feel regarding the product or the text you want to create.
Step 3: Choose a Style
This is an easy part but still many people forget about it. After defining the task and the topic, you need to select a style for the text. This could range from casual, formal, business, creative, to academic. The style you choose will guide the model in generating content that aligns with your desired tone. Also one small tip is to ask the model to be concise, indeed most of the time (especially with GPT-3) the model will be expansive in its answer which makes it easy to see that the text is AI generated.
Step 4: Determine the Tone
Be careful to not confuse tone and style as those are many time taken as synonyms. The tone of the text is important, as it sets the mood for the content. This could be anything from joyful, angry, funny, serious, excited, to sad. Setting the tone will assist the model in selecting the appropriate words and phrasing.
Step 5: Define the Audience
A very powerful trick is to define the audience for the text. This could be anyone from a 5-year-old, a teenager who is into rock music, or even your boss. Defining the audience will help the model choose the right level of complexity and abstraction. You can even be highly specific and include the age range, occupation, hobbies etc. The more information the better!
Step 6: Specify the Length
Last but not least. It's also essential to specify the length of the text. This could be in terms of paragraphs or words, and you should be explicit if you have a hard limit.
Step 7 : Wild card, add Any Other Parameters you can think of!
Lastly, you can add any other parameters or instructions that might be beneficial. For instance, you could specify the country the text is intended for, the product being sold, or the recipient's job title. These additional parameters will aid the model in generating more specific and relevant content.
Putting It All Together
To craft an effective prompt, all of these parameters need to be combined. The task parameter is the only non-negotiable one, as it informs the model what to generate. Additionally, you can specify the output format, language, and more if needed.
Creating Effective Prompts
By following these tips, you can create effective prompts that enable you to generate high-quality content using OpenAI's ChatGPT models. Try those tips today in our GPT Google Docs add-on to supercharge your creativity and your writing!
The Importance of Writing Effective Prompts and How to Do It
