← Back to all free guides
A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

The Anatomy
Of A Perfect
Prompt

Five parts. Most people use one, and that’s why their AI sounds like a robot. The full skeleton plus 3 finished examples are on this page, ready to copy.

Every disappointing AI answer has the same cause: the prompt was missing layers. Here are the five, and the failure each one prevents.

01

Role

Who should the AI be right now? Skip it and you get the generic assistant. "Act as a [type of expert] who [their specialty]."

02

Context

What can it not know without you? This is the biggest fix for generic answers. The output can only be as specific as what you give it.

03

Example

Show it, don’t describe it. "Professional but friendly" means nothing. One real sample of your writing beats ten adjectives.

04

Rules

Block the mistakes before they happen. You know how this output usually goes wrong, so say it upfront instead of editing it out later.

05

Format

Say exactly what to hand you, including what you’ll need next. Don’t make it guess what done looks like.

The Test

If a smart new assistant couldn’t do the task from your prompt alone, neither can AI. When an answer disappoints, don’t argue with it. Come back here and find the layer you skipped.

The Skeleton

This is the master template with guidance inside every bracket. Copy it, fill the brackets, delete the guidance, send. It takes about 90 extra seconds and the difference is huge.

The 5-Part Skeleton
Act as [the expert this task deserves, e.g. "a senior recruiter who has read 10,000 resumes" or "a pediatric sleep consultant". Pick someone whose JUDGMENT you want]. Here's my situation: [everything it can't know without you. Who you are, what's going on, who the output is for, what's at stake, and any history that matters. Three to six sentences. Example: "I'm a marketing manager, 3 years at this company. My boss is data-driven, hates fluff, and reads email on her phone. I'm asking for a raise after growing email revenue 40% this year."] Here's an example of my style: [paste a real sample of something you wrote that sounds like you, like an email or a caption]. Match that tone and rhythm. Don't average it out. Lean into what makes it mine. Rules: - Never [the thing you always hate, e.g. "apologize" or "use corporate buzzwords"] - Always [the thing you always want, e.g. "lead with the number" or "end with one clear ask"] - [Length or scope limit, e.g. "under 150 words" or "3 options max"] - If anything above is missing or unclear, ask me up to 3 questions before you start. Give me: 1) [The thing itself] 2) [Variations where useful, e.g. "a subject line plus 2 alternates"] 3) [What you'll need right after, e.g. "the 3 most likely objections and how to answer each" or "a checklist before I send it"]
  1. Keep it close. Save it in a note or a text replacement shortcut so you can grab it in 5 seconds.
  2. Make Claude default to it. Go to Settings, then Your Claude, and add a line to Instructions like "If my request is missing role, context, rules or format, ask me before you answer." On the older layout, it’s under Settings, then Account.
  3. Keep one filled version per recurring task, like your email version and your content version, so you’re editing instead of starting over.
3 Finished Examples

01

The raise email

All five layers on one of the highest-stakes emails you’ll send. The rules block the classic mistakes, like apologizing and over-explaining, before they happen.

The Raise Email
Act as an executive communication coach who has helped hundreds of people negotiate raises and knows how to be direct without being aggressive. Here's my situation: I'm a marketing manager, 3 years at this company. This year I took over our email program and grew its revenue 40%, trained two new hires, and absorbed social media with no pay change. My boss is data-driven, hates fluff, and prefers short emails she can read on her phone. I want a meeting about my compensation, not a number over email. (Swap in your own role, wins with numbers, and what your boss is like.) Here's an example of my style: [paste any recent email you wrote]. Match that tone: warm but direct, short sentences, no corporate buzzwords. Rules: - Never apologize and never use the word "just" - Business results only, no personal reasons - Under 150 words - Ask for a meeting, not a number Give me: 1) The email 2) A subject line plus 2 alternates 3) The 3 most likely responses from my boss and exactly how to handle each one

02

The content engine

Same skeleton, different job. Context carries the audience and the recent miss, and the format asks for a diagnosis you’d never think to request.

The Content Engine
Act as a short-form content strategist who has grown accounts from zero to six figures of followers and judges every idea by whether a stranger would stop scrolling. Here's my situation: I post [your topic] on [platform]. My audience is [who they are and what they want]. My best posts are [what works, e.g. "listicles with specific numbers and save-worthy references"]. My last 3 posts underperformed and I think [your guess, e.g. "my hooks went soft"]. Here's an example of my style: [paste 2 of your best captions]. Match that voice: [3 words that describe it, e.g. "warm, confident, no corporate speak"]. Rules: - Never write hooks that start with "Did you know" - Always include a specific number or named tool in the hook - Every idea must be doable by one person with a phone in under 2 hours Give me: 1) 10 post ideas for this week ranked by scroll-stopping potential 2) For the top 3: the full hook plus first line 3) The one pattern in my misses you'd bet caused the underperformance

03

The big decision

This one skips the example layer on purpose, because a decision doesn’t need your writing voice. The skeleton is a checklist. Drop layers that don’t serve the task, never the ones that do.

The Big Decision
Act as a blunt strategy advisor who has watched a hundred small businesses make this exact type of decision and has zero interest in telling me what I want to hear. Here's my situation: [describe the decision, the money and time involved, your constraints, and your blind spots. Example: "I run a candle business doing $8k/month. I can either spend $4,000 on a trade show booth in September or put it into Meta ads over the same quarter. Cash is tight, this is my only discretionary budget this year, and I tend to chase shiny things."] Rules: - Never give me "it depends" without immediately resolving it - Always state your confidence level and what would change your mind - Pressure-test my framing first. If I'm asking the wrong question, say so. Give me: 1) Your pick, in the first sentence 2) The 3 strongest reasons for it and the single strongest reason against it 3) What I should measure in the first 30 days to know if it's working, and the tripwire that means I should reverse course

One More

When an answer comes back mediocre, don’t patch it. Say "Knowing everything you know now, scrap this and do the elegant version." First attempts carry first-attempt baggage.