How to write AI prompts to create great content + examples

You’ve heard from fellow creators how artificial intelligence is speeding up their content creation and increasing output. Some are touting hours of saved time, like Kajabi Hero Douglas Boyce III, and exclaiming that it’s the end of writer’s block once and for all. You’re sold.

You power up a content generator, prompt it to “write a blog on how to forage for mushrooms”, and the machine gets to work. A few seconds later, it spits out what it believes to be the perfect article—but it’s far from perfect. It’s missing important information, the tone of voice is all wrong, and it wrote only 500 words when you wanted 1,000. You could have written it better yourself. With one swift click, you close the tab and write off artificial intelligence forever.

It’s easy to become disillusioned with content generators when their outputs miss the mark. 

While we’d love to blame the low-quality content on the AI itself, the real problem might be you (hi, it’s me. I’m the problem.). Specifically, the prompt you’re feeding the AI tool to create your desired outcome, or in other words, the command you provide the AI model to generate its output.

The fact of the matter is a content generator’s answers are only as good as the prompt you ask it to perform. That’s why we’re covering how to write the perfect AI prompt complete with formulas and examples you can start using right now!

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How to write effective AI prompts

Here are best practices to keep top of mind when working with any artificial intelligence tool that requires a prompt—spoiler alert, most do.

Identify the purpose or goals.

Before you write an AI prompt, clarify what you’re creating and why you’re creating it.

Ask yourself: What goal are you trying to achieve with the content? What should your target audience know after reading the content? Do you want them to take a certain action like clicking a link or making a purchase? 

Not only will this help the AI tool produce the best possible content, but it will also align the AI-generated content with your brand goals. 

Give clear, specific instructions.

As would be expected, inputting vague or ambiguous prompts can lead to a misaligned response. 

For example, “Explain the meaning of life.” wouldn’t generate as useful of a response as “Explain some popular philosophical perspectives on the meaning of life.” 

To ensure you’re providing detailed instructions for the AI tool, first, ask yourself, what is my desired outcome? 

When you have that question clearly answered, describe the task that should be completed. This includes specifying if the response should be a certain length or format (bullet list, 280 characters, etc.), what action you would like for your audience to take, and even the tone and style you would like the AI to write the content in. 

Pro-Tip: The longer and more detailed the question or task, the better the output!

Ask open-ended questions.

Asking “yes or no” questions tends to result in the generation of less detailed responses than asking open-ended questions. 

For example, instead of asking “Is coffee bad for you?” (impossible) try asking “What are the top benefits and risks of drinking coffee?”. 

Asking open-ended questions gives the freedom and space for the tool to answer in as much detail as it would like.

Check your grammar and spelling. 

Just like with a human, grammatical errors or spelling mistakes can confuse artificial intelligence.

Thus, always proofread your prompt to ensure your grammar and spelling are correct and the language is easy to understand. It should come as a no-brainer, but avoid the use of abbreviations or slang terms.

Include contextual information.

No matter how advanced AI tools are, they can’t understand the context around your request unless you describe it. 

To help them understand, provide some background and contextual information related to your topic and the nature of your desired output. 

For example, who is your AI content writer acting as? Who is the target audience for the content? Include the answers to these questions in your prompt.

The perfect AI prompt formula

We’ve created the perfect AI prompt formula for most content generators! Go ahead and bookmark this blog to always have this prompt formula on hand.

“Act like” + “write a” + “define an objective” + “define your ideal format”

Here’s an example: Act like { a type of expert } who is writing copy for { a specific use } to achieve { a specific outcome }. 

Here’s an example of the formula with the blank spaces filled out.

Prompt Example: Act like a {digital marketer and copywriter} who is writing copy for {3 video headlines and descriptions for each based on the video transcript I’ll provide} to achieve {teaching my audience about how to forage for mushrooms}. [Insert video transcript]

You can make the prompt even more specific by including details about formatting (how many characters, sentences, etc.), tone, and style.

Examples of great prompts when using Kajabi AI tools

Not all AI tools require lengthy prompts, some require only a few keywords to produce an excellent output, which happens to be the case for Kajabi’s AI tools. 

All you will need to provide is your course topic, or your overarching idea for your course. Even still, there are best practices for how to format short prompts. Let’s review!

Online course prompts

When using your course topic as a prompt, it should be broad enough to capture the breadth of content you’ll cover in your course, but also specific enough to ensure your course is relevant to your desired audience.

Here is a simple format to follow when creating your course topic prompt: 

[Brief description of what your course will cover] + [target audience for your course]

Good examples of course topic prompts:

• Social media marketing for small business owners 
• Watercolor painting for beginners
• Advanced yoga teacher training 

Bad examples of course topic prompts:

• Marketing 
• Painting 
• Yoga

Try out your own course topic now with our Course Outline Generator!

Lesson content prompts 

Lessons are the building blocks of your overall course. When writing the prompt for your lesson topic, it should focus on one specific idea that you want your audience to take away from your course. 

Let’s say you are creating a course on “Social media marketing for small business owners”. 

Here is a simple format to follow when creating your lesson content prompt: 

[Brief description of what your lesson will cover] + [2-3 desired learning outcomes that the lesson will achieve]

Good examples of lesson content prompts:

• How to create a social media strategy including defining a target audience, setting goals, and measuring success
• The benefits of working with social media influencers including how to identify and approach potential partners.
• Best practices for writing engaging Twitter posts including length, format, and frequency

Bad examples of lesson content prompts:

• Social media marketing 
• Creating content on social
• Twitter ideas 

Build a course lesson with our Lesson Content Generator!

Social media prompts

When it comes to creating great social posts with AI, be sure to get specific! Is it a ‘how-to’ guide, an inspirational quote, or a promotional post? What is the message you want to get across in your post? 

By providing these details, your first draft will be oozing with valuable information. You can then choose to adjust the tone or length of your post using our tool. 

Here is a simple format to follow when creating your social media post prompt: 

[Type of post you want to generate] + [the audience for your post] +  [a short description of what message you want to convey in your post] 

Good examples of social media prompts:

• Inspirational quote about running that helps first-time marathon runners get motivated
• How-to post about how beginners can make sourdough bread
• Helpful tips for entrepreneurs who need help launching their business 

Bad examples of social media prompts:

• Marathon running 
• Sourdough bread 
• Business 

Create a social media post now with the Social Media Content Generator. While you’re there, explore all six of our free AI tools at the AI Creator Hub, where you can build your online business the easy way!

Unlock even more AI tools with a free 14-day trial of Kajabi.

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Final word on how to write great AI prompts

Artificial intelligence is making the impossible possible—creating content in seconds and tons of it without the extra work. But, to harness these benefits, you need to learn how to “communicate” with AI through your prompt.

Once you’ve mastered the perfect AI prompt, you’ll be on your way to generating great content from the very start!