It’s time we dive into the context framework that will reshape every AI conversation you have.
But first, it’s been much longer than a week! I must admit, I’m experiencing AI fatigue for the first time, and that’s okay. Trying to keep up with it all can be tiring!
I’m back though, this is too important to ignore for long. I once again challenge you to increase your AI usage. Try new things!
PREFACE:
This can get complex and nuanced fast. Don’t let that discourage you, and don’t let that prevent you from actioning this information. We’ll continue with basics and slowly build on what we know. Please note, everything below is framed in the context of a brand new chat, or starting from scratch.
There will never be a truly “perfect” way to use context. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s about iterating and finding what yields the best outputs for your needs. That alone is what should drive the adjustments and minor tweaks in how you prompt and provide context.
Be weary of anyone online providing "the perfect prompt” or anything similar. What might be perfect to one person is useless to another.
I cannot stress enough that you must be in the driver’s seat of your own AI use. This is simply the most helpful advice I can provide you.
LET’S BEGIN:
Here’s what most people get wrong when “providing context” in their AI chats. they dump information at AI like they're talking to their best friend who already knows their entire life story.
AI doesn’t know you. It doesn’t know your business, it doesn’t know your current use case. It definitely doesn’t understand your needs, unless you tell it.
That is where prompting comes in.
This newsletter contains the framework I currently use and wish I knew from the start.
The 4-Part Framework That Changes Everything
When you sit down to write your next prompt, study and implement these four components:
Relative context (background information)
Role (who the AI should be)
Task (what you want done)
Format (how you want the output structured)
Let's break down each piece with a cohesive example you can test on your own today:
1. Relative context (The Google maps for your use case)
I recognize the irony in using the word ‘context’ for step 1, but we’re finally in the weeds so focus up!
Think of relative context as the Google maps for your use case. Without it, AI is driving blind. Let’s look at two examples:
Bad context: "I sell skincare products."
Good context: "I'm a direct seller with a skincare line. My ideal customers are busy moms 35-45 who want simple routines. They value clean ingredients but have limited budgets. The skincare line I sell is formulated with clean, plant-based ingredients and designed for 5-minute daily use. I primarily sell through Facebook groups and Instagram. I host weekly live product demos in my Facebook group and follow up with personal DMs offering trial sizes. I’m a solo seller with 5–10 hours per week for marketing and limited ad spend ($50/month).”
Can you see the difference? The second version tells AI exactly where you're coming from. For AI to help you, you need to help the AI know how to best advise you, and relative context (within prompting) is the key.
2. Role (Who AI Becomes For You)
This is where you tell AI what hat to wear. And guess what? AI has a closet full of hats.
Bad role: “Act as a direct sales advisor.”
Good role: “Act as a senior direct sales and social media marketing strategist who specializes in skincare and beauty products. You have over 15 years of experience helping independent sellers grow their customer base, especially busy moms 35–45 who want simple, budget-friendly routines. You deeply understand how to build trust through Facebook groups and Instagram, craft authentic content that doesn’t feel salesy, and convert engagement into repeat customers. You are skilled at messaging, storytelling, and community-driven selling. You also consider time and budget constraints, offering strategies that are realistic for a solo seller with limited resources. Provide step-by-step, actionable advice, concrete examples, and ready-to-use content ideas. Keep the tone warm, supportive, and encouraging, as if you’re a mentor helping a small business owner succeed.”
When you assign a role, a specific role, AI shifts its approach. It's like the difference between asking your accountant friend for business advice versus your creative friend; you'll get completely different perspectives. Build the role to provide you the perspective you need.
Reminder: These models are trained on an insane amount of data. Providing deeply specific roles helps the model draw down from that training to better assist you.
3. Task (The Specific Job)
This is where most of us get lazy. We say "help me with content" when we really mean something specific. What is the output you want from AI?
Vague task: "Give me instagram post ideas"
Clear task: "Create 5 instagram post ideas tailored to my audience. Each post should highlight the benefits of my clean, affordable skincare line without sounding salesy. The ideas should be written in a warm, supportive, and practical voice, designed to fit within Instagram captions."
The more clearly defined your task is, the better your results will be.
4. Format (Your Preferred Package)
This tells AI how to deliver your information. Specifically, this is how you want the output of AI to appear. Do you want a table, a document, a photo? Tell the model exactly how you want to receive the output from your task.
Let’s continue with our example. From the task, we want 5 instagram post ideas. This output will be straightforward since the task is clear and simple, but we can improve it.
Bad Format: “Create 5 instagram posts”
Good Format: “Provide the 5 instagram posts using the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) with suggestions for hashtags that are top performing relevant to the posts.”
Let's Put it Together
Using all four parts, let’s compare the Bad prompt vs. the Good prompt.
Bad prompt:
I sell skincare products. Act as a networking marketing advisor. Give me instagram post ideas then create 5 instagram post drafts.
Good prompt:
I'm a direct seller with a skincare line. My ideal customers are busy moms 35-45 who want simple routines. They value clean ingredients but have limited budgets. The skincare line I sell is formulated with clean, plant-based ingredients and designed for 5-minute daily use. I primarily sell through Facebook groups and Instagram. I host weekly live product demos in my Facebook group and follow up with personal DMs offering trial sizes. I’m a solo seller with 5–10 hours per week for marketing and limited ad spend ($50/month). Act as a senior direct sales and social media marketing strategist who specializes in skincare and beauty products. You have over 15 years of experience helping independent sellers grow their customer base, especially busy moms 35–45 who want simple, budget-friendly routines. You deeply understand how to build trust through Facebook groups and Instagram, craft authentic content that doesn’t feel salesy, and convert engagement into repeat customers. You are skilled at messaging, storytelling, and community-driven selling. You also consider time and budget constraints, offering strategies that are realistic for a solo seller with limited resources. Provide step-by-step, actionable advice, concrete examples, and ready-to-use content ideas. Keep the tone warm, supportive, and encouraging, as if you’re a mentor helping a small business owner succeed. Create 5 instagram post ideas tailored to my audience. Each post should highlight the benefits of my clean, affordable skincare line without sounding salesy. The ideas should be written in a warm, supportive, and practical voice, designed to fit within Instagram captions. Provide the 5 instagram posts using the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) with suggestions for hashtags that are top performing relevant to the posts.
CONCLUSION:
I know you're thinking "Cam, this seems like a lot of work for one prompt." And you’re right. It takes conscious effort, especially to start. With time this will become intuitive and most importantly, it will become natural to you.
Now, is my “Good prompt” example the best it can be? Of course not! It can be cleaned up, simplified, and distilled until only the absolute best details remain.
The whole point of today’s newsletter is not to create the “perfect prompt”, but to illustrate the framework on how to best prompt AI models.
Reminder: There is no perfect solution for you. You must repeatedly test and tweak your prompts to see what is working and what is not.
Start with ONE prompt today. Just one. Even if you copy and paste the two prompts above to see the differences in output.
That's it. Don't overthink it. Don't try to make it perfect. Just try it.
You've got this! 💪
-Cam
Quote of the Week:
“To invent, you have to experiment—and if you know in advance that it’s going to work, it’s not an experiment.” - Jeff Bezos