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Coach de Prompts

Gemini prompts: how to write them, with examples

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Gemini is Google’s assistant. It handles clear requests well, but it has a few habits of its own. This guide pulls together what Google says about writing for it, with examples for a small business.

Google’s four elements

Google suggests building a prompt from four elements:

  • Persona: the role it should take (“you are a community manager”).
  • Task: what you want it to do.
  • Context: what it needs to know about your case.
  • Format: how you want the answer to look.

Google says you don’t need all four, but using a few helps. For more, see the anatomy of a good prompt.

A bit longer usually works better

According to Google, the prompts that work best run around 21 words. People’s first attempts are often under nine. A one-line request usually falls short.

Ask for the detail you want

Gemini 3 answers directly and briefly by default. If you want more detail or a more conversational tone, ask for it explicitly. Be precise and direct, too: there’s no need for hype or persuasion.

Example 1: a post

Before

Make me a post for my bakery.

After

You are a community manager experienced with neighborhood shops.
Write an Instagram post for my bakery.
Context: it's a family bakery; this week we launched sourdough bread and want neighbors to visit on Saturday.
Format: 60 words max, friendly tone, two emojis and three hashtags.

Example 2: an email

Before

Write an email to a client who didn't pay.

After

You are an admin assistant at a small design studio.
Draft an email to a client whose invoice is 15 days overdue.
Context: they're a good client and I want to protect the relationship.
Format: subject line and body, polite but clear, under 120 words.

Put what matters first

Start with the critical parts: the role, the limits and the format. Use one way of separating sections (headings or tags, for example) and keep it the same throughout.

Long texts: material first

If you’re sharing a document, paste all of it at the start. Put your question at the end and link it with a phrase like “Based on the information above…”. That tells Gemini the instruction covers everything before it.

Examples: few, and in the same format

Google recommends including examples. Keep them in the same format as each other. And don’t add too many: Gemini will copy them too closely.

Split complex tasks

If the job is big, don’t ask for it all at once. Break it into several prompts in a row: outline first, then draft, then review.

Math, counts and recent facts

For calculations, counts or recent information, Gemini can use tools such as Google Search. Ask it explicitly to look something up or work it out, and double-check the numbers that matter.

Gems: save what you repeat

If you repeat a task, save it as a Gem. A Gem’s instructions use the same four elements. Gemini can help you rewrite and expand those instructions. You can also add files as the Gem’s knowledge, such as your product list.

Deep Research

When you need to look through many sources and build a report, use Deep Research. Describe the topic well, who the report is for and what decision you need to make.

Template

You are [role].
Your task: [what you want done].
Context: [who you are, who it's for, what it should know].
Format: [length, tone, structure].
If you are missing important information, ask me up to three questions before you start.

Pick “Gemini” as the target in the coach and your prompt comes out in this structure. If you use other AIs, also read ChatGPT prompts and Claude prompts.

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