Writing your first prompt

A recipe you can reuse

You now know what a prompt is, how models respond to patterns, and why context matters. Let's turn that into a simple recipe you can use for almost any request. It has four ingredients:

You don't need all four every time. A quick question ("What's the capital of Peru?") needs only a task. But for anything you care about, running through these four will dramatically improve your results.

Building a prompt, step by step

Let's build a real prompt from scratch. The situation: you want help planning a week of dinners.

Step 0: The first instinct

Most people start here:

Give me dinner ideas.

It's a valid prompt, but the AI knows nothing about you, so you'll get a generic list that might include dishes you don't eat, can't afford, or don't have time to cook.

Step 1: Add the task, precisely

Make the task concrete: how many, for when, and what you'll do with it.

Plan 5 weeknight dinners for Monday to Friday.

Better. Now the AI knows the scope.

Step 2: Add context

What would a helpful friend need to know before suggesting meals?

Plan 5 weeknight dinners for Monday to Friday. I'm cooking for two adults and a 7-year-old who doesn't like spicy food. We have about 30 minutes to cook on weeknights, and I'd like to keep the grocery bill reasonable. One of us is vegetarian, so at least 3 meals should be vegetarian, and the others should be easy to adapt.

This is where the biggest improvement happens. The AI now knows the people, the time limit, the budget, and the dietary needs.

Step 3: Add a role

A role tells the AI which perspective and expertise to bring.

You are a practical home cook who specializes in quick, budget-friendly family meals.

Roles are helpful but not magic. A role works best as a frame for good context, not a replacement for it.

Step 4: Add the format

Decide how you want to use the answer. You'll be shopping and cooking, so a table plus a shopping list makes sense.

The finished prompt

You are a practical home cook who specializes in quick, budget-friendly family meals.

Plan 5 weeknight dinners for Monday to Friday. I'm cooking for two adults and a 7-year-old who doesn't like spicy food. We have about 30 minutes to cook on weeknights, and I'd like to keep the grocery bill reasonable. One of us is vegetarian, so at least 3 meals should be vegetarian, and the others should be easy to adapt.

Format:
1. A table with columns: Day, Meal, Prep time, Vegetarian? (yes/adaptable)
2. A combined shopping list grouped by store section (produce, dairy, pantry, etc.)
3. One tip for reusing leftovers during the week

Here's an illustrative example of the kind of response this produces (shortened):

Compare that to what "Give me dinner ideas" would return. Same AI, completely different usefulness.

Then iterate

Your first prompt doesn't have to be perfect. Read the result and adjust with a quick follow-up:

• "Swap Thursday for something that uses a slow cooker."
• "My kid doesn't eat mushrooms. Replace any meals that use them."
• "Add rough cooking steps for Tuesday's meal."

Each follow-up builds on the context you've already given, so you don't need to repeat everything.

A reusable template

Copy this skeleton and fill in the blanks for your next request:

You are [role with relevant expertise].

Context: [your situation, background facts, constraints, and who this is for].

Task: [exactly what you want done, with any numbers or scope].

Format: [length, structure, tone, and anything to include or avoid].

Quick recap

Role, Context, Task, Format: who the AI should be, what the situation is, what to do, and how the result should look. Start with a clear task, add the context only you know, frame it with a role, define the format, and then refine with follow-ups.