A prompt has 6 layers. Most people use 2 or 3. Top 1% use all 6 deliberately. Think of it like making a film — you need a script, a director, a cast, a set, a budget, and an audience in mind. Miss any one of them and the output suffers.
| Layer | What It Means — And How to Use It |
|---|---|
| Layer 1: Goal | What is the exact outcome you need? Be surgical. Not "help me study" but "give me 10 multiple-choice questions on the French Revolution calibrated for a college entrance exam, with explanations for why each wrong answer is wrong." |
| Layer 2: Context | Who are you, what is your situation, what constraints exist? The model knows nothing about you unless you say it. A student and a working professional asking the same question need different answers. |
| Layer 3: Task | What specific action should the model perform? There is a big difference between: explain / generate / evaluate / compare / critique / summarise / roleplay. Be explicit. |
| Layer 4: Constraints | What should NOT be in the output? This is the most underused layer. Exclude what you already know, what format you hate, what level is too basic or too advanced. |
| Layer 5: Output Format | Exactly how should the answer look? Table, bullet, prose, numbered steps, dialogue, JSON, code only, spoken delivery. Define it explicitly. |
| Layer 6: Meta-instruction | How should the model think while doing this? "Assume I have zero context on this." "Be brutally honest, not encouraging." "Prioritise depth over coverage." "If uncertain, say so." |
Copy this. Use it for every serious prompt.
<aside> 📌
The Template
GOAL: [What exact outcome do I need?] CONTEXT: [Who I am / my situation / relevant background] TASK: [What action should you perform — explain / generate / compare / critique?] CONSTRAINTS: [What to avoid / what NOT to include / length limits / what I already know] OUTPUT FORMAT: [Exact structure — bullet / table / prose / spoken / code] META: [How to think: be brutally honest / depth over breadth / assume I’m smart but new to this]
</aside>
Topic: Understanding how the stock market works.
<aside> ⚠️
WEAK PROMPT — What most people write "Explain how the stock market works."
</aside>
<aside> ✅
STRONG PROMPT — What top 1% write
GOAL: I want to understand how the stock market works well enough to explain it to a friend.
CONTEXT: I’m a 21-year-old who has never invested. I understand basic economics but not finance.
TASK: Explain the stock market using a simple real-world analogy first, then build up the actual mechanics.
CONSTRAINTS: No jargon without explanation. Don’t give investment advice. Skip history — I just want mechanics.
OUTPUT FORMAT: Start with a 3-sentence analogy. Then 5 numbered concepts, each explained in 2-3 lines.
META: Assume I’m smart but completely new. If something has a common misconception, flag it.
</aside>
The model is the same. The prompt is entirely different. So is the output.