AI is powerful, but let’s be real:
If the prompt is fuzzy, the answer will be fuzzy.
Most people blame “the AI isn’t smart enough” when actually the issue is:
- No clear goal
- Missing context
- Vague instructions
That’s where prompt frameworks come in.
Think of them like templates for your brain — they help you talk to AI in a structured way so you get responses that are:
- More accurate
- More practical
- Easier to take action on
Whether you’re writing emails, planning content, fixing operations, or coaching your team, these 9 frameworks will help you get way better output with less effort.
Why bother using AI with frameworks?
Using AI without structure is like asking an intern: “Help me with marketing.”
Using AI with frameworks is like saying:
“You’re our email strategist. Here’s the situation, here’s the goal, here’s what I expect you to produce.”
With frameworks, you get:
- Clarity – AI understands your role, goal, and context
- Speed – Less back-and-forth to “fix” the answer
- Consistency – You can reuse prompts across projects or teams
- Better ideas – AI can think with you, not just reply to you
- Scalability – Easier to teach your team “how to ask AI properly”
Alright, let’s walk through the 9 frameworks you can plug into your day-to-day work:
1. R-A-C-E – For Fast, Clear, Actionable Output
Use when: You want a clear deliverable like a plan, outline, or checklist.
R-A-C-E:
- Role: Set the role ChatGPT should take
- Action: Describe tasks/actions
- Context: Add key background details
- Expectation: State desired result/output
Example use case:
Email marketing strategy → step-by-step email course plan
You can write:
Role: You are an experienced email marketing strategist.
Action: Help me design a 7-day email course.
Context: My audience is small business owners who are new to digital marketing.
Expectation: Give me a step-by-step email course plan with daily topics, subject lines, and call-to-actions.
2. R-I-S-E – For Problem-Solving & Performance Improvement
Use when: You’re tackling a specific issue and want a guided solution.
R-I-S-E:
- Role: Specify persona
- Identify: Highlight main issue
- Steps: Outline actions to reach goal
- Expectation: Describe final output
Example use case:
Remote manager → Increase virtual meeting engagement
Prompt idea:
Role: You are a leadership coach for remote teams.
Identify: My virtual meetings are quiet and engagement is low.
Steps: Suggest detailed steps I can take before, during, and after meetings to improve participation.
Expectation: Provide a practical playbook I can follow for the next 4 weeks.
3. S-T-A-R – For Stories, Case Studies & Interview Answers
Use when: You want to present a situation + outcome clearly.
S-T-A-R:
- Situation: Describe background/setting
- Task: Explain goal/challenge
- Action: Steps taken
- Result: Outcome
Example use case:
Customer complaints → Reduced response time by 60%
Prompt idea:
Help me write a STAR-style summary:
Situation: We had many support complaints about slow replies.
Task: Reduce average response time significantly.
Action: Implemented a ticketing system, set SLAs, and trained the team.
Result: Reduced response time by 60% and improved satisfaction scores.
Turn this into a short case study I can use in my portfolio.
4. S-O-A-P – For Operational Issues & Internal Discussions
Use when: You want to clarify what’s wrong and what to do next.
S-O-A-P:
- Subject: Main issue
- Objective: Purpose of interaction
- Action: Steps taken
- Plan: Proposed solution
Example use case:
Onboarding delays → Launch new system
Prompt idea:
Subject: Our employee onboarding process is slow.
Objective: Redesign onboarding so new hires are productive faster.
Action: We’ve collected feedback and mapped the current process.
Plan: Help me propose a new onboarding system with clear steps for Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1, plus KPIs to track.
5. C-L-E-A-R – For Learning, Strategy & Review
Use when: You’re learning something or building a strategy you’ll review later.
C-L-E-A-R:
- Context: Background
- Learn: What needs to be understood
- Evaluate: Measure progress/results
- Action: Steps to complete task
- Review: Recap outcome/key takeaways
Example use case:
Content strategy → Publish 3 posts/week & track growth
Prompt idea:
Context: I run a small brand page on Instagram.
Learn: Help me understand what content usually performs best in my niche.
Evaluate: Suggest simple metrics to track (reach, saves, link clicks) over the next 30 days.
Action: Create a 4-week plan with 3 posts per week, including topics and formats.
Review: Add a short checklist I can use at the end of 30 days to review what worked.
6. P-A-S-T-O-R – For Persuasive Copy & Marketing
Use when: You want AI to help write copy that sells (without being too pushy).
P-A-S-T-O-R:
- Problem: Issue to solve
- Amplify: Why it matters
- Story: Quick example/case
- Transformation: Show solution impact
- Offer: Proposed solution
- Response: Next action
Example use case:
Low repeat purchases → Personalized follow-up campaigns
Prompt idea:
Help me write a landing page based on PASTOR:
Problem: Customers buy once and don’t come back.
Amplify: This increases marketing cost and reduces profit.
Story: Include a short story of a customer who almost churned but came back after good follow-up.
Transformation: Show how better follow-up can turn one-time buyers into loyal fans.
Offer: Present our new personalized follow-up campaign.
Response: End with a clear CTA to sign up or request a demo.
7. F-A-B – For Simple, Strong Product Descriptions
Use when: You’re explaining products, services, or features.
F-A-B:
- Features: Key features
- Advantages: How features help
- Benefits: Real value/results
Example use case:
Analytics tool → Boosts performance, saves time
Prompt idea:
I’m writing copy for an analytics tool.
List the Features (dashboards, automated reports, alerts).
Explain the Advantages (no more manual spreadsheets, real-time data).
Then spell out the Benefits in plain language (faster decisions, more time for strategic work, better team visibility).
Turn this into a short product section for my website.
8. 5-W-1-H – For Understanding Any Problem Clearly
Use when: You’re still in diagnosis mode and want clarity before acting.
5-W-1-H:
- Who: People involved
- What: Main issue/challenge
- When: Relevant timeframe
- Where: Location/context
- Why: Why it matters
- How: How to solve
Example use case:
Customer support → Automate responses to reduce wait time
Prompt idea:
Help me analyze our support problem using 5W1H:
Who: Customers contacting us via email and chat.
What: Long waiting times for replies.
When: Especially during peak hours.
Where: Online store customers across regions.
Why: It leads to bad reviews and lost sales.
How: Suggest ways we can use automation or templates to reduce wait time, while keeping a human feel.
9. G-R-O-W – For Coaching, Goals & Personal Development
Use when: You’re planning growth, goals, or habit changes.
G-R-O-W:
- Goal: What you want to reach
- Reality: Current challenge
- Options: Possible actions/paths
- Will: Next steps & commitment
Example use case:
Grow webinar signups → Track new email flow for 30 days
Prompt idea:
Act as a coach and use the GROW framework.
Goal: Increase signups for our monthly webinar.
Reality: Our current signups are low and mostly from email.
Options: Suggest 5–7 options (new lead magnet, reminder emails, social campaigns, partnerships, etc.).
Will: Help me decide what I’ll do in the next 30 days, including what to track and how often.
How these frameworks make AI actually useful
When you combine AI + frameworks, you basically get:
- A strategist, not just a chatbot
- A thinking partner, not just a text generator
- A repeatable system, not one-off “lucky” good answers
You can:
- Plan campaigns faster
- Document processes clearly
- Coach yourself or your team
- Turn messy thoughts into clean, structured output
And the best part: once you like a prompt, you can save it as a template and reuse it across different tools, projects, and even team members.
Q&A
Nope.
Start with 2–3 that match your daily work:
- Strategy / planning → R-A-C-E, C-L-E-A-R
- Problems / operations → R-I-S-E, S-O-A-P, 5-W-1-H
- Marketing / copy → P-A-S-T-O-R, F-A-B
- Goals / coaching → G-R-O-W
You can always come back and grab others when needed.
Totally fine.
AI isn’t judging you; it’s collaborating with you.
You can always add:
- “Ask me questions before you answer if anything is unclear.”
- Or simply refine your prompt based on the first reply.
Think of it like a conversation, not a one-shot exam.
Yes.
Example: for a marketing problem, you might start with 5-W-1-H (understand the problem), then use P-A-S-T-O-R (write the copy), then C-L-E-A-R (plan how to test and review results).
Frameworks are tools, not rules. Use what helps.
AI won’t replace thoughtful humans who know how to:
- Ask good questions
- Understand customers
- Make decisions
- Build relationships
What it does replace is a lot of manual drafting, rewriting, and staring at a blank page.
You’re still the one who:
- Chooses what to keep
- Decides what’s right for your business
- Executes in the real world
AI is the assistant. You’re the boss.
Quick checklist:
- Did you define a role?
- Is the goal of the prompt clear?
- Did you give enough context?
- Did you state what format/output you expect?
If yes, you’re already ahead of most people.