Lesson 2 of 8
Show, don't just tell
6 min read
Sometimes you explain exactly what you want and still get the wrong shape back. The format's off, the style's not it, the length wanders. There's a shortcut that skips the explaining entirely: show it.
One example beats a paragraph of rules
Instead of describing the pattern you want, paste a couple of finished examples and let the AI copy them. Give it two article-and-summary pairs, then a new article, and it'll summarise the new one in the same shape as your examples — without you spelling out a single rule about length or style. It matches the pattern it can see.
Showing a few worked examples — few-shot prompting — steers the AI better than describing rules. It copies the pattern it sees, so one good example can be worth a paragraph of instructions.
A couple of clean examples
Two things to know. First, a handful is enough — around two to five examples usually does it; you don't need dozens. Second, the AI copies your examples faithfully, mistakes and all. If an example is sloppy or inconsistent, it reproduces that sloppiness. So keep your examples clean, and make sure they show the pattern you actually want.
A few clean, consistent examples is the sweet spot. The AI imitates exactly what you show — so a flawed example teaches it the flaw.
Terms you'll see: one example is one-shot, several is few-shot, and none — just a description — is the zero-shot from the last lesson. Same idea dialled up: how many examples you hand over.
The gist
- —Pasting examples steers output better than describing rules — the AI copies the pattern
- —A few clean examples — about two to five — is usually enough
- —It imitates faithfully, so a sloppy example produces sloppy output
You want product descriptions in a very specific house style. What's the most reliable way to get it?
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