How to create a prompt?

Creating a great AI prompt is part art, part technique. Whether your goal is to generate images, write persuasive text, produce music, or craft a video storyboard, a clear, well-structured prompt is the single factor that determines output quality. This guide shows step-by-step how to create effective prompts, practical templates you can reuse, and tips to iterate quickly.

Why prompt quality matters

AI models respond directly to the input you give. A short, vague instruction will give you a short, vague result. Conversely, a carefully written prompt steers the model toward the intended style, tone, detail, and constraints. Good prompts reduce time spent editing outputs, improve consistency, and scale your creative workflow.

Core principles of an effective prompt

Keep these principles top of mind as you write prompts:

• Clarity: Be specific about what you want. Replace vague terms like “nice” with concrete adjectives such as “minimal, high contrast, flat-color illustration.”
• Context: Tell the model who it is or the role it should assume (“You are an expert prompt engineer,” “Act as a travel copywriter”).
• Constraints: Provide limits like aspect ratio, word count, file type, or style references (“16:9, cinematic, film grain”).
• Examples: When possible, include an example outcome or sample style to emulate.
• Iterate: Treat prompts as experiments — small adjustments often produce dramatically different outputs.

Step-by-step prompt creation process

1. Define the objective

Start by answering: What is the desired output? Examples: a 4-line commercial tagline, a 1024×1024 fantasy landscape, a 30-second music loop, or a character sketch for a comic. The clearer the objective, the better the result.

2. Set the role and tone

Tell the model who it should be and the voice to adopt. Examples:

• “You are a seasoned art director.”
• “Write as an engaging newsletter editor.”
• “Act as an instructional designer for beginner AI artists.”

3. Give explicit instructions and constraints

Include necessary constraints: length limits, file format suggestions, color palettes, technical terms, or composition rules. This helps rule out unwanted variants and keeps outputs usable.

4. Include references and examples

If you want a style similar to a well-known artist or a sample sentence, include a short reference. If legal concerns exist, use neutral style descriptors rather than copyrighted works—for example, “in the style of 90s retro synthwave” vs. naming a living artist.

5. Add post-processing instructions

Mention any follow-up operations like tone-check, word-limit, or export constraints. This is crucial when the output will be directly used in product copy, marketing, or image generation pipelines.

Prompt templates you can reuse (practical)

Below are versatile templates adapted to images, copywriting, and creative media:

Image prompt template

Role: You are an expert concept artist.
Subject: [describe main subject and action]
Style: [e.g., cinematic, minimal, watercolor, photorealistic]
Color & Lighting: [palette, time of day, light source]
Composition & Details: [camera angle, focal length, key props]
Constraints: [aspect ratio, size, file type]
Output: A single short description suitable for an image generator.
Example: (optional example outcome)

Text / marketing prompt template

Role: You are a persuasive copywriter.
Goal: [e.g., describe product benefit in 40–60 words]
Audience: [e.g., busy professionals, students]
Tone: [e.g., friendly, authoritative, playful]
Limitations: [word count, avoid jargon, include CTA]
Call to action: [desired action]

Music / audio prompt template

Role: You are a composer for short-form media.
Mood & Tempo: [e.g., uplifting, 90 BPM]
Instrumentation: [e.g., synth pads, marimba, soft beat]
Duration: [e.g., 15–45 seconds]
Reference: [example sonic cues]
Deliverable: Short loop suitable for background music

Examples — real prompts you can use now

Here are practical prompt examples adapted from the templates above.

Image example

You are an expert concept artist. Create a photorealistic 16:9 image of a small rooftop café at sunset in Lagos.
Style: warm cinematic, shallow depth of field.
Colors: golden hour, orange and teal.
Details: string lights, a single customer reading, rain-wet tiles, soft bokeh.
Constraints: 16:9, high detail, no text overlays.

Marketing example

You are a friendly email copywriter. Write a 45-word subject line and preview text promoting a free AI prompt workshop for beginners. Audience: creators in Africa. Tone: encouraging, clear. Include a short CTA that invites sign-up.

Testing and iteration best practices

Don’t expect a perfect result on the first try. Use this workflow:

1. Run the original prompt and save the output.
2. Identify what went wrong or what’s missing (style, detail, tone).
3. Tweak one variable at a time (e.g., add a lighting descriptor or change word count).
4. Re-run and compare outputs. Keep the best version and refine.

Common prompt mistakes and how to avoid them

• Vagueness: “Make something nice” → ask for “bold, minimal poster with two colors.”
• Overloading: Too many contradictory constraints confuse models. Prioritize top 3 constraints.
• No role set: Let the model know what hat it is wearing (designer, editor, composer).
• Neglecting examples: Small examples guide output style efficiently.

Advanced tips for power users

Once you know the basics, level up with these advanced techniques:

• Chain of thought prompts: Ask the model to explain steps before producing final output to reduce hallucination.
• Prompt chaining: Use one prompt to create structure, another to flesh it out, and a final one to polish.
• Use negative prompts (for images): explicitly list what to avoid (no watermark, no extra people).
• Temperature control: When supported, lower temperature for deterministic outputs, raise it for creative variations.

Workflow examples — a short routine

Example 1: Image creator workflow

1. Start with a compact image prompt (subject + style).
2. Generate 4 variations.
3. Pick the best and run a refine prompt adding micro-details.
4. Use a final prompt to create high-resolution export settings.

Example 2: Content creation workflow

1. Prompt: ask for an outline.
2. Prompt: expand each outline point into a paragraph.
3. Prompt: polish for tone, word count, and SEO keywords.

Ethics, copyright and AI-generated content

When working with AI-generated outputs, be mindful of copyright and ethical considerations. If your prompt asks for “in the style of [living artist],” prefer neutral style descriptors or obtain permission. Also verify image rights when using generated results commercially.

Final checklist — ready-to-use prompt checklist

• Objective: Have I defined the exact output?
• Role: Did I set the model’s role or perspective?
• Style & tone: Have I specified the style and tone?
• Constraints: Did I include required limitations (size, words, format)?
• Example: Did I include an example if necessary?
• Iteration plan: Am I ready to test, compare, and refine?