12-18-2025, 02:10 PM
Common Types of Prompts
Not all prompts are created equal. Depending on your goal—whether it’s summarizing a memo, drafting an email, or analyzing text—you might use different types of prompting strategies. Below are several common prompt types to consider:
Prompt Type Description Example
Zero-Shot Prompt Give simple and clear instructions without examples. Useful for a quick, general response. “Summarize this article in 5 bullet points.”
Few-Shot Prompt Provide a few examples of what you want the AI to mimic. Helps the model learn your desired structure or tone. “Here are 2 example summaries. Write a third in the same style.”
Instructional Prompt Include direct commands using verbs like "write", "explain", or "compare." “Write an executive summary of this memo. Keep it under 100 words.”
Role-Based Prompt Ask the AI to assume a particular persona or viewpoint. Useful for creativity and domain-specific responses. “You are an MBA professor preparing a lecture outline...”
Contextual Prompt Include relevant background or framing before asking a question. Helps the AI tailor responses to a specific audience or setting. “This text is for an undergrad course on behavioral econ. Rephrase it in simpler language.”
Meta Prompt / System Prompt Behind-the-scenes, system-level instructions that set the AI’s behavior, tone, or scope before any user input. Typically written by the platform (e.g., OpenAI). You won't usually don’t see or write these unless you're building your own AI tool. “Always respond formally and cite real sources. Never guess.”
https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics...e-prompts/
Not all prompts are created equal. Depending on your goal—whether it’s summarizing a memo, drafting an email, or analyzing text—you might use different types of prompting strategies. Below are several common prompt types to consider:
Prompt Type Description Example
Zero-Shot Prompt Give simple and clear instructions without examples. Useful for a quick, general response. “Summarize this article in 5 bullet points.”
Few-Shot Prompt Provide a few examples of what you want the AI to mimic. Helps the model learn your desired structure or tone. “Here are 2 example summaries. Write a third in the same style.”
Instructional Prompt Include direct commands using verbs like "write", "explain", or "compare." “Write an executive summary of this memo. Keep it under 100 words.”
Role-Based Prompt Ask the AI to assume a particular persona or viewpoint. Useful for creativity and domain-specific responses. “You are an MBA professor preparing a lecture outline...”
Contextual Prompt Include relevant background or framing before asking a question. Helps the AI tailor responses to a specific audience or setting. “This text is for an undergrad course on behavioral econ. Rephrase it in simpler language.”
Meta Prompt / System Prompt Behind-the-scenes, system-level instructions that set the AI’s behavior, tone, or scope before any user input. Typically written by the platform (e.g., OpenAI). You won't usually don’t see or write these unless you're building your own AI tool. “Always respond formally and cite real sources. Never guess.”
https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics...e-prompts/