Prompt Frameworks Guide: 55 Prompt Engineering Techniques

Math & logicCode debuggingMulti-step analysis

Chain-of-Thought(CoT)

Guide the model to reason through problems step by step, dramatically improving accuracy on complex tasks.

🌳Advanced

Strategic planningCreative problemsComplex puzzles

Tree of Thoughts(ToT)

Explore multiple distinct reasoning paths simultaneously and evaluate each branch before committing to a solution.

🎯Intermediate

High-accuracy reasoningMath problemsCritical decisions

Self-Consistency

Generate multiple independent reasoning paths to the same question, then aggregate the most consistent answer.

Quick tasksGeneral questionsRapid prototyping

⚡Beginner

In-Context Learning

Zero-Shot Prompting

Give clear instructions without any examples, relying entirely on the model's pre-trained knowledge.

ClassificationFormat controlSpecialized outputs

📋Beginner

In-Context Learning

Few-Shot Prompting

Provide a handful of input-output examples so the model learns the exact pattern or format you need.

Expert guidanceCreative writingTone control

🎭Beginner

Persona

Role Prompting

Assign a specific role or persona to the model to unlock domain expertise and a consistent communication style.

Document processingMulti-step workflowsData transformation

⛓️Intermediate

Workflow

Prompt Chaining

Break complex tasks into sequential prompts where each output feeds into the next, building sophisticated pipelines.

AI agentsResearch tasksTool use

⚙️Intermediate

Agent

ReAct Prompting

Interleave reasoning traces with concrete actions — Thought → Action → Observation — to solve tasks requiring tool use.

📄Beginner

Formatted outputWriting tasksReports

RTF Framework

Role, Task, Format — the fastest role-based prompt template. Who you are, what to do, how to present it.

🏁Beginner

Content requestsTask delegationProfessional writing

RACE Framework

Role, Action, Context, Expectation — four components that cover who acts, what to do, the background, and the desired output.

📐Intermediate

Technical writingComplex tasksConsistent outputs

RISEN Framework

Role, Instructions, Steps, End Goal, Narrowing — five parts covering who, what, how, outcome, and constraints.

🏗️Intermediate

Content creationResearch assistanceHigh-stakes prompts

CRISPE Framework

Capacity/Role, Insight, Statement, Personality, Experiment — six components including tone and multiple-variation generation.

🌟Intermediate

Content creationMarketingAudience-targeted writing

CO-STAR Framework

Context, Objective, Style, Tone, Audience, Response — six components popular for system prompt and content design.

Marketing copySales writingEmail campaigns

📣Beginner

Copywriting

AIDA Framework

Attention, Interest, Desire, Action — the classic 1898 direct-response formula adapted for AI-generated marketing copy.

Sales copyLanding pagesPersuasive content

🔥Beginner

Copywriting

PAS Framework

Problem, Agitate, Solution — identify the pain, amplify it emotionally, then present the answer.

Specialist Techniques

Deeper and domain-specific frameworks — reach for these when you need more precision or control.

✏️Intermediate

Cost-sensitive reasoningLow-latency appsMath & logic

Chain of Draft(CoD)

Reason step by step but keep each step to a terse draft of a few words, cutting reasoning tokens by up to 80% versus Chain-of-Thought.

🔭Beginner

STEM questionsKnowledge QARoot-cause thinking

Step-Back Prompting

Ask for the underlying principle or concept first, then use it to answer the specific question.

🪜Intermediate

Multi-step problemsCompositional tasksPlanning

Least-to-Most Prompting

Decompose a hard problem into simpler sub-problems and solve them in order, feeding each answer into the next.

Production promptsQuality-critical tasksTemplate development

🔁Intermediate

Workflow

Prompt Refinement Loop

Systematically draft, test, evaluate, and revise prompts in iterative cycles until output quality meets your standard.

Fact-heavy answersResearch summariesReducing hallucinations

✅Intermediate

Workflow

Chain-of-Verification(CoVe)

Draft an answer, plan fact-check questions, answer them independently, then revise to remove hallucinations.

Iterative code genAgentic tasksError correction

🪞Advanced

Agent

Reflexion

LLMs generate verbal self-reflection on their own failures and use the linguistic feedback to improve subsequent attempts.

Fact-checkingBalanced analysisHigh-accuracy reasoning

🤝Advanced

Agent

Multi-Agent Debate

Multiple AI instances debate opposing positions over several rounds; a judge synthesizes the most accurate final answer.

Prompt optimizationAutomated tuningResearch systems

🧬Advanced

Advanced Technique

EvoPrompt

Applies evolutionary algorithms — crossover, mutation, selection — to automatically optimize prompts across generations.

Complex reasoningEducational contentMulti-modal cognition

🧠Advanced

Advanced Technique

NeuroPrompt

Cognitive-science-inspired prompting that structures inputs to activate specific reasoning modes and reduce cognitive load.

🏷️Beginner

Simple tasksQuick promptsGoal-oriented requests

TAG Framework

The simplest 3-part structure — Task, Action, Goal — for fast, goal-oriented prompts.

🎯Beginner

Writing requestsClear outputsPurpose-driven tasks

APE Framework

Action, Purpose, Expectation — a minimal 3-part framework that always asks why the task matters.

📈Beginner

Step-by-step tasksData processingHow-to guides

RISE Framework

Role, Input, Steps, Expectation — a concise 4-part structure with an explicit Input component for data-driven tasks.

💙Beginner

Support tasksExplanationsExample-driven output

CARE Framework

Context, Action, Result, Example — anchors every prompt with a concrete example to eliminate ambiguity.

💡Beginner

Creative tasksIterative workDesign briefs

IDEA Framework

Intent, Details, Examples, Adjustments — includes an Adjustments component for iterative, feedback-driven refinement.

🌱Beginner

CoachingDecision-makingProblem-solving

GROW Framework

Goal, Reality, Options, Will — the classic coaching model adapted for structured problem-solving prompts.

📝Beginner

Persuasive essaysArgumentsPosition papers

PREP Framework

Position, Reason, Evidence, Position — a concise argumentation formula for persuasive writing prompts.

⭐Beginner

Case studiesStorytellingBusiness examples

STAR Framework

Situation, Task, Action, Result — adapted from interview methodology for narrative and case-study prompts.

📚Beginner

Educational contentHow-to guidesExplanations

IEEI Framework

Inform, Explain, Example, Input — a teaching-focused structure that builds context before processing your content.

📊Beginner

Goal-settingProject planningBounded requests

SMART Prompting

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound — classic project management criteria applied to prompt design.

💎Beginner

Prompt auditingQuality controlRefinement

CRISP Framework

Clarity, Relevance, Intent, Specificity, Precision — a quality-evaluation checklist for diagnosing and improving any prompt.

🎯Beginner

Clear task definitionsProfessional writingGoal-driven prompts

ORCA Framework

Structure prompts with Objective, Role, Context, and Action for clear, targeted AI responses.

🔍Intermediate

Complex instructionsExample-guided tasksDetailed requests

TRACE Framework

Task, Request, Action, Context, Example — extends TAG with context and an example for richer, more precise prompts.

🌉Beginner

Transformation narrativesChange managementPersuasion

BAB Framework

Before, After, Bridge — contrasts the current problem with the desired state and shows how to get there.

🌊Intermediate

Scenario-based writingTraining contentCase studies

COAST Framework

Context, Objective, Actions, Scenario, Task — adds a Scenario component for situationally grounded, realistic prompts.

🌧️Intermediate

Data tasksAnalyticsKPI-driven content

RAIN Framework

Role, Aim, Input, Numeric Target — forces quantifiable, measurable outputs with an explicit Numeric Target component.

💧Intermediate

Business analysisOptimization tasksPerformance work

FLOW Framework

Function, Level, Output, Win Metric — performance-oriented framework that defines how success will be judged.

🔄Intermediate

Content strategyBrand communicationsThought leadership

PIVO Framework

Problem, Insights, Voice, Outcome — problem-first framework that weaves brand voice into the prompt structure.

🫘Beginner

Project kickoffsContent briefsScoped deliverables

SEED Framework

Situation, End Goal, Examples, Deliverables — plants full context for deliverable-focused project prompts.

🔭Intermediate

Brand writingTone-sensitive contentExpert-level output

DEEP Framework

Direction, Existing Info, Expertise, Preferred Tone — emphasizes tone specification for brand-sensitive content.

🔮Intermediate

Legal/complianceTechnical precisionConstrained outputs

CLEAR Framework

Context, Logic, Expectations, Action, Restrictions — adds Logic and Restrictions for precision and compliance tasks.

🗺️Intermediate

Research promptsInformation gatheringScoped analysis

QUEST Framework

Question, Understanding, Expectation, Scope, Time — adds Scope and Time constraints for bounded research prompts.

🧭Intermediate

TeachingConsultingAdvisory outputs

GUIDE Framework

Goal, Understanding, Information, Direction, Evaluation — defines success criteria explicitly for advisory tasks.

🔎Intermediate

Strategic analysisDecision-makingComplex outputs

FOCUS Framework

Function, Outcome, Criteria, Underlying Assumptions, Strategy — makes hidden assumptions explicit for strategic prompts.

📊Intermediate

Complex technical tasksConstrained outputsDetailed work

RASCE Framework

Role, Action, Steps, Constraints, Examples — comprehensive 5-part framework combining persona, process, guardrails, and examples.

🏆Intermediate

Project workScoped analysisTechnical tasks

OSCAR Framework

Objective, Scope, Constraints, Assumptions, Results — project-management-inspired framework making scope and assumptions explicit.

🔑Intermediate

Audience-targeted contentMarketingCommunications

PECRA Framework

Purpose, Expectation, Context, Request, Audience — audience-aware 5-part structure for targeted communication prompts.

🏛️Advanced

Academic researchLong-form analysisScientific reasoning

RHODES Framework

Research, Hypothesis, Objectives, Development, Execution, Synthesis — a rigorous 6-component academic research methodology.

🎨Intermediate

Innovation tasksCreative developmentIterative design

CREATE Framework

Conceptualize, Research, Experiment, Analyze, Transform, Evaluate — a six-stage creative process for structured innovation.

InnovationProduct ideationCreative problem-solving

🔧Intermediate

Creative Framework

SCAMPER Framework

Seven creative lenses — Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, Eliminate, Rearrange — for systematic idea generation.

SEO contentAI overviewsKnowledge base articles

🔎Intermediate

SEO Framework

SERP Prompting

Structures prompts to generate content optimized for search engine result pages and AI-generated search overviews.