Ultimate Guide to the AI Prompt Library 🌟

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Happy Wednesday, all! 🌞

This week, I'm sharing a quick hack that's been my secret weapon since day one. It's so simple and obvious that you'll wonder why you haven't been doing it all along – yet surprisingly, most don't!

It's the art of curating your very own AI prompt library. ✨

Let's dive into the what, why, and how of prompt libraries and explore why they are indispensable for you, your team, and your business's success. Sometimes, the simplest ideas can make the biggest impact.

📚 What is a prompt library & how to build one

A prompt library is a collection of requests (prompts) that you use when working with a generative AI tool like ChatGPT or MidJourney.

These are prompts that you, your team, or your business have vetted, tried, and now rely on for various tasks.

A prompt library doesn’t have to be overly sophisticated or complex. I recommend using a collaboration tool you already use to manage your prompt library: Google Sheets, Excel Online, Airtable, Notion, etc. Any of them will do.

To get started with a prompt library, create a new sheet/table with these fields:

1. Prompt - this is the request you send to the AI.

2. Use Cases - what is this prompt used for?

3. Category or Tag - group your prompts into categories or tags. If the whole company is using the library, then categories could be Marketing, Finance, and Operations. If a team is using the library, it could be more specific, like SEO, Social, Content, Newsletter, etc.

4. Version - start with v1 and work your way up as you make changes. Copy the old version to another tab (or table) so you can reference them in the future.

5. Status - start simple with a status of draft, live, archived, or broken. As you and your team adopt the prompt library, you could expand with additional statuses.

You can also use these optional fields (only recommended for large teams and matured prompt libraries):

1. Author - person who added the prompt to the library.

2. Example Response - sample response you should expect when using the prompt.

3. Comments - a field to leave feedback or note on how the prompt can be improved in the future.

4. Dependencies - information you should have handy before using the prompt.

✨ Pro Tip: follow the KISS methodology here and keep it simple, stupid! The more complex your prompt library is, the less likely you or anyone else will want to use it.

🚀 Unlock the benefits of a prompt library

There are several benefits to using a prompt library. Here are eight that top the list:

1. A prompt library helps maintain consistency, brand, and voice across your work, your team, and your company.

2. By leveraging a prompt library, you can continuously update the prompt and improve it further.

3. You save a ton of time by not having to rewrite prompts you’ve already written or come up with a prompt to solve a problem someone on your team has already solved.

4. In the unfortunate situation where a prompt is no longer good (i.e., the AI got dumber), then you can mark that next to the prompt to make sure no one relies on it in the future. Then deprecate the prompt or find a way to improve it.

5. A prompt library can give you a competitive edge by making sure you get faster, more accurate, and consistent responses which can lead to an enhanced custom experience.

6. If one of your AI power users decides to leave your company, you would still retain the prompts they used without having to rely on other documentation while the person is transitioning out of your company.

7. Increase the speed of onboarding new employees onto your AI operations and processes.

8. Manage risk and data security by specifying how to ask ChatGPT for help without leaking proprietary data.

🛠️ Effective management of your prompt library

Once you have your prompt library created and shared with your teams. Follow these simple steps to make sure you (and your teams) are getting the most out of the prompt library:

1. Keep it simple. I know I am repeating myself, but this is important.

2. Use a Draft status that lets you or anyone else on the team add a new prompt without having to fill out all of the details. This encourages you and others to add to the prompt library without making it feel like too much work.

3. Periodically set time aside to review prompts that are in Draft and also prompts that are marked as Broken or No Longer Working and either archive them for future use or find a way to solve the use case by improving the prompt.

4. If working with a team, set up an incentive to encourage your team to participate. Consider a leaderboard for most prompts created, fixed, tested, etc.

5. Make the library easy to find. This is why I encourage you to use a tool you are already using and familiar with. Any of these will do: Google Docs, Excel Online (via Sharepoint), Notion, Airtable.

6. Maintain an archive of old prompts that are no longer working or have been replaced with a new version. This can be a status you can filter out or a new sheet in a Google Doc.

7. Some team members will grasp the concept right away, while others might need help. Don’t shy away from setting up training sessions and best practices for team members.

🔮 Future glimpse: ChatGPT for Business

OpenAI is working on a business and enterprise version of ChatGPT. What features will be available has not been announced yet, but I imagine a shared prompt library would be at the top of the list.

Several websites and Chrome extensions launched recently that help you manage your prompt library. I honestly think a simple sheet is good enough for now, and only move to an actual tool when absolutely necessary.

You can use these tools and sites to help you come up with prompts to try but don’t worry about investing in a tool just yet. Wait and see what OpenAI launches for ChatGPT first.

PS: if you need inspiration on what prompts to use, read past articles on GPT Hacks, and if you refer your friends to join GPT Hacks, I’ll send you a list of 300 pre-vetted business ChatGPT prompts.

Use your unique sharing link found here (thank you in advance).

There you have it. By using a prompt library, you are well on your way to ensuring you have consistent results when working with AI and also protect yourself from Prompt Drift.

If you need help setting up your prompt library or want me to spend time with you or your team on this, don’t hesitate to reach out.

best,
~Hussein ✌️

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