The 5 Prompt Types Every AI User Should Know
Not all prompts are created equal. Learn the 5 core prompt types — instruction, role, chain-of-thought, few-shot, and template — and when to use each one.
Most people use AI with only one prompt type: the instruction prompt. 'Write me X.' It works for simple tasks, but when you need nuance, consistency, or complex reasoning, you need different tools.
Instruction prompts are the baseline. They're direct commands: 'Summarize this article in 3 bullet points.' Good for simple, clear tasks where you know exactly what you want.
Role prompts add a persona to the AI. 'You are an expert copywriter with 15 years of experience writing for B2B SaaS companies.' This dramatically changes the tone, vocabulary, and frame of the response.
Chain-of-thought prompts ask the AI to think step by step before giving you an answer. Adding 'Think through this step by step' to complex problems significantly improves accuracy.