Five parts. Every great prompt has them. Use this whenever Claude isn't giving you what you need.
Tell Claude exactly who to be — job title, expertise, perspective.
Background Claude needs: who the audience is, what the project is, what matters.
Exactly what you want done. Start with an action verb.
What the output should look like — length, structure, platform.
What to avoid, what not to say, non-negotiable rules.
| ❌ Without the formula | ✔ With the formula |
|---|---|
| "Write a social media post for my client" | "You are a social media manager for InSync Healthcare Staffing (warm, mentor-like voice). Write a Facebook post under 150 words announcing their new travel nurse service. End with a CTA to book a discovery call. No jargon." |
| "Summarize this email" | "Summarize this email in 3 bullet points — one per key action item. Audience: non-technical stakeholders. Be direct, skip pleasantries." |
| "Make this better" | "You are a copyeditor. Review this paragraph for clarity and conciseness. Keep the casual tone but fix grammar. Return only the improved version." |
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