Basic Prompt Structure
Learn the foundation of effective prompting - how to write clear, specific, and complete instructions for Omnifact.
Foundations of Good Prompting
When you get the basics right, it becomes much easier to get the results you want from Omnifact.
The Golden Rule: Be Specific and Complete
Be specific and use complete sentences. Think of each prompt as giving directions to a capable colleague who doesn’t know your context.
Since Omnifact doesn’t retain memory between conversations, include all necessary information in each prompt.
What Makes a Good Prompt
Every effective prompt should include these three elements:
What you want
The specific task or question you need help with
Context you have
Relevant background information
What you expect
Format, length, or style requirements
A good prompt combines:
Example:
- Task: “Analyze this customer feedback”
- Context: “from our Q4 survey about our mobile app”
- Expectations: “and identify the top 3 improvement priorities”
- Complete Prompt: “Analyze this customer feedback from our Q4 survey about our mobile app and identify the top 3 improvement priorities.”
See the Difference
The more specific and descriptive you are, the better results you’ll get.
Vague: “Marketing ideas”
Specific: “Generate 5 social media post ideas for a B2B software company launching a new project management tool, targeting small business owners”
Vague: “Marketing ideas”
Specific: “Generate 5 social media post ideas for a B2B software company launching a new project management tool, targeting small business owners”
Vague: “Job description help”
Specific: “Write a job description for a Customer Success Manager position, including required skills, responsibilities, and company culture fit for a 50-person SaaS startup”
Vague: “Budget stuff”
Specific: “Create a monthly expense tracking template for a small marketing department with categories for advertising, software tools, and events”
Vague: “Customer support ideas”
Specific: “Create a customer support script for handling product returns, including step-by-step instructions for the customer and a list of common questions and answers”
Vague: “Sales ideas”
Specific: “Create a sales email sequence for a SaaS company targeting small business owners, including a personalized outreach message, a value proposition, and a call to action”
Vague: “Product ideas”
Specific: “Create a product roadmap for a SaaS company targeting small business owners, including a list of features, a timeline, and a budget”
Common Problems and Quick Fixes
Problem: Responses are too generic
Problem: Responses are too generic
Solution: Add specific details and constraints
- Include your exact context (role, company size, industry)
- Specify format and length requirements
- Be clear about what to include or exclude
Problem: Omnifact seems confused
Problem: Omnifact seems confused
Solution: Check if you’re assuming context
- Have you included all necessary background?
- Would this make sense to someone new to your situation?
- Add the missing context directly in your prompt
Problem: Wrong format or style
Problem: Wrong format or style
Solution: Be explicit about expectations
- “Format as [bullet points/table/email/report]”
- “Use [professional/casual/technical] tone”
- “Length should be [specific word count/number of items]”
Read your prompt out loud. If you have to add “you know what I mean” at the end, it needs to be more specific!
Other Beginner Guides
- Learn Being Clear and Direct to eliminate confusion and get exactly what you need
- Explore Assigning Roles to transform Omnifact into domain experts
- Master Controlling Output Format to get responses in exactly the format you need