Prompting 101.
The beauty of using mainstream AI prompting tools is that they seem very intuitive and straight forward. But it's important to note that this is where the key differences occur - if you imagine that everyone has access to these tools it is the user input that impacts the results you will get. Advanced tools will contain additional prompt information that the user might fail to include and so the key skill you can bring to your AI game is to understand how to prompt. The very good news is, you don't have to 'know' how to prompt perfectly, because guess what - the AI that you are aiming to prompt, can tell you exactly what you need to input! As an introdcution to this topic, consider that your first step to getting the results you want, is to craft the prompt before the prompt...your first step should always be to create and refine the prompt for the thing you really need from the AI...rather than just asking out right
For example: I want to use AI to write some marketing copy for a digital ad - first step is: ask the AI how you should ask it to help with this thing! Still with me? You can even say to the AI: you are an expert in AI prompting, I would like to create a prompt to create marketing copy for a digital ad for my Gym, please ask me one question at a time until you have enough information to create the perfect prompt
This is how you start to set yourself apart in how you use AI and this is where the skill gap will be.
You should also keep in mind that AI prefers certain structures in their prompts.
A common and robust method is the CRAFT prompt structure:✅ C – Context Provide background information so the model understands the situation. This could include: Who the user is What the task is about Any relevant history, goals, or conditions
Example: You are a fitness studio owner preparing an email campaign for new members who joined in the last 30 days.
✅ R – Role Assign a role to the model to shape its tone, perspective, or expertise.
Example: Act as an experienced email copywriter who specialises in fitness and wellness marketing.
✅ A – Action Clearly state what you want the model to do. Be direct and unambiguous.
Example: Write a 3-part welcome email sequence that includes a call to action to book a free intro class.
✅ F – Format Tell the model how to structure the output. Use bullet points, numbered steps, tables, or markdown if needed.
Example: Present each email with a subject line, preview text, and full body content.
✅ T – Tone Specify the tone, voice, or writing style. This ensures consistency and appropriateness for your audience.
Example: Use a warm, friendly, and motivating tone. Avoid jargon or over-the-top language.
Try it out with the example below, this has the CRAFT creation logic in the background so that you can ask a simple prompt and see the difference in how it constructs a well structured prompt to then get closer to the outcome that you would like