Video · 16 min
Role, task, context, format
Key takeaway: Most weak answers are underspecified prompts. Name the role, the task, the context and the output shape.
The four blocks
- Role: 'You are a B2B SaaS copy editor.' Sets vocabulary and standards.
- Task: one sentence, one verb. 'Rewrite the paragraph below for a CFO audience.'
- Context: audience, product, constraints, tone, what to avoid.
- Format: exact output shape — 3 bullets under 15 words, or a JSON object with named keys.
Add the negative space
Telling the model what not to do is as valuable as the instruction: no em dashes, no marketing adjectives, don't invent statistics, say 'not in the source' if the answer isn't there. This single line removes most of the editing you would otherwise do by hand.
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