humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide
About
This short prompting 101 guide by humAIn+ helps knowledge workers master
prompt engineering basics. You will see better search results and hopefully boost
productivity. humAIn+ has compiled the most important elements of prompt
engineering from hundreds of sources and structured them from the most
important basics to the more advanced prompts.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of prompts, but rather a guide to help
people make better prompts for their use cases. People often think that asking AIs
plain questions is already enough, when in reality a lot of AI’s outputs are
dependent on the context given to them.
This guideline is meant to help you make better prompts using different AI models.
Though some models may work better with specific prompts, it is better to drill
down on the basics applicable to all. This guide has taken into context the many
AI/LLM models out there (i.e. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.).
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 1
This guide is an introduction to what humAIn+ has to offer. The daily newsletter
will contain elements of prompting, AI models/tools use cases, and AI productivity
hacks relevant to the workers of the future. We believe that the future will be a
synthesis of Human-AI co-intelligence. One will not work optimally without the
other.
This guide may be edited in the future to cover concepts of future AI models. Go
to humainplus.com to receive updates.
Context
Before we can dive head first into writing prompts there are a few key elements
(or characteristics) we need to remember when it comes to AI:
No Mind Reading: Context, context, context. AI lacks real-world context, so
it’s better to explicitly state its context based on your needs (industry/sector,
audience expertise level, format).
Statistical Guessers: Many people mistake how AIs operate. AI predicts next
tokens probabilistically. In other words, AI presents answers based on the next
word it predicts would make sense based on billions of sources it has been
trained on. It is best to be concise about what you want, like setting guardrails
(”Avoid marketing jargon”) and positive framing (”Do X, Don’t do Y”) .
No Persistent Memory: Most AI models of today lack persistent memory
between sessions. It is always better to re-anchor context in your follow ups
(remind the AI its role and context you want out of it). Though some LLM’s are
now able to understand context and look through past conversations, it is still
not that common amongst all models.
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 2
🐣Results
Foundations: Principles of Optimizing
Importance of Clarity
The most important element of AI prompting is being specific. Leave little
ambiguity to get more focused results. Avoid assumptions about the model’s
understanding.
Vague: “I want to know more about digital marketing”
Specific: “Explain to me in detail what SEO is and its effectiveness in helping
me gain more readers for my blog compared to other digital marketing
strategies”
Give it a Role
AI was trained largely on billions of data and is designed to mimic generic human
thinking. Go even further by assigning the AI a role. AI’s output will be most
relevant when it knows who it is supposed to think like. Imagine the AI is an expert
in the field of your inquiry.
As a Senior Systems Architect with 15 years of experience in
cloud computing, analyze the pros and cons of migrating a
legacy enterprise application to a hybrid cloud environment.
Consider scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness in your
assessment.
Semantic Anchoring
AI works best when you give it constraints. Without constraints (or delimiters), AI’s
output may be too generic and irrelevant to your needs. Instead, ground prompts
with precise context markers. Include context, task, format, and boundary when
writing up your prompts.
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 3
As a financial analyst preparing Q3 reports (context), compare
Tesla and Ford's EV production numbers (task) using
markdown tables (format). Exclude speculative projections
(boundary).
Control the Tone
AIs are generally composed to present answers in formal, corporate format.
Prompt it to specifically write its output in a specific format of your liking to reduce
a generic answer format.
Write a three sentence intro for my blog post about the
importance of Omega-3 and Iron consumption for women in
their pregnancy. Write it in a conversational and relaxed tone
perfect for mothers and soon-to-be mothers.
Pre-determined Refinement
Instead of asking AI to write up a draft in one go, force it to do revisions whilst
adding and focusing on specific elements. This allows for incremental refinement
and more nuanced, complex outputs.
Initial: “Draft a compelling blog intro about AI ethics”
Rev 1: “Emphasize workplace productivity and workforce
advancements”
Rev 3: “Include EU regulatory references”
Constraint Engineering
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 4
Similar to how humans work, AIs also work best when asked to answer with a
specific format. The more specific you are with your format, the richer the AIs
output will be.
List out the three Pros and three Cons of creating an online
presence for a family-run seafood restaurant. Create it in a
points format where each explanation is done in three
sentences max.
🏗️ Intermediate: Go Beyond the Basics
Uncertainty Calibration
AI is prone to hallucination (making up information that aren’t verifiable). Have AI
rate its own answers by identifying how confident it is with its claims.
Explain the impact of AI on marketing jobs in 2024. Rate your
confidence in each point (1-5 scale, 5 being most confident). If
below 3, explain why.
Another alternative prompt would be:
Summarize the key features of [new technology]. Flag any
information you're uncertain about with '(?)' and explain your
reservations.
Perspective Calibration
Tune response angles using viewpoint modifiers. Have AI explain to you a concept
in several perspectives. The example subconsciously assigns three roles at once,
each with its own tone and style in presenting the information.
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 5
Explain what gerrymandering is as:
1. High School Political Science Teacher
2. Senior Political Strategist
3. Expert in US Politics
Cognitive Mirroring
Since AI is trained on data created by humans, AI’s thinking has largely followed
the cognitive sequencing us humans do. Write up prompts that mimics the way
your brain thinks, or to be more specific mimicking steps like the scientific
method.
Investigate the potential health benefits of a newly discovered
plant compound:
1. Literature Review: Summarize existing research on similar
compounds.
2. Hypothesis Formulation: Propose potential physiological
effects based on the compound's structure.
3. Experimental Design: Outline a study to test the
hypothesis, including control groups and variables.
4. Data Collection Methods: Describe appropriate techniques
for measuring outcomes.
5. Statistical Analysis Plan: Suggest suitable statistical tests
for interpreting results.
6. Ethical Considerations: Address potential risks and
mitigation strategies.
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 6
It is fine to write up a longer prompt than usual. It is generally better to include
more context and information than to be too vague. These types of inquiries
usually yield better outputs when asked to Reasoning Models (Deepseek R1, o3-
mini).
Prompt Improvement
Have AI check your prompt to optimize output. Different models have specific
requirements that help them better answer queries. Especially helpful if your
thinking is scattered.
Help me improve this prompt by making it more concise and
optimal for Anthropic’s AI models: [Your prompt]
For a more specific prompt improvement helper:
Improve this prompt using:
Specificity enhancement
Contextual framing
Success metric definition
Original: 'Explain machine learning'
XML Structuring
Some AI models like Anthropic’s would work best if your queries are formatted in
XML format. This is done by simply formatting constraints in <> </>.
<role>Senior Data Analyst</role>
<task>Explain SQL window functions</task>
<audience>Marketing professionals</audience>
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 7
* Different AI models have different optimal structures. ChatGPT works best with
JSON role nesting, Claude with XML scaffolding, and Gemini with Markdown
headers.
Dynamic Persona Blending
Instead of having different perspectives present their outputs on a certain query,
create a blended persona that has elements and expertise of different characters.
This generally creates more holistic and complete answers.
Merge perspectives:
- 50% Senior Marketing Strategist
- 30% Digital Marketing Specialist
- 10% Product Designer
- 10% Budgeting Specialist
Help me analyze our company’s Q3 marketing strategies and
assets (Q3CompanyMarketing.pdf) and suggest edits where
necessary
Timeframe Specificity
With the best services now being able to search the web (Perplexity, ChatGPT,
etc.), you can now use it to find time-relevant contents. This is particularly helpful
in forecasting and measuring your query to current developments.
Help me analyze how my agricultural company’s 2025
Company Strategies (2025companystrategy.pptx) will be
impacted by Trump’s tariffs:
2025: Current market conditions
2026: Projected regulatory changes and new tariffs
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 8
2028 - 2029: Changing market conditions and effects of
retaliatory tariffs
Constraint Relaxation Protocol
This protocol gradually lifts limitations in prompts, allowing for controlled
exploration of solutions. Starting with strict parameters and progressively easing
them, this technique balances adherence to guidelines with creative freedom.
[Your query]. Follow this protocol when answering the
question:
1. Strict Phase: "Use only peer-reviewed sources"
2. Balanced Phase: "Include 2 industry reports"
3. Exploratory Phase: "Suggest novel approaches"
Hybrid Prompt Fusion
Blend together techniques from the Foundations and Intermediate sections to
create more nuanced queries. It is more important to try out different prompts and
techniques to see what works best for you.
Act as MIT professor (role) explaining superconductors (task).
Use:
Real-world examples (directive)
Historical context timeline (format)
Difficulty rating per concept (metadata)
Iterative Refinement Loop
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Have AI follow the step-by-steps of how your department or field usually
operates. AI will work out your queries by reviewing its output from the previous
step before coming up with the next.
1. Outline a 6-month project plan for implementing a new CRM
system.
2. Identify potential weaknesses or risks in the project plan you
just created.
3. Now revise the project plan, addressing the weaknesses you
identified.
🦿 Advanced: Pro Prompts for Pro Users
This section is an expansion of concepts found in the two preceding sections.
Though it is possible to use the free version of AI models, results will be better if
you use the latest and greatest models offered by AI companies in their pro
versions.
Ethical Guardrails
Have AI go through the many ethical guidelines to ensure that your company’s
strategies adhere to all necessary rules. Instead of prompting multiple times, have
AI go through various sources and double check your content.
Identify potential biases in this hiring algorithm. Apply:
EU AI Act compliance check
Demographic fairness assessment
Transparency requirements
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 10
Cross-Model Optimization
Use an AI model that can search the web to optimize prompts for each platform.
Compare outputs using slightly altered prompts specific to different AI models.
Help me edit this prompt and cater it specifically to three
different AI models (GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini 2.0
Flash) to yield the best result for each one: [Your original
prompt]
Here is an example of this prompt in action using Perplexity Pro:
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/help-me-edit-this-prompt-and-c-
EOqa.6MXRYibcTkZ8hGfDw
Blending the Historical-Present
Having Pro models of your AI could be helpful in scouring the internet for high
quality content. Aside from the primary constraints, it is also a good practice to
include elements of the old and the new in your prompts.
Look up academic papers on the effectiveness of using viral
social media content to promote your business or product.
Present the data in a blended format of: 80% historical (2020-
2023) and 20% present (2024-2025)
Multi-Debate Agent Framework
Have various departments within your company discuss over a topic. Instead of
forcing the AI to come up with a blended response, have the AI draft a
hypothetical discussion to still include disagreements that may come up. This
would be optimal if you are using the best-in-class AI models.
humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 11
Product Development Brainstorm: BTSpeaker2025Designs.pdf
Simulate a team discussion with:
Engineer: Focus on technical feasibility
Marketer: Analyze customer appeal
CFO: Evaluate cost implications
Debate optimal features for our smart fitness apparel line.
Synthesize final recommendations.
This would work even better if you use the Deep Research feature on most paid
services (Perplexity or ChatGPT Deep Research).
Cross-Functional Impact Matrix
Apply familiar concepts and expand your queries to cover the various
departments in your company.
Create decision matrix for new CRM software evaluating:
Sales: Lead conversion potential
IT: Integration complexity
HR: Training requirements
Weight factors by department priority (Sales 40%, IT 30%,
HR 30%)
Retrograde Analysis
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The new reasoning models allows AI to anticipate gaps within your queries and
answer them before you thought of it. However, to limit gaps in your questions it
would be even more helpful to direct the reasoning models to follow your step-by-
step thinking method.
Start from desired outcome (30% reduced manufacturing
defects) and work backwards to identify:
1. Critical control points
2. Required monitoring systems
3. Team skill requirements
humAIn+
Thank you for reading. Hope this guideline is helpful in your prompting journey.
Before you go, it would be great if you subscribed to the humAIn+ daily
newsletter. The newsletter distills important information and tutorials for AI-
augmented professionals. Go to humainplus.com and go subscribe. Alternatively,
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humAIn+ Prompting 101 Guide 13
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