AI Prompts Explained: How to Write Prompts That Actually Work

Kristina breaks down what a prompt really is, why it matters more than ever, and how to write one that actually gets results. Whether you're writing social captions, emails, replies, or brainstorming content, this episode will help you stop winging it, and start prompting with purpose.

You'll also hear how to “Pre-Bake the Oven” (yes, that matters before you write a single prompt), and learn the 4 essential parts every prompt needs to sound strategic, clear, and like you.

In This Episode:

• What a prompt actually is, and what it’s not
• Why ChatGPT gives vague answers (and how to fix it)
• The 4 parts of a powerful, on-brand prompt
• Real examples you can tweak and use right away
• Why “Pre-Bake the Oven” is non-negotiable if you want better results

Download the Free Quick Start Guide:
https://bit.ly/Pre-Bake-Quick-Start-Guide

Join the Free Facebook Group:
AI Simplified: AI for Small Business Marketing
facebook.com/groups/aisimplified 

Transcript

[00:00:00] If you ask me what the most important part of using ChatGPT is, I tell you without hesitation, it is definitely what I call Pre Baking the Oven. But right behind that, it's learning how to write prompts that actually work. That's what we're gonna dive into today, how to stop guessing and getting better results.

And that comes with finally understanding how prompts work. I'm gonna break it down, what a prompt actually is. Why prompts matter more now than ever, and the four parts every good prompt needs to help AI actually sound like you and work for your business or brand.

Welcome to AI Simplified the podcast for entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners who want practical stress-free [00:01:00] ways to use AI in their content and marketing. I'm Kristina Stubblefield, digital marketing strategist and creator of the Pre Bake the Oven Method. Let's simplify AI so you can create faster, show up consistently, and feel confident in your content.

And if you want real prompt examples, you can start using right away.

Then come join me inside my free AI simplified community. Inside the AI for Small Business Marketing Facebook group, we share prompts, insights, and tips to help you stop spinning your wheels and start using AI with confidence. But before I get too far into what a prompt is, let me say this. Prompts only work if ChatGPT or whatever program you're using actually knows who it's talking to.

That's [00:02:00] why I always teach people to Pre Bake the Oven first, that means giving ChatGPT or whatever platform your business basics. What's the name of your business? Who do you help? What do you offer? Your voice and goals? It only takes a few minutes and I have a free guide that walks you through it step by step.

So if you haven't done that yet, you could hit pause right here and go and grab my Pre Baked the Oven Quick Start Guide. It's the very first thing I recommend because once ChatGPT has context, then your prompts start delivering better and faster results. Okay, let's just get right into it. What is a prompt?

A prompt is just like the instruction you give ChatGPT to get a response. [00:03:00] Think of it like asking a really smart assistant to help you with something, but here's the deal. If your question is vague, guess what? Your answer will be two. Prompts are powerful because they give direction. So instead of saying, help me with my marketing, you could say, write a friendly Instagram caption that introduces my wedding planning services to newly engaged couples.

Keep it under 150 words, include a hook and end with a clear call to action. It doesn't have to be complicated. But I'm here to tell you it does need to be intentional. Here's why prompts really matter. AI is just a tool, a powerful tool, but a tool. It can write, summarize, rephrase, even [00:04:00] brainstorm, but only if you tell it what you want.

Just like any tool, the quality of the result depends on how well you use it. And as more people start using AI in their businesses, the ones who are getting the best results, they're the ones who take time to guide AI clearly, specifically, and intentionally. So if you've ever said, AI doesn't work for me or what I get just sounds generic. Chances are the prompt wasn't clear enough and AI probably didn't know anything about you if you didn't share it with it, and today we're going to fix that. So let's get practical. That's where I like to live. Practical. Here are the four [00:05:00] elements of a good prompt. The kind of prompt that gets AI to actually give you usable on brand content the first time around.

You don't need to be a copywriter or an AI expert. You just need these four parts. So let's start with number one.

Tell ChatGPT how to act. Do you want it to be a coach, a copywriter, a customer service rep? Lemme give you an example. Act like a social media strategist. Help me plan three reels for next week.

When you give it a roll, it starts to think from the right perspective, the one you're after now, number two, you wanna tell it what you want it to do.

This is the action, right? [00:06:00] Brainstorm, summarize, outline, rephrase. Let me give another example. Summarize this blog post into a short email with a subject line and preview text. The clearer you are about the task. The better the result, just as if you have a person that you're training as your assistant, the clearer you explain things, the better job they can do for you.

So let's move on to number three. You wanna tell it what format you want, and that can be length, tone, structure, even style. Get specific and get as detailed as you wanna get. So here, I'll give an example. You could say write 150 word caption in a [00:07:00] friendly tone with emojis and line breaks. You can even say, make it sound like me, down to earth.

Professional, friendly. Don't just say, make it sound like me. Give it some additional details. Now number four, you wanna tell it the result you want. What is the goal? Engagement leads, clarity, clicks. It doesn't know if you don't tell it, so I'll give you an example. You could say, the goal is to introduce my service and get them to book a discovery call.

That one line added into your prompt. Can shape the entire direction of the output that you get from ChatGPT or other AI program. And in the end, it's gonna end up saving you a ton of editing. Now, if you're thinking to yourself, well, I wanna [00:08:00] write better prompts like these, but I need some help, well come join us inside my free group, AI Simplified AI for Small Business Marketing.

It's on Facebook and I share in there different prompts, examples, walkthroughs, and different things to help you take action fast without needing to figure it all out, all on your own. So now you know, prompts aren't just magic, but they are the secret to making AI actually helpful. The better you guide it, the better directions you give.

The better results. Start using those four elements. And if you haven't Pre Baked your oven yet, go grab my free start guide. It's quick. It doesn't take very long, and it will save you so much time and it'll probably take you, I don't know, maybe four or five minutes to [00:09:00] fill it out. Again, the more detailed you are, the more you're gonna make everything easier as you go.

Now, next week I'm gonna dive deeper. I'm gonna be giving you five specific prompts every small business owner should be using right now. You won't wanna miss it. I'll see you then.

Thanks for listening to AI Simplified. If today's episode helped you feel more confident using AI in your business, hit follow and leave a five star review so you never miss what's next. Want to keep learning? Join our private Facebook group where we go deeper, share ideas, and simplify AI together.