# Prompt checklist (copy-paste) to get better outputs

> A practical checklist you can paste into any prompt to reduce ambiguity and improve structure.

Source: Promptea — https://www.promptea.me/en/guides/prompt-checklist · Language: English · Last updated: 2026-11-09

## What to include

- Goal: what success looks like (1 sentence).
- Context: what the model must know (data, constraints, definitions).
- Output format: bullets / JSON / table / steps.
- Edge cases + what to do when info is missing.
- Quality bar: what to avoid + acceptance criteria.

## Common mistakes

- Asking for 'the best' without criteria (the model guesses).
- No examples of the output format (inconsistent structure).
- Mixing goals (e.g., 'be concise' + 'be exhaustive').

## Before → after: the same request, rewritten

- Before: "Write something about our new feature."
- After: "Write a 120-word announcement of [feature] for existing customers. Goal: get them to try it this week. Include one concrete benefit and a link placeholder. Tone: plain, no hype. Output: a subject line and the body."
- What changed: the goal, the audience, the length, the tone and the output are now stated, so the model has nothing important left to guess.

## How to use it in three steps

- Write the goal first, in one sentence. If you cannot, the prompt is not ready to send.
- Fill in only the context lines that would change the answer, and delete the rest of the skeleton.
- Run it and compare the answer with your quality bar. Fix the line that caused each miss (vague answer: goal or context; wrong shape: output format; too generic: constraints) and run again.
- Promptea can score the prompt from 0 to 100 on six criteria and list what to fix, so you do not have to find the weak line by trial and error.

## Templates

### Universal prompt skeleton

```text
Task: [what you want]

Goal (success looks like):
- [1 sentence]

Context:
- Audience: [who]
- Constraints: [time/budget/stack/forbidden things]
- Inputs: [paste data or describe]
- Definitions: [terms]

Output format:
- [exact format: bullets / JSON schema / table columns]

Quality bar:
- Must include: [items]
- Must avoid: [items]
If missing info, ask up to 3 questions before answering.
```

[Open in Promptea](https://www.promptea.me/en/analyzer?prompt=Task%3A+%5Bwhat+you+want%5D%0A%0AGoal+%28success+looks+like%29%3A%0A-+%5B1+sentence%5D%0A%0AContext%3A%0A-+Audience%3A+%5Bwho%5D%0A-+Constraints%3A+%5Btime%2Fbudget%2Fstack%2Fforbidden+things%5D%0A-+Inputs%3A+%5Bpaste+data+or+describe%5D%0A-+Definitions%3A+%5Bterms%5D%0A%0AOutput+format%3A%0A-+%5Bexact+format%3A+bullets+%2F+JSON+schema+%2F+table+columns%5D%0A%0AQuality+bar%3A%0A-+Must+include%3A+%5Bitems%5D%0A-+Must+avoid%3A+%5Bitems%5D%0AIf+missing+info%2C+ask+up+to+3+questions+before+answering.&purpose=text&target=gpt)

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need long prompts?

No. The goal is clarity, not length. Add only the context that changes the answer.

### How do I get consistent formatting?

Specify the exact format and include a tiny example if needed.

### Which line should I fix when the answer is off?

Match the symptom to the line: vague or off-topic means the goal or context is weak; the wrong shape means the output format is missing; generic or too long means the constraints are loose; invented details mean you should add 'use only the data I provide'.

### Is the same checklist right for every model?

The structure is model-independent: goal, context, format, edge cases, quality bar. What changes between models is how strict to be about format and how to handle examples or search; see the per-model pages.