Show examples and the format you want

What you will learn

• Why one short example often explains what you want better than a long description
• How to ask for a specific format: a table, a bullet list, or a fixed set of headings
• How to set a length limit and a tone so the answer fits where you will use it
• How to stop the AI from copying your example too closely

The idea

AI tools guess the shape of an answer from what you give them. If you only describe the task, the tool picks a format for you, and it may not be the one you need. A long paragraph is hard to paste into a spreadsheet. A formal tone feels wrong in a quick message to your team.

You can fix this in two ways. The first is to name the format directly: "a table with three columns", "five bullet points", "under 100 words", "friendly but not casual". The second is to show what a good answer looks like. Putting one or a few examples inside your prompt, the instructions and material you give the tool, is sometimes called few-shot prompting. "Few-shot" simply means "a few examples".

Examples work because they show things that are hard to put into words: how long each item is, how much detail it has, which kind of words it uses. The risk is that the AI copies your example too closely and reuses its topic or phrases. So say what to copy (the structure, the length, the tone) and what to change (the content).

Format and length are also easy to check: if you asked for five bullets and got eight, you see it at once. If you have not yet given the tool any background, start with Give the right context.

Example

Maya runs a small bakery and wants short descriptions for a new menu board. Her first attempt:

Write descriptions for our new cinnamon roll, rye loaf and lemon tart.

She gets three long paragraphs, full of words like "indulgent" and "artisanal", far too long for the board. Her second attempt adds a format, a limit, a tone and one example:

Write menu board descriptions for three items: cinnamon roll, rye loaf, lemon tart.

Format: one line per item, written as "Name - description".
Length: 12 words or fewer per description.
Tone: warm and plain. No words like "artisanal" or "indulgent".

Here is one we already use. Copy its length and tone, not its words:
Apple turnover - flaky pastry, sliced apples, a little cinnamon. Ask us to warm it.

This time she gets three short lines that fit the board. One mentions poppy seeds in the lemon tart, which she does not use: the AI filled a gap with a guess. She removes it and checks every line against her real recipes before printing.

Practice now

1. Pick a small writing task you do often, such as a short update, a product description or a list of tasks.
2. Find one past example you were happy with. Replace names, prices or anything private with placeholders.
3. In any AI tool, ask for a new version without the example. Save the answer.
4. Start a new chat and ask again, this time adding your example, a format, a length limit and a tone. Say what to copy from the example and what to change.
5. Put the two answers side by side and note which instruction made the biggest difference.

At the end you should have two answers to the same task and one short note on which format instruction helped most.

Copy this template

Task: [what you want written or organised]
Audience: [who will read it]

Format: [for example: a table with columns for name, date and owner / a numbered list / short paragraphs under these headings: ...]
Length: [for example: no more than 5 bullet points, each under 20 words]
Tone: [for example: friendly and plain, no jargon]

Here is an example of the style I want. Copy its structure, length and tone, but not its content:
[paste one short example, with private details removed]

Use only the facts I give you. If you are unsure about anything, mark it as unsure instead of guessing.

Asking AI to flag uncertainty does not make its answer correct. Keep checking the parts that matter.

Check the output

• Does it use exactly the format you asked for: the right columns, number of bullets or headings?
• Is it within your length limit? Count the words or items instead of guessing.
• Does the tone match your example and suit your audience?
• Did it copy words or details from your example that do not belong in the new content?
• Is every fact, name, price or ingredient one you actually gave it? Remove anything it added on its own.

Common mistakes

• Describing the format in vague words. "Make it short" means different things to different tools. Give a number of words, bullets or lines.
• Giving an example without saying what to copy. The AI may reuse its topic or phrases. Say "copy the structure and tone, not the content".
• Using a real example that contains private details. Names, phone numbers or client details in your example are sent to the tool too. Replace them with placeholders first.
• Stacking too many format rules at once. Some will be missed. Start with the two or three that matter most.
• Treating a neat format as proof of quality. A tidy table can still hold wrong numbers. Check the content as well as the shape.