Prompting Gemini
How to prompt Gemini
To prompt Gemini, including Gemini in Gmail, say who it should write as, what the task is, what context it needs, and what format you want. Google's guide for Gemini in Workspace calls these Persona, Task, Context and Format, and says you do not need all four.
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Updated
Four parts
The four parts Google names
Google's Workspace guide gives you four labels, and each one maps to the six parts on the prompting hub.
| Google's part | What to write | Our six parts |
|---|---|---|
| Persona | Who Gemini should write as, such as an office manager at a small studio. | Limits |
| Task | The job, in a plain sentence with a verb. | Goal and Steps |
| Context | The background Gemini cannot see, such as dates, names and what happened before. | Facts |
| Format | The shape of the answer, such as an email with a short list, under 150 words. | Format |
Google says you do not need all four in every prompt, but using a few helps. The mapping is our own grouping. The six-part prompt adds one more part that Google does not name: a line on what a great answer looks like.
This tool
What is different in Gemini
Google's guides lean on plain language, your own files and a rewrite shortcut.
- Talk to it like a person. Google's guides say to write in natural, conversational language, as you would to a colleague.
- Be concise and clear. The Workspace guide says to be concise and avoid jargon. The Learning Center page says to avoid ambiguous wording.
- Use your own files. The Workspace guide says that files in your Google Drive can personalise what Gemini writes.
- Let Gemini improve your prompt. In the Gemini app, start with the words "Make this a power prompt:" and then write your prompt.
- Split big jobs. Give a complex, multi-part job to Gemini as separate prompts.
- Keep talking. Treat it as a conversation, with follow-ups and repeated review.
- Check before you use it. Google says to review the output for clarity, relevance and accuracy.
The Learning Center page lists five simple tips and does not use the four-part list. The four parts are from the Workspace guide only.
Developers
For developers: the Gemini API guide
Google also publishes a separate guide for people who build with the Gemini API.
It adds habits that help in any long prompt. Use one style of separator, either tags or Markdown headings, and keep it the same throughout. For long material, put the material first and the question at the very end. If you show examples, keep their structure identical. The guide also suggests grounding with Google Search for obscure or recent facts.
This guide is for developers. Use it for ideas, not as the rules for the Gemini app.
Worked example
From "email to the new hire" to a prompt Gemini can use
Colin has a designer, Farah, starting on Monday. He types a rough line into Gemini in Gmail.
In Gemini in Gmail
You say
optionemail to the new hire about their first week, friendly, tell her when to show up and who she meets, mention the laptop and the team lunch, don't make it too long
Scrubbr finds
Gmail · Farah Dunn offer thread
Google Calendar · Farah's first week- Knowledge base · New hire first-week checklist
Gemini · Prompt
Goal: Write a welcome email to Farah Dunn so she knows exactly what her first week looks like and arrives calm on Monday, Nov 9.
Facts: Farah joins Elmstead Design as a designer. She starts Mon Nov 9 at 9:30 at the front desk. Monday 9:30 is a welcome with Colin Ashby, the design lead. Tuesday 2:00 she meets the product team. Wednesday 12:30 is the team lunch, which the studio pays for. Her laptop will be at her desk and her logins arrive Monday morning. She should bring photo ID for the building pass.
Steps: 1. Welcome her in one warm sentence. 2. Give the arrival time and place. 3. Walk through the week, one short line per day. 4. Tell her what to bring. 5. Invite her to reply with questions.
Limits: Warm and plain, from Colin to a new colleague. No jargon, and no promises about her projects. Leave out any detail you do not have.
Format: An email with a subject line and a short list for the week. Under 150 words.
A great answer: Farah knows when to arrive, who to ask for and what to bring, and she does not need to write back to find out.
Demo data. The people, company and facts are invented.
Questions
Gemini questions
How do I write good prompts for Gemini?
Say who Gemini should write as, what the task is, what context it needs and what format you want. Write in plain, conversational language and keep follow-ups going.
What are Persona, Task, Context and Format?
They are the four parts in Google's Workspace guide for writing Gemini prompts. Persona is who Gemini writes as, Task is the job, Context is the background, and Format is the shape of the answer.
Can I leave out any of the four parts?
No. Google says you do not need all four in every prompt, but using a few helps.
What does "Make this a power prompt" do?
In the Gemini app, you start your message with "Make this a power prompt:" and then write your prompt. Google lists it as a way to have Gemini improve what you typed.
Can Gemini use my own files?
Google's Workspace guide says you can use files in your Google Drive to personalise what Gemini writes.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Scrubbr writes this prompt for you. Hold Option and say one line.
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