How to get good at prompts for ChatGPT
What to tell ChatGPT so it gives you the answer you want.
I wanted to call this edition of the newsletter “Word Math 101” because helping people use ChatGPT feels like I’m trying to teach others my worst subject in school: math.
Prompt engineering is like the equation you need to figure out and input into ChatGPT so that you get a correct answer. By correct answer, I mean a response that is close to what you want, but probably not perfect. ChatGPT and other GenAI tools are good at generating what I call B- work. B-work is the concept of good enough, done > perfect, this will do just fine. It’s like when one of my lady friends finds a nice guy who’s almost everything she’s ever wanted in man, except he’s not tall1.
Even if you get skilled at prompts, ChatGPT will still only produce something that’s about 80% good. You’ll have to use ol’ fashioned human writing to polish or edit what ChatGPT wrote.
Don’t use ChatGPT like Google
The biggest mistake people make when first learning ChatGPT is using it like Google. If you ask ChatGPT basic or simple questions, you’ll get a generic response. Even asking, “can you give me some examples of a good ChatGPT prompt?” does not produce the desired result.
Prompts you put into ChatGPT should be complex and detailed. This requires skill, practice and patience. Wait—you mean ChatGPT won’t just do the work for me and give me the answer immediately? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you do have to learn this word math a.k.a. prompt engineering to use ChatGPT effectively.
Garbage in, garbage out
When talking about prompts, tech people and GenAI enthusiasts will often use the phrase “garbage in, garbage out.” This just means that flawed, biased, or poor quality (garbage) information you put into a computer program produces the same.
If you ask ChatGPT a dumb question, you’ll get a dumb answer. Using a prompt framework ensures that you’re giving ChatGPT a better question so that you’ll get a better answer.
General rules for writing good prompts:
1. Be clear and specific.
2. Specify length and format.
3. Provide background research, context, or helpful information.
4. At the end of a prompt, tell ChatGPT “Ask me to clarify if you need further information.”
5. Refine your prompt and try again.2
Prompting ChatGPT with the RELIC framework
There isn’t one single prompt model or framework that you should be using for ChatGPT. However, I hate it when people tell those of us trying to learn this complicated word math to just “play around with it” because that doesn’t help anyone. Also, I’m not someone who thinks any of these new GenAI tools are that fun to ‘play’ with. I just want to figure out how to use ChatGPT because tech companies are coming for us all!
All that being said, using the RELIC framework3 is a great way to get started with prompting. A RELIC-based prompt includes these five elements:
Role: Ask ChatGPT to “Reply as a…” or “Act as…” (this could refer to a specific profession, a grade level or a tone/style of voice)
Exclusions: “Exclude results that…” or “Do not include…”
Length: “Limit the results to..” or “In 500 words…”
Inspiration: Provide sample text or urls (tell ChatGPT to “look at the following website for…”)
Context: Desired response
Example: I’m currently volunteering as a copywriter/UX writer for Balancer, a new AI-powered web application designed to help doctors research bipolar medications. I asked ChatGPT to write some copy for this project using the RELIC framework. Here is the exact prompt I put into ChatGPT:
Hi ChatGPT: act as if you’re a brand copywriting expert in the healthcare industry who specializes in writing copy for physicians and medical professionals. Read the text below [in this example I included the url] and note the brand tone and copy as inspiration:
https://balancertestsite.com/about
Once you have done this, write a 300-word product description for Balancer. The copy should be clear, concise, easy to read, and professional. Do not just list adjectives for Balancer. Illustrate the problem this web application solves for physicians and healthcare professionals who prescribe bipolar medications to patients.
The result: Pretty darn good! The copy ChatGPT produced was very high level—a little wordy and verbose, but definitely something I could work with and finesse to my liking.
If you’re a better writer, will ChatGPT give you a better result?
I’m going to say yes, but I am biased because I’ve been a copywriter for 10+ years, and when I give ChatGPT my own writing samples to work with it does a much better job. It produces the B- version of my writing. I’m a perfectionist so I will keep editing and rewriting until I think the copy is an A+.
Remember, how good you are with words = your ability to do word math for GenAI.
Crafting complex and effective prompts can’t be taught in a single blog post, so I’ll be writing more about this in the future and providing more examples of prompt frameworks.
Have fun solving word math :)
I personally am pro short king, btw.
Some of these general rules were first explained to me by Tom Szekeres, who teaches workshops on GenAI.
I learned the RELIC framework from Lance Junck, who also teaches classes on ChatGPT and prompt engineering.
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ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering, GenAI Tools, B-Work Concept, Using ChatGPT Effectively, Garbage In, Garbage Out, Writing Good Prompts for ChatGPT, RELIC Framework for ChatGPT, Detailed ChatGPT Prompts, Prompt Frameworks, Creative Prompt Crafting, SEO Keywords for Newsletters, Content Search Optimization, ChatGPT for Beginners, ChatGPT Prompt Examples, AI-Powered Writing Assistance, Improving ChatGPT Responses, Crafting Effective ChatGPT Queries, ChatGPT Writing Techniques, ChatGPT Training Tips