The Marketers' Guide to Crafting Perfect Prompts for ChatGPT - The Daily Dose of Digital - 05/01/24

I was really humbled this week to find that Jonathan Corley (Director of Experience Strategy, Customer Transformation at Sitecore ) had recognised my Ultimate Guide to Generative AI for Marketers on his list of the Top 20 Sitecore assets for marketers and digital experience strategists, alongside some really fantastic assets from some of the leading voices in the DX community:

Also this week, I've continued reading Steven Bartlett 's Diary of a CEO, where one of the key learnings echoes Yogi Bhajan's famous quote: "If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it." In essence, Bartlett highlights that to master any skill, you must create an obligation to teach it. This is the best way to advance your knowledge.

So, in an effort to share my learnings and advance my own knowledge, this has prompted me to revisit some of my advice on crafting perfect prompts for ChatGPT, summarising it here for you in a quick fire guide which you can refer to and share with colleagues as you need.

Why is Generative AI becoming a necessity for marketers?

In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping the marketing landscape, the ability to harness tools like ChatGPT effectively is no longer just an advantage; it's a necessity.

My full e-book contains a comprehensive prompt guide and amalgamates a range of profound insights from seasoned marketers' perspectives on generative AI with an authoritative guide to prompt engineering. This forms a robust framework for crafting perfect prompts, enabling marketing professionals to unlock the full potential of ChatGPT in their campaigns and strategies. Something which I'll try and distil into this article.

Understanding Your AI Partner:

ChatGPT is not just a tool; it's a conversational partner powered by the latest advances in natural language processing. It's designed to understand context, generate human-like text, and provide information and suggestions based on the prompts it receives. However, its performance is heavily reliant on how well you communicate your needs and goals. Approaching ChatGPT with the right mindset and techniques can significantly amplify your marketing efforts.

The 10 Commandments of Prompting ChatGPT:

1. Be clear and concise: Make sure that your prompt is clear and to the point. Avoid using complex language or convoluted sentence structures, as this can confuse ChatGPT and lead to inaccurate or irrelevant responses. I explain the composition of a good ChatGPT prompt in the e-book.?
2. Provide context: Give ChatGPT some context about the topic or subject you want it to discuss. This can include background information, specific details, or relevant examples that help ChatGPT understand the scope and focus of the prompt. Imagine the depth of response when you ask ‘How are businesses using blockchain’ versus ‘I am a business owner interested in exploring how blockchain technology can be used to improve supply chain efficiency and transparency. I am looking for a clear and concise explanation of the technology and examples of how it has been used in the context of supply chain management. Can you explain the concept of blockchain technology and its potential applications in supply chain management?’?
3. Use open-ended questions: Don’t ask yes or no questions! Use open-ended questions that encourage ChatGPT to provide more detailed and thoughtful responses. For example, instead of asking “Do you like pizza?” you could ask “What are your thoughts on pizza? What are your favourite toppings?”
4. Avoid bias or leading questions: Try to keep your prompt neutral and avoid phrasing that could bias ChatGPT’s response. For example, instead of asking “Why is chocolate the best flavour of ice cream?” you could ask “What are some popular flavours of ice cream and what makes them unique?”
5. Have a clear objective: Consider what you hope to achieve with your prompt, whether it’s to gather information, spark a conversation, or generate creative ideas. Having a clear objective can help you craft a more effective prompt that elicits the type of response you’re looking for from ChatGPT.?
6. Use specific language: Use clear, specific language in your prompt to help ChatGPT understand what you’re asking. Avoid using vague or ambiguous terms that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Break the prompt into separate sentences if it makes sense to do so, to avoid confusion.?
7. Avoid jargon or technical language: Unless you’re specifically asking ChatGPT to discuss a technical topic, try to avoid using jargon or technical language that could be difficult for ChatGPT to understand or interpret.?
8. Use creative prompts & natural language: Experiment with different types of prompts, such as hypothetical scenarios, story starters, or word association exercises, to keep ChatGPT engaged and generate more creative responses - but always keep it conversational and use natural language (this is what it is trained to handle).?
9. Consider your audience: If you’re using ChatGPT for a specific purpose, such as customer service or lead generation, consider tailoring your prompts to your target audience. Use language and topics that are relevant to your audience to generate more meaningful responses. Imagine the differences in response to these three prompts: ‘ From the point of view of its product manager, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device’; ‘From the point of view of an adult child caring for an elderly parent, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device’; ‘From the point of view of a journalist, describe the Amazon Echo Alexa device’.?
10. Ask follow-up questions (actually, get it to ask! This is the Secret Sauce!): It’s called ‘Chat’GPT for a reason - If ChatGPT’s response is interesting or prompts further discussion or expansion, consider asking follow-up questions to delve deeper into the topic or to expand on certain points. Take this one step further by nurturing ChatGPT to ask you for more context, by ending your initial prompt by asking it one simple question: “Before you give me an answer, it’s vital you understand the context of my request and have a good grasp of x. Ask me 10 questions about my (business, industry, target audience, customers…), and any other relevant information you require to fulfil the task to the best of your capabilities.”?

In addition to these overarching commandments, the construction of a prompt should feature some (sometimes all) of the following 20 considerations.?

The 20 Ingredients for?Crafting Perfect Prompts:?

1. Tone: Specify the desired tone (e.g. formal, casual, informative, persuasive).?
2. Format: Define the format or structure (e.g. essay, bullet points, summary, outline, dialogue, social post, elevator pitch, blog, etc).?
3. Type: Similar to format, try different types of prompt (e.g. questions, completion, story, dialogue, creative, narrative).?
4. Length: If longer form, define a word count (e.g. give me 300 words on, in 500 words or less, etc).?
5. Act as (Role): Indicate a role or perspective to adopt (e.g. expert, critic, enthusiast, advocate, frustrated salesman, excited teenager, etc).?
6. Objective: State the goal or purpose of the response (e.g. inform, persuade, entertain).?
7. Context: Provide background information, data, or context for accurate content generation.?
8. Keywords: List important keywords or phrases to be included, this should be driven by keyword research as well as using GPT to generate.?
9. Limitations: Specify constraints, such as word or character count, number of references and citations, and use maximums and minimums.
10. Examples: Similar to Context, provide examples of desired style, structure, or content.?
11. Audience: Specify the target audience for tailored content, if the result needs to be simplified, state this when defining the audience. (e.g. explain x in simple terms, simplify complex terms or concepts, write this for a 12 year old, etc)?
12. Language: Indicate the language for the response, if different from the prompt.?
13. Sensitivity: Mention sensitive topics or issues to be handled with care or avoided.?
14. Citations & Quotes: Request inclusion of citations or sources to support information as well as relevant quotes or statements from experts.?
15. Statistics: Encourage the use of statistics or data to support claims.?
16. Points of view: Ask the Al to consider multiple perspectives or opinions (e.g. give me pros and cons of, explain from the point of view of x and y, etc).?
17. Terminology: Specify industry-specific or technical terms to use or avoid.?
18. Analogies: Ask the Al to use analogies or examples to clarify concepts.?
19. Visual elements: Enquire about including charts, graphs, or images (if using GPT4+).?
20. Call to action: Request a clear call to action or next steps.?

You can get better output from these by structuring prompts in certain ways. Some of the most productive prompt formats are:?

RTF - Role, Task, Format?

CTF - Context, Task, Format?

RASCEF - Role, Action, Steps, Context, Examples, Format?

PECRA - Purpose, Expectation, Context, Request, Action?

TREF - Task, Requirement, Action, Format?

These can be crafted as Mega-Prompts, which contain all of the above in one long message; or by Prompt Chaining, by breaking down the task into smaller components. For example, you could ask for a blog post idea; then an outline; then the content.?

You're ready for Prompt Mastery!

Mastering the art of crafting perfect prompts for ChatGPT is an ongoing journey of exploration and refinement. By learning these principles and practicing them diligently, marketers can significantly enhance their skills to engage their audience more effectively, and carve a distinct competitive edge.

Remember, the power of AI is not just in the technology itself but in how creatively and effectively you can guide it through your prompts. Embrace the tools, invest time in learning their nuances, and watch as they transform your marketing efforts into something remarkable in quality and (almost as importantly) efficiency.

Whilst I know there's a tonne of advice on prompt engineering out there, I hope this guide proves useful and gives you some nuggets of information to take away. There is more detailed information and advanced prompt guidance including considerations for Parameters and Custom Instructions in my full guide. Feel free to download my e-book (absolutely Free) here.