Back to Guides

Prompt Engineering Basics for Indie Builders

As an indie builder, your time is your most valuable resource. Learning to write effective AI prompts can 10x your productivity across coding, marketing, design, and strategy.

What is Prompt Engineering?

Prompt engineering is the art of crafting instructions for AI models to get the best possible output. Think of it like writing a brief for a freelancer — the better your brief, the better the result.

The CRISP Framework

Use this framework for every prompt:

C — Context

Tell the AI who you are, what you're building, and your constraints.

❌ "Write marketing copy"
✅ "I'm a solo founder building a time-tracking SaaS for freelancers. Write marketing copy for my landing page targeting designers who bill hourly."

R — Role

Assign the AI a specific expertise.

"Act as a senior growth marketer who has scaled 3 SaaS products from 0 to $10K MRR."

I — Instructions

Be specific about what you want. Use numbered lists.

S — Structure

Specify the output format: bullet points, table, code block, JSON, etc.

P — Parameters

Add constraints: word count, tone, audience, exclusions.

Common Mistakes

  1. Being too vague — "Help me with marketing" gives generic advice
  2. No context — AI can't read your mind about your product
  3. Ignoring iteration — Your first prompt is a draft; refine it
  4. No format specification — Let the AI know how you want the output structured

Pro Tips

  • Chain prompts: Use the output of one prompt as input to the next
  • Ask for alternatives: "Give me 3 different approaches to..."
  • Include anti-examples: "Don't include generic advice like 'be authentic'"
  • Set temperature: Lower for factual tasks, higher for creative ones
  • Save your best prompts: Build a personal swipe file

Next Steps

Browse our prompt library to find ready-made prompts, or try the Prompt Wizard to get a personalized starting path.