The 3 Simple Rules That 10x My LLM Output (Prompt Engineering for Devs)

We've all been there: arguing with ChatGPT, retyping the same prompt five times until the output is finally right. That's not prompt engineering—that’s just patience! But what if you could use simple, structured strategies to get the perfect response from any LLM on the first try? Let's start with three fundamental practices that will instantly upgrade your AI interaction.

1. Be specific (The Context Tactic).

Instead of "Explain Indian history", write

Prompt: 
"Explain Indian history dividing it into 3 parts:

- Ancient
- Medieval
- Modern

Provide information regarding all the empires that existed and vanished and its impact on the common man."

2.Define a format(The Structure Tactic).

Prompt: "List 5 health benefits of exercise.
Format: Benefit [short title]
        Explanation [2 sentences]

Defining the exact structure removes ambiguity. The LLM won't ramble; it will deliver a predictable, parseable output every time.

3.Use constraints (The Boundary Tactic).

Prompt:
"What is Python? Explain in 50 words while using specific and unique examples from real-life. Avoid technical jargon and use simple language."

---

Constraining the word limit, tone and type of language avoids too many iterations over prompts.

Stay tuned for more advanced strategies coming soon! Follow me and drop a comment below with your favorite simple prompt-writing tip!