Prompt Engineering for Non-Nerds

You ask ChatGPT for help and get back something... generic. Boring. Not at all what you wanted.

So you start googling "prompt engineering" and end up in a jungle of terms like "chain of thought" and "few-shot learning."

No thanks.

There's a simpler way. You don't need to become an AI expert to get better results. You just need to learn one simple formula.

Why Your AI Answers Suck

Let me guess. You write something like:

Write an email to a customer

And get back something generic that sounds like it came from a template nobody wants to receive.

The problem isn't that AI is dumb. The problem is that it can't read your mind. It doesn't know who the customer is, what you're selling, what tone you want, or what actually happened.

AI does its best with the information it has. Give it little information and you get a generic answer. Give it more context and you get something useful.

The Simple Formula: CTFE

Forget all the complicated frameworks. What you need is four things:

C - Context Who are you? What does your company do? Who are you talking to?

T - Task What should AI actually do? Be specific.

F - Format What should the result look like? Bullet list? Running text? Short or long?

E - Example Show how you want it to look. Or give examples of what you DON'T want.

That's it. Four things.

Before/after: Same Question, Different Results

Let me show you a real example. I tested both prompts in Claude.

Bad Prompt

Write an email to a customer who wants to cancel

Result:

Subject: Confirmation of Your Cancellation

Hi [Customer Name],

Thank you for reaching out. I hereby confirm that your booking has been canceled.

If you have any questions or would like to reschedule for another time, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your interest – hope to see you another time!

Best regards, Daniel

Super generic. Could be from any business whatsoever. Zero personality.

Good Prompt (with CTFE)

Context: I run a small hair salon in Seattle. A customer has
canceled their appointment same-day, which is the second time.
I go by "Danny the Barber" with my clients.

Task: Write an email confirming the cancellation but politely
reminding them of our cancellation policy (24 hours in advance).

Format: Short and friendly, max 5 sentences.

Tone: Not sour or passive aggressive, but clear about the policy.

Result:

Hey!

Thanks for letting me know, your appointment is now canceled. Just a quick reminder that we have a 24-hour cancellation policy so I have time to offer the slot to someone else. Hope to see you again soon!

Best, Danny the Barber

See the difference? Same task, completely different result. The second email has personality, the right length, and addresses the policy without sounding bitter.

5 Mistakes That Make AI Dumb

1. Too Vague Instructions

"Write something good about my company" says nothing. What's good? For whom? In which channel?

Better: "Write a 50-word description for our Instagram bio. We sell organic skincare products to women aged 30-50."

2. No Context

AI doesn't know you run a small construction company in Colorado unless you tell it.

Better: Always start with who you are and what you do.

3. Asking for Everything at Once

"Write a complete marketing plan with budget, content calendar, and strategy document" is too much.

Better: Break it into steps. Start with one section. Then ask for the next.

4. Accepting the First Answer

AI answers are starting points, not finished products.

Better: Say "good, but make it more informal" or "cut it in half" or "remove the cliché in the second paragraph."

5. Not Using Examples

If you know how you want it to sound, show it.

Better: "Here's an email I wrote before that I liked the tone of: [paste it]. Write a similar email about X."

Two Very Useful Techniques

Beyond CTFE, there are two techniques I use constantly and always teach in my workshops. They're simple but insanely powerful.

Let AI Ask You Questions

Instead of guessing what AI needs to know, ask it to ask you.

I want help with [task]. Before you start, ask me as many
questions as you need so you get a clear picture and can
give me a really good answer.

What happens is magical. AI starts asking things you hadn't thought of. "What tone do you want?" "Who's the target audience?" "Is there anything you want to avoid?" "How long should the text be?"

Suddenly you've given AI all the context it needs, without having to figure it out yourself.

Ask AI to Explain What It's Doing

This technique means you actually learn something instead of just receiving an answer.

Make this a pedagogical masterpiece. Explain what you're
doing and why at each step, so I understand what we're
working on.

Instead of just getting a finished answer, you get a walkthrough of the thinking behind it. This helps you:

• Understand why AI chose a certain approach
• Learn so you can do it yourself next time
• Catch if AI is on the wrong track early

Especially useful when you're working on something you're not familiar with. Instead of becoming dependent on AI, you actually learn something.

Templates You Can Copy

Here are ready-to-use prompts for common tasks. Copy, fill in your details, use.

Customer Email

Context: I run a [type of business] and sell [what].
The customer has [what happened].

Task: Write a [type of email: confirmation/response to complaint/
follow-up/etc].

Format: [Number of sentences/length]. [Formal/informal].

Avoid: Sounding like a robot or using phrases like
"We apologize for any inconvenience."

Document Summary

Context: I need to quickly understand [type of document].
I'm not an expert on [the topic].

Task: Summarize this document and list:
1. The 3-5 most important points
2. What directly affects me/my business
3. Any risks or things to be aware of

Format: Bullet list with short explanations.
Avoid legal/technical jargon.

[Paste document or upload PDF]

Brainstorming

Context: I run a [type of business] and my target audience is [who].
Right now I'm struggling with [problem/challenge].

Task: Give me 10 ideas for [what: marketing/new services/
content/etc].

Requirements:
- Ideas should be doable for a small business
- Budget is limited
- Focus on [what's important to you]

Format: Numbered list with one sentence per idea, followed by
one sentence explaining why it might work.

Social Media

Context: I run [company] in [industry]. My voice on social
media is [describe the tone: professional/casual/personal/etc].

Task: Give me 5 ideas for [Instagram/LinkedIn/etc] posts about
[topic or time period].

Requirements:
- Not salesy or "check out our offer"
- Should show our expertise or personality
- Fit for [the platform]

Format: Short hook, then content idea, then suggestion for
any image/video.

When This Isn't Enough

Sometimes you need more than a formula. If you work with AI regularly and want to take it to the next level, check out our AI services to see how we can help. It might also be worth:

• Creating a "system prompt" with all context about you and your business that you reuse
• Using Claude Projects or ChatGPT Custom GPTs to save context
• Building templates for your most common tasks

But that's next level. Start with CTFE.

TLDR

1. The problem isn't AI. It's that you're not giving enough information.
2. The CTFE formula: Context + Task + Format + Example (think STFU, swap S→C and U→E)
3. Stop accepting the first answer. Ask AI to adjust until you're satisfied.
4. Use the templates above as a starting point for your own prompts.

Next time you're staring at a generic AI response, come back here and check if you missed any part of CTFE.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the same prompts work in ChatGPT and Claude?

Yes, the CTFE principle works in all AI chats. They sometimes respond a bit differently, but context, task, format, and example help regardless of which tool you use.

How long should prompts be?

As long as they need to be. More context gives better answers, but there's no magic in the length. A good prompt can be three sentences or three paragraphs depending on the task.

Do I need to pay for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro?

For personal use: free versions work for testing, but you'll hit limits quickly. Paid versions (~$20/month) give more usage and better models. For business: yes, preferably. Free versions may use your data for training unless you actively opt out, and lack business agreements (DPA). ChatGPT Team or Claude for Business are safer choices for work stuff.

Can AI help me write better prompts?

Absolutely. You can ask AI to help improve your prompt. Say 'I want help with X, how can I phrase this better so you give me a more useful answer?'

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Want help developing prompts and templates for your specific business? Book a call and we'll put together something that works for you.