Prompt Engineering: How to Talk to AI for Better Results

Prompt engineering is the skill of getting AI to give you what you actually want. It’s the most practical AI skill you can learn.

The Golden Rule

AI is not a search engine. Search engines find existing information. AI generates new text based on patterns. Treat it differently.

Bad vs Good Prompts

Bad Prompt	Good Prompt
“Write about AI”	“Write a 300-word blog post explaining AI agents for Australian small business owners. Use simple language. Include a real example.”
“Is ChatGPT good?”	“Compare ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini on writing quality, accuracy, and Australian pricing. Give a verdict.”
“Help me with marketing”	“I run a plumbing business in Sydney. Write 5 Instagram captions promoting our emergency service. Each under 100 characters.”

5 Techniques That Work

1. Give It a Role

You are a senior Australian accountant. Explain the BAS process to a small business owner who has never done it before.

2. Provide Context

I'm a real estate agent in Brisbane. I need to write a property description for a 3-bedroom house in Ashgrove. 
Key features: renovated kitchen, solar panels, native garden, 2-car garage. Target audience: young families.

3. Specify Format

List the top 5 AI tools for Australian tradies. For each: name, price in AUD, what it does, and who it's best for.
Format as a table.

4. Give Examples (Few-Shot)

Here are two examples of good social media posts for a cafe:
"Monday mornings call for flat whites and fresh croissants. ☕🥐 7am-3pm"
"New on the menu: avocado smash with house-made sourdough. Your brunch plans just got better."

Now write 3 more posts like these for our cafe in Melbourne.

5. Chain Your Prompts

Don’t ask for everything at once. Build up:

1. “Suggest 5 topics for a blog about AI for accountants”
2. “Write an outline for topic #3”
3. “Write the introduction for that outline”
4. “Expand section 2 with specific examples”

Australian-Specific Tips

Use Australian English

Use Australian spelling: organise, colour, centre, analyse.
Refer to prices in AUD.
Use Australian examples (ATO, BAS, NBN, Medicare).

Ask for Local Context

How does [topic] apply to Australian businesses specifically?
Consider Australian regulations, pricing, and availability.

Common Mistakes

1. Being too vague — “Write something about AI” → garbage in, garbage out
2. Not specifying length — AI defaults to medium length; specify words or paragraphs
3. Accepting the first result — ask for alternatives, iterate
4. Not giving constraints — without constraints, AI makes up its own (often wrong)
5. Treating it as fact — always verify AI outputs, especially numbers and dates

The Ultimate Prompt Template

You are [ROLE]. I need [TASK] for [AUDIENCE].
Context: [BACKGROUND INFORMATION]
Requirements: [CONSTRAINTS, FORMAT, LENGTH]
Tone: [PROFESSIONAL, CASUAL, FUNNY, FORMAL]
Output format: [TABLE, LIST, PARAGRAPHS, CODE]