Basic Principles & Tips
When conversing with ChatGPT or designing prompts, keep these principles and tips in mind. Remembering them will help you write better prompts π
Principle 1: Use the Newest Modelβ
If using a product directly like ChatGPT or Midjourney, you don't need to worry about this. But if using APIs or the OpenAI Playground, test with the newest model first.
Principle 2: Include Complete Information in Promptsβ
This has the biggest impact on results. For example, if you want AI to write a poem about OpenAI:
Less effective prompt:
Write a poem about OpenAI.
The response may be too generic. Better to add more details:
Better prompt:
Write a short inspiring poem about OpenAI, focusing on the recent DALL-E product launch (DALL-E is a text to image ML model) in the style of a {famous poet}
Principle 3: Prompts Should Be Clear and Unambiguousβ
Like with humans, short simple sentences are easiest to understand. Also avoid ambiguous phrasing.
For example, "not too much more" is unclear:
The description for this product should be fairly short, a few sentences only, and not too much more.
Better to be specific on sentence count:
Use a 3 to 5 sentence paragraph to describe this product.
Note simplicity doesn't mean brevity. Prompts can be long if needed to fully describe the task, even if a bit redundant.
Principle 4: Use Proper Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuationβ
Especially important for English prompts.
Examples to be added
Principle 5: Start Simple and Be Patientβ
As I showed with the math example, if the AI seems confused, consider adding clarity rather than discarding it. Experiment a few times and be patient.