# Prompt Optimization Guide Reference guide for writing high-quality, effective prompts for Claude CoWork and Claude Chat. --- ## The Ideal Prompt Structure Well-constructed prompts follow a consistent ordering of information. Claude performs best when instructions flow from broad context to specific detail. **Recommended order:** 1. **Context / Role setup** — What situation is this? What role should Claude take? 2. **Core task** — What specifically should Claude do? (the action verb matters) 3. **Audience & purpose** — Who is this for? What's it going to be used for? 4. **Constraints** — Tone, length, style, what to avoid, deadline 5. **Output specification** — Exact format, file type, structure 6. **Skill invocations** — Trigger phrases for relevant skills (woven in naturally) Not every prompt needs all six sections, but they should appear in this order when present. --- ## Language Patterns That Work Well ### Be specific about the action verb Vague: "Help me with a report" Strong: "Write a two-page executive summary" ### State the audience explicitly Vague: "Make this professional" Strong: "This is for a prospective client who hasn't worked with us before" ### Specify format before content Vague: "Give me some ideas" Strong: "Give me five bullet points, each one sentence, suitable for a slide header" ### Use constraints to prevent unwanted output - "Keep it under 300 words" - "Do not include technical jargon" - "Use MPM's brand voice — confident, direct, human" - "Avoid bullet points — write in flowing paragraphs" ### Name the output artifact Vague: "Create something I can share" Strong: "Create a Word document (.docx) I can send directly to the client" --- ## Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid | Anti-pattern | Problem | Fix | |---|---|---| | "Write me something about X" | No format, audience, or length specified | Add: format, who it's for, word count | | "Make it better" | No criteria for "better" | Define: more concise? Warmer tone? Add examples? | | "Be creative" | Claude doesn't know creative in what direction | Specify: unexpected angle, unexpected format, surprising structure | | "Like a professional would" | Too vague | Name the professional: "like a McKinsey consultant", "like a skilled copywriter" | | Over-long preamble | Buries the actual ask | Lead with the task, add context after | | Burying format at the end | Claude plans the response before seeing it | Put output format specification early | --- ## Before & After Examples ### Example 1 — Content Creation **Before:** > Write something about our new product for LinkedIn **After:** > Write a LinkedIn post announcing MessagePoint Media's new [product name]. The audience is marketing directors at mid-size B2B companies. Tone should be confident and human — not salesy. Keep it under 150 words. End with a low-pressure call to action (link in comments style). Use MPM's brand voice. --- ### Example 2 — Document Creation **Before:** > Can you make a report on our Q1 results **After:** > Create a Word document summarizing MPM's Q1 performance. Include sections for: revenue vs. target, top three wins, top three lessons learned, and key priorities for Q2. Audience is the MPM leadership team. Tone: direct and honest. Length: 1-2 pages. Use clear headers and keep the language tight — no filler. --- ### Example 3 — Research / Summary **Before:** > Tell me about AI trends **After:** > Summarize the five most relevant AI trends for a content marketing agency in 2025. Focus on practical implications for workflow, client service, and competitive positioning — not hype. Audience is the MPM leadership team. Format: short paragraphs per trend, each with a "so what for MPM" implication at the end. Total length: under 600 words. --- ### Example 4 — Presentation **Before:** > Make a deck about our services **After:** > Create a PowerPoint presentation introducing MPM's core services to a prospective client. The client is a marketing leader at a regional financial services company. Include: who we are (1 slide), what we do (3-4 slides with one service per slide), why MPM (1 slide), and next steps (1 slide). Tone: professional but warm. Keep copy minimal — this is a leave-behind, not a reading document. --- ## Tone Calibration When specifying tone, use concrete reference points rather than vague adjectives: | Instead of... | Say... | |---|---| | "Professional" | "Formal but not stiff — think well-written business email" | | "Friendly" | "Warm and direct, like a trusted colleague" | | "Engaging" | "Conversational, with a clear point of view" | | "Simple" | "Eighth-grade reading level, no jargon" | | "On-brand" | "Use MPM brand voice — confident, direct, and human" | --- ## Output Format Specification Always tell Claude exactly what format the output should take. Common formats and how to specify them: | Output type | How to specify | |---|---| | Word document | "Create a Word document (.docx)" | | PowerPoint | "Create a PowerPoint presentation (.pptx)" | | Spreadsheet | "Create an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx)" | | PDF | "Create a PDF" | | Email | "Write an email I can copy directly into Gmail" | | Bullet list | "Give me a bulleted list, 5-7 items, one sentence each" | | Prose | "Write in flowing paragraphs, no bullet points" | | Executive summary | "Two-page executive summary with clear headers" | --- ## Skill Invocation For CoWork users, certain output types are best handled by specialized skills. See `skill-awareness.md` for the complete map of triggers to skills. The key principle: **include the trigger phrase naturally in the prompt** rather than calling the skill by its technical name. Good: "Create a Word document..." Unnecessary: "Use the docx skill to create..." The skill will activate automatically from natural language — the user doesn't need to know the skill names.