Instruction Prompting
Directly telling the model what to do using clear imperative commands.
Full Definition
Instruction prompting is the most direct form of prompting: you write an explicit command describing the task, format, constraints, and any other requirements. Unlike few-shot prompting, there are no examples — the model relies entirely on following written instructions. Modern instruction-tuned models are specifically trained to respond well to this style. Effective instruction prompts are specific, unambiguous, and broken into numbered steps when complex. Vague instructions like 'make it better' consistently underperform specific ones like 'rewrite this paragraph at a 6th-grade reading level in under 80 words'.
Examples
'Summarise the following article in exactly three bullet points, each under 20 words, using plain English.'
'Translate the text below to Spanish. Preserve all formatting, headings, and bullet points exactly as written.'
Apply this in your prompts
PromptITIN automatically uses techniques like Instruction Prompting to build better prompts for you.