How to Write AI Prompts Like a Pro

AI prompts are short pieces of text that instruct an AI model to generate a specific type of content, such as an image, a story, some code, a summary, or a headline.

Writing effective AI prompts is not as easy as it sounds. It requires creativity, skill, and practice. I’ve been using AI for article writing since 2021 and started creating AI generated concept art and ai generated icon designs last summer (2022).

In this article, I will share some of my best tips and tricks for writing AI prompts that will produce high level results for AI writing and image creation.

Next time I’ll look at some of the best examples of prompts for writing code and then I’ll explore SVG graphics with tools like Figma, and then another couple of articles for animation and video.

Tip #1: Know your goal

Before you write an AI prompt, you need to have a clear idea of what you want the AI model to do. What kind of content do you want it to generate? What is the purpose and audience of your content? How do you want your content to look and sound? Having a clear goal will help you craft more specific and relevant prompts that will guide the AI model towards your desired outcome.

For example, if you want the AI model to generate a catchy slogan for your new product, you need to specify what your product is, what benefits it offers, who your target customers are, and what tone and style you want your slogan to have.

A mediocre prompt would be:

Write a slogan for my new product.

A good prompt would be:

Write a catchy slogan for my new product: A smart watch that tracks your health and fitness goals. The slogan should appeal to young professionals who care about their well-being and productivity. The slogan should be short, memorable, and positive.

Tip #2: Use examples

One of the best ways to improve your AI prompts is to use examples. Examples can help you illustrate what kind of content you want the AI model to generate, as well as provide some constraints and boundaries for it. Examples can also help you avoid ambiguity and confusion that might lead to unwanted or irrelevant results. You can use examples from existing sources or create your own examples based on your goal.

For example, if you want the AI model to generate an image based on a text description, you need to provide some examples of images that match or contrast with your description.

A mediocre prompt would be:

Generate an image based on this description: A dark forest with glowing mushrooms.

A good prompt would be:

Generate an image based on this description: A dark forest with glowing mushrooms. The image should have a fantasy or sci-fi vibe. Here are some examples of images that match or contrast with the description:

An image that matches: https://unsplash.com/photos/6Y9QyRrEXnE-uy
An image that contrasts: https://unsplash.com/photos/8pOTAtyd_Mc

Tip #3: Be descriptive

Another important tip for writing AI prompts is to be descriptive. Descriptive words can help you add more details and nuances to your prompts that will make them more engaging and original. Descriptive words can include adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs, phrases, metaphors, similes, etc. The more descriptive you are, the more likely the AI model will generate content that matches your vision and expectations.

For example, if you want the AI model to generate a poem about love, you need to provide some descriptive words that convey your emotions, thoughts, and experiences.

A mediocre prompt would be:

Write a poem about love.

A good prompt would be:

Write a poem about love using these words: passion; longing; heartache; bliss; fire; moonlight; roses; thorns.

Tip #4: Use imagination

The final tip I have for writing AI prompts is to use imagination. Imagination can help you come up with original and creative ideas for your prompts that will make them stand out from the crowd. Imagination can also help you explore different possibilities and scenarios for your content that will make it more interesting and diverse.

One way to use imagination is to pretend that you are someone else when writing your prompts. For example, if you want the AI model to generate a story about an alien invasion, you can pretend that you are an alien invader who wants to write a diary entry about their experience on Earth. This way, you can add some perspective and personality to your prompts that will make them more realistic and engaging.

Another way to use imagination is to create different scenarios for your content that will make it more dynamic and varied. For example, if you want the AI model to generate a headline for a news article, you can create different scenarios that involve different events, locations and people.

It’s still early days for generative AI, so I expect to be honing this approach and updating this post with more examples when I achieve some good results myself or spot some good ideas on the feeds...