Why this matters
Most people give ChatGPT one quick sentence, like "Write an email to my customers about our new service." Back comes something that looks finished: emoji in the subject line, "Dear Valued Customer", and blanks like [Service Name] and [Benefit 1].
Then they spend longer fixing it than it would have taken to write it themselves, and decide AI is not much use. The AI was not the problem. It had to guess everything: who is writing, who reads it, what the offer is, how long it should be.
In this module you ask for the same email twice, once in one vague line and once built in four parts, and see exactly why the second answer is one you could send. Then you save the good prompt as a template, so next time you only fill in the blanks.
What you’ll build
Two answers to the same request for Summit Lawn Care, a made-up small business announcing a new fall service. The vague prompt gets a generic email full of blanks. The four-part prompt (Role, Context, Task, Format) gets a short, plain email with the real price, dates and one clear call to action.
You finish by saving the four-part prompt, with blanks in brackets, to a Google Doc called Prompt Templates. Later prompt modules add to the same doc.
What you need
- Nothing to start the practiceChatGPT and Google Docs are practice copies. Nothing is sent to OpenAI or saved to Google.
- A ChatGPT account, to do it for realA free account at chatgpt.com works. The same prompt works in Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
- A Google Doc called Prompt TemplatesGo to docs.new while signed in to Google, and name the new doc Prompt Templates. Any notes app works too.
- One real request from your weekAn announcement, a client update or a reply you need to write. You need its facts: who it is for, the offer, dates and prices.
Concepts
3 ideas you’ll use in the practice.
A prompt is the message you type
Everything the AI knows about your task comes from what you type. One vague line leaves it to fill every gap with the most average answer, which is why it reads like it was written for nobody in particular.
The four parts: Role, Context, Task, Format
Role says who the AI is writing as ("You are the owner of Summit Lawn Care"). Context gives the facts it cannot guess (who the customers are, the price, the dates). Task says exactly what you want back (a short email with one call to action). Format says how it should look (under 120 words, plain, no emoji, subject line first).
Each part removes one kind of guessing. You do not need fancy words. Plain sentences work best.
Save the good prompt as a template
Once a prompt works, keep it. Replace the details that change with blanks in brackets, like [BUSINESS] and [SERVICE], and save it where you can find it.
Next time you copy it, fill in the brackets, and skip the blank-box stare. A small library of templates is the fastest way to make a whole team better at AI.
Practice
Do every step yourself in a practice copy of the real tool. It checks your work, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on.
Do it for real
Now repeat it in your own account. Tick each step as you go.
Downloads
- Four-part prompt template (.txt)The template you save at the end of the lesson, with a one-line reminder of each part.
Quick check
3 questions to check you’ve got it.
1. Why did the one-line prompt get an email full of blanks and emoji?
- The AI is bad at emails
- It had to guess who was writing, what the offer was and how it should look
- The prompt was too long
Show the answer
It had to guess who was writing, what the offer was and how it should look. With no facts, the AI fills every gap with the most average answer.
2. "Under 120 words, friendly and plain, no emoji." Which part of the prompt is that?
- Role
- Context
- Format
Show the answer
Format. Format is how the answer should look: length, tone and layout.
3. What makes a saved prompt a template?
- Blanks in brackets where the details change
- A longer first line
- Saving it in ChatGPT’s history
Show the answer
Blanks in brackets where the details change. Blanks like [BUSINESS] and [SERVICE] let you reuse it for the next request in seconds.
Make ChatGPT Ask You Questions First
The four parts work when you know all the facts up front. Next, the prompt for when you do not: make ChatGPT ask you questions first, one at a time, before it writes a word.
Start module 2 →