Tired of bad prompts and inconsistent output? Use this template.

A tried-and-tested format to write prompts that generate reliably consistent output.

If this template were a thing, Midjourney thinks it would be this. Generated with Midjourney.

Feeling a bit stuck on how to write a decent prompt that goes beyond “Write me an XYZ and make it snappy”? I’ve got your back.

Here, we’re going to chat through a template for system prompts.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the term system prompt, it’s a set of instructions you give an AI model before you start chatting. It defines how the AI should behave — its role, tone, and the tasks it should perform — so you get consistent and useful results every time.

In simple day-to-day usage, if you’ve got a repetitive task that you’re using AI to help with, you might start your chat with a system prompt to set context, and then continue with your task. You might set up a Gem or a custom GPT or equivalent with a strong system prompt to re-use.

Alternatively, you might use this template to help you write a normal prompt for a more complex task that could use some thinking through.

I’ve created this template and tested it out in my work as an AI content designer. Now, it’s intended to be a basic template, not an all-encompassing recipe for a prompt to end all prompts. However, it should help you generate more consistent output with…