💬 Prompt Engineering

Prompts that actually work

A curated library of prompts for Claude and AI: copy, paste and adapt. Plus the prompt engineering techniques professionals use.

The 5 golden rules of the perfect prompt

  1. Be specific: "write an email" ❌ → "write a 120-word email to a client who hasn't replied in 2 months, warm but professional tone" ✅
  2. Give context and a role: "You are a CFO with 20 years of experience in SaaS startups…"
  3. Show examples: one or two examples of the output you want are worth a thousand instructions.
  4. Ask for reasoning: "think step by step before answering" improves results on complex tasks.
  5. Define the format: length, structure, language, tone. If you don't ask, the AI decides for you.

The five rules hold for images too — only the layers change: instead of role and tone you describe subject, style, lighting and framing. If you want to try it, our AI image generator assembles that structure for you and produces the result for free.

// Library

Ready-to-copy prompts

Coding

Senior code reviewer

Act as a senior engineer doing a code review. Analyze this code and return: 1) Bugs or security risks (with severity) 2) Performance improvements 3) Readability and maintainability Be direct, prioritize what matters, and propose fixed code only where there are real problems. [PASTE YOUR CODE HERE]
Coding

Claude Code: full task

Implement [FEATURE] in this repository. Before writing code: explore the structure, identify the affected files and propose a brief plan. Then implement, add tests, run them and fix until they pass. Don't touch anything outside the task scope.
Writing

Complete SEO article

Write an SEO-optimized blog article about [TOPIC], main keyword: [KEYWORD]. - Compelling title with the keyword (max 60 chars) - Meta description (max 155 chars) - H2/H3 structure covering related searches - 1,200-1,500 words, expert yet approachable tone - Final FAQ with 4 common questions No filler: every paragraph must add value.
Writing

Difficult email in 1 minute

Help me write a delicate email. Situation: [DESCRIBE THE SITUATION] Goal: [WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE] Relationship with recipient: [BOSS/CLIENT/COLLEAGUE] Give me 2 versions: one diplomatic and one more direct, both under 150 words.
Data

Data analyst

You are a senior data analyst. With the attached file: 1) Summarize its contents (columns, rows, quality) 2) Detect patterns, outliers and correlations 3) Give me 5 actionable insights ranked by impact 4) Propose 3 charts and create them Explain everything for a non-technical audience.
Productivity

Weekly planner

Act as my chief of staff. These are my pending tasks and commitments: [LIST]. Organize my week: - Prioritize by impact vs. urgency (Eisenhower matrix) - Deep work blocks in the morning - Maximum 3 big tasks per day - Leave room for the unexpected Return a day-by-day plan with time slots.

360º product launch

You are the CMO of a top agency. Prepare the launch of [PRODUCT] for [TARGET AUDIENCE]: 1) Value proposition in 1 sentence 2) 3 distinct communication angles 3) 2-week content calendar (social, email, blog) 4) 5 ad hooks 5) Metrics to measure success

Socratic teacher

I want to learn [TOPIC]. Act as a Socratic teacher: instead of dumping theory on me, guide me with progressive questions and examples. Start by assessing my level with 3 questions. Adapt the difficulty to my answers and give me a small practical challenge at the end of each concept.
Career

Unbeatable resume & cover letter

You are a senior recruiter in [INDUSTRY]. Here is my current resume and the job I'm applying to: [RESUME] [JOB POST] 1) Rewrite my resume targeted at this role: quantified achievements, keywords from the posting, max 1 page 2) Write a 150-word cover letter that does NOT repeat the resume 3) Give me the 5 most likely interview questions with model answers
Business

One-page business plan

Act as a startup mentor. My idea: [IDEA]. Create a complete lean canvas: - Problem and customer segment (with estimated market size) - Unique value proposition - Solution and competitive advantage - Channels and revenue streams - Key costs and north-star metrics Then ask me the 3 most uncomfortable questions an investor would.
Research

Research agent with sources

Research in depth: [TOPIC/QUESTION]. Rules: - Search the web for current sources and cross-check at least 3 independent ones - Separate FACTS (with source and date) from OPINIONS and UNCERTAINTIES - If sources contradict each other, tell me - End with: a 5-line summary, a table of key findings and a list of sources with links
Social media

A month of content in 5 minutes

You are the social media manager of [BRAND], helping [AUDIENCE] achieve [BENEFIT]. Create the 30-day content calendar: - 3 posts/week on [PLATFORM] - Mix: 40% educational value, 30% stories, 20% community, 10% promotion - For each post: first-line hook, 3-5 line body and CTA - Tone: [FRIENDLY/PROFESSIONAL/BOLD]
Agentic

An agent that verifies its own work

Task: [CONCRETE TASK]. Work in a verification loop: 1) Produce a complete first attempt 2) Critique it yourself: errors, gaps, unjustified assumptions (be harsh, not agreeable) 3) Fix and repeat until the critique finds nothing serious (max 3 cycles) Give me only the final version + a 3-line summary of what you fixed along the way.
Cowork

Bring order to my folder

You have access to my folder [FOLDER]. 1) List what's there and group by type and topic 2) Detect duplicates and stale versions 3) Propose a clear subfolder structure and wait for my OK before moving anything 4) After my OK: organize, rename with a consistent convention and leave me an index in a .md file Delete nothing: anything doubtful goes into a _review folder so I can decide.
Decisions

Devil's advocate committee

I'm about to decide: [DECISION]. My reasoning: [WHY I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA]. Simulate a committee of 3 critics: - The FINANCIAL SKEPTIC: do the numbers work? - The EXECUTION REALIST: can I actually do this, with my real time and resources? - The COMPETITOR: how would someone better at this beat me? Each one: their best attack in 5 lines. Close with: what would have to be true for me to be right.
Writing

A clone of my writing style

Here are 3 texts of mine: [TEXT 1] [TEXT 2] [TEXT 3] 1) Describe my style: tone, sentence length, verbal tics, how I open and close 2) Save that profile as "my voice" 3) Write [NEW TEXT] in my voice — not yours: corporate AI-speak is banned If something in my style clashes with the text's goal, tell me before writing.

The 5 mistakes that ruin your prompts

  1. Asking for everything in one prompt. "Build my website, logo and marketing plan" guarantees mediocrity in all three. Divide and conquer.
  2. Giving no examples. The AI can't read your mind: if you have a favorite format, show it. One example beats three paragraphs of explanation.
  3. Accepting the first answer. Professionals iterate: "make it shorter", "more technical", "try another angle". The second version is almost always better.
  4. Forgetting context. "Write an email to a client" vs. "write an email to an angry client who's been waiting 3 weeks for their order" — the difference is night and day.
  5. Not defining the reader. Who is the text for? What do they already know? What should they feel? Without that, the AI writes for no one.

Advanced techniques

Prompt chaining

Split big tasks into steps: first ask for an outline, review it, then ask for the full development. You control quality at each stage instead of crossing your fingers at the end.

XML tags

Claude responds especially well to tagged structures: <context>, <examples>, <instructions>. They clearly separate each part of the prompt and reduce misunderstandings.

Prefill and forced formats

If you need JSON or another exact format, say so explicitly and show the expected schema. In the API, you can "prefill" the start of the response to force the format.

Want to go beyond prompts? Skills are the natural evolution: permanent instructions Claude applies automatically. Learn to build your own.