Most good prompts answer four questions, and you can keep them as a fill-in template. Once you have used it a few times, it becomes a habit.
Goal: what do you want? Background: what does the AI not know? Limits: length, tone, language, things to avoid. Done when: what does a good result look like?
Keep each line to a sentence or two. Short and specific beats long and general.
Goal: write a short email asking a colleague for a document. Background: she is busy and we have not spoken for a month. Limits: friendly, under 80 words, in English. Done when: it can be sent as it is.
Drop a line that does not apply, and add the material to work with below the template. The structure stays the same for emails, summaries and plans.
Our free page 'How to prompt better' has a copyable template for the four questions: goal, background, limits and done when. Open How to prompt better
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
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