Whether you're just getting started with AI or looking to sharpen your team’s skills, great prompting isn’t magic, it’s something you can build, practice, and get really good at. This guide will walk you through how to write smarter prompts, faster, and even how to use AI to help you write them.
New here? Start with Prompting 101, before diving in.
1. Treat Prompting Like a Workflow, Not a One-Off
Most people prompt AI on the fly, one prompt at a time. But the best teams treat prompting like a repeatable system, not a guessing game.
Workflow:
Draft → Test → Refine → Template → Track
Try this:
Save in shared team libraries (e.g. SharePoint, Notion, Google Docs - whatever makes sense for your team)
Turn prompts into reusable templates
If you find something that is working for you and you find yourself using often, think about making a custom GPT
Tip: Don’t treat prompts as throwaway text. Think of them as tools, and tools get better when you sharpen them.
2. Go beyond the basics (CRAFT+)
If you're unfamiliar with the CRAFT framework (Context, Role, Ask, Format, Tone), revisit Prompting 101.
Now it’s time to step it up:
Adjust tone for different audiences
Use conditional logic (“If X, then do Y”)
Break prompts into modular parts so they’re easier to remix
Example – Advanced Prompt
“You are a content strategist. Based on the brief below, generate a 3-part email series in a confident, warm tone. Output in bullet points. If the audience is B2B, include ROI stats.”
3. Test Like a Builder, Not a Bystander
Want better results? Start experimenting. Small tweaks can make a big difference.
What to Test:
Persona: “You are a brand coach” vs. “You are a Gen Z copywriter”
Output Format: Table, bullets, slide outline, paragraph
Tone: Expert, playful, bold, journalistic
Time Frame: Daily, weekly, 90-day plan
Mini Challenge: Try the same prompt in three tones. Which one sounds most like your brand?
4. Use AI to Help You Write Better Prompts
Yes, AI can help you prompt AI. It’s especially handy when:
You’re not sure how to phrase a task.
You want a repeatable, team-friendly prompt.
You’re building AI-powered workflows.
Try this Meta-Prompt: “Help me write a prompt that will [achieve goal] for [audience/use case], using [tone], returning [format].”
Example: “Help me write a prompt that generates weekly marketing performance summaries in a clear, data-focused tone.”
Great for:
Building team-wide prompt templates
Onboarding non-technical users
Scaling internal playbooks
5. Bring Prompting Into Real Workflows
The best way to get value? Use advanced prompting in your actual work.
Try prompts like:
Customer Insights: “Analyze these reviews. Group complaints by theme and suggest 3 action steps.”
Competitive Analysis: “Compare {Brand A} vs {Brand B} in a SWOT table with 3 strategic recommendations.”
Training Enablement: “Turn this onboarding doc into a 10-question quiz with answers and explanations.”
Campaign Planning: “Act as a campaign lead. Create a 6-week content plan for our fall promotion.”
6. Avoid Common Pitfalls
Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Vague outputs | Not enough context or clarity | Use CRAFT, specify format |
Off-brand tone | No voice guidance | Include tone notes or examples |
One-size-fits-all | No variation testing | Try different personas and styles |
Over-reliance | No human edits or review | Encourage review and refinement |
7. Make Prompting a Team Habit
Want to see real impact? Make prompting part of your team's regular rhythm.
Prompt of the Week: Improve or test new prompts weekly.
Prompt Rework Fridays: Refine old prompts in pairs.
Shared Library: Centralize prompts by use case.
Scoreboard: Track time saved, leads generated, or insights delivered via prompts.
Final Thought
Prompting is a muscle. And like any muscle, it gets better with practice. The more your team treats it like a habit, not a hack, the more powerful your AI tools become.
Don't just use AI to get answers, use AI to help you ask better questions.