loader image

Practical

Prompt Engineering Practical: Build a High-Quality Prompt for IR/Marketing Scenarios

This guided exercise will help you design, test, and refine a prompt for any IR or marketing workflow (investor letters, benchmarking, FAQs, press releases, event invites, campaign messages, or personalized emails).

Step 1: Choose Your Real-Life Scenario

Pick one scenario that fits your current workflow:

  • Investor letter section (e.g., Q3 Highlights)

  • Peer benchmarking summary

  • Analyst/investor FAQ

  • Press release headline/summary

  • Personalized client/investor email (optional—add a personal tone)

  • Event invite, performance update, campaign message, etc.

Write down your selected scenario
Example: “Draft Q3 benchmarking summary for BDC peers”

Step 2: Identify the Essential Elements of Your Prompt

For your scenario, outline these six building blocks from the Prompt Anatomy:

  1. Role:
    Who is the AI acting as?
    E.g., “You are a Senior Associate in IR & Marketing…”

  2. Task:
    What’s the main output?
    E.g., “Draft the Q3 investor letter Highlights section…”

  3. Context:
    Who is the audience and what’s the situation?
    E.g., “For shareholders and analysts, Q3 2024, private credit portfolio focus…”

  4. Section/Message Focus:
    What is the focus, theme, or section?
    E.g., “Emphasize NAV trends, new investments, and sector highlights…”

  5. Requirements:
    What must be included?
    E.g., “Highlight NAV, NII, key drivers, peer benchmarking, regulatory disclosure…”

  6. Tags:
    What review/flagging system should be used?
    E.g., “Use [INPUT REQUIRED], [DISCLOSURE REVIEW], [PEER BENCHMARKING], [PERSONALIZATION]”

Fill in a phrase or bullet for each element based on your scenario.

Step 3: Draft a Zero-Shot Prompt

Write a simple, direct version with just the basics.

Example:

“You’re a Senior Associate in IR. Draft a Q3 2024 investor letter for shareholders.”

Write your own one-sentence prompt for your chosen scenario.

Step 4: Add Structure, Guidance, and Hallucination Control (Few-Shot/Advanced)

Upgrade your prompt using all six Prompt Anatomy elements, plus hallucination reduction techniques:

  • Reference specific sources: (“According to Q3 2024 internal reporting…”)

  • Chain-of-verification: (“List each metric, then flag missing/assumed data”)

  • Tagging system: ([INPUT REQUIRED], [DISCLOSURE REVIEW], etc.)

  • Reflective prompting: (“At the end, review for completeness and flag any assumptions or gaps.”)

Investor Letter Section Example (Full Best-Practice Prompt)

yaml
Role: You are a Senior Associate in IR & Marketing at PennantPark. Task: Draft the Q3 2024 Highlights section of the investor letter. Context: For shareholders and analysts, Q3 2024, private credit portfolio focus. Section Focus: Emphasize NAV trends, new investments, sector highlights, and performance drivers. Requirements: Highlight NAV per share, Net Investment Income (NII), key drivers, peer benchmarking, regulatory disclosures. Tags: Use [INPUT REQUIRED] for missing or unverifiable data, [DISCLOSURE REVIEW] for forward-looking or sensitive statements, [PEER BENCHMARKING] for all peer comparisons. Hallucination Reduction: Anchor all data to “according to Q3 2024 internal report” or specific sources; if any figure cannot be verified, tag [INPUT REQUIRED: source verification]. After drafting, add a section: “Review for missing information, assumptions, or compliance needs.” Format: NAV per Share: $14.85 [INPUT REQUIRED: confirm with Q3 report] NII: $0.45/share [DISCLOSURE REVIEW: check compliance statement] Peer Benchmarking: [PEER BENCHMARKING: compare to ARCC, FSK, BXSL]

Peer Benchmarking Summary Example

yaml
Role: You are a Senior Associate in IR & Marketing at PennantPark. Task: Prepare a Q3 2024 benchmarking summary. Context: For management and investor relations. Section Focus: Compare PennantPark’s NAV per share, NII, and distribution coverage to ARCC, FSK, and BXSL. Requirements: Reference Q3 filings/earnings for all companies. Highlight where PennantPark leads or lags. Tags: Use [INPUT REQUIRED: missing peer data] for gaps, [PEER BENCHMARKING], [DISCLOSURE REVIEW] for forward-looking or strategic comments. Hallucination Reduction: For each metric, begin with “According to Q3 2024 public filings…”; tag any unverified data as [INPUT REQUIRED]. After summary, prompt: “Review for unverified data and confirm all sources.” Format: PennantPark NAV: $14.85 | ARCC: $15.12 | FSK: $14.00 | BXSL: $14.60 [PEER BENCHMARKING] [INPUT REQUIRED: FSK distribution coverage]

Analyst/Investor FAQ Example

vbnet
Role: You are a Senior Associate in IR & Marketing at PennantPark. Task: Draft an FAQ for analysts about Q3 2024 results. Context: Audience is external analysts and investors, Q3 2024. Section Focus: NAV trends, NII, portfolio quality, credit performance. Requirements: All answers based on Q3 reports and public filings; tag anything not public as [DISCLOSURE REVIEW]. Tags: [INPUT REQUIRED] for gaps, [DISCLOSURE REVIEW], [PEER BENCHMARKING] where relevant. Hallucination Reduction: Start answers with “According to Q3 2024 investor materials…”; for any assumption or unclear answer, tag [DISCLOSURE REVIEW] or [INPUT REQUIRED]. Format: Q: What was NAV per share in Q3 2024? A: According to Q3 investor materials, NAV per share was $14.85. Q: Peer comparison? A: [PEER BENCHMARKING: add ARCC, FSK, BXSL] [INPUT REQUIRED: confirm peer data]

Press Release Headline/Summary Example

yaml
Role: You are a Senior Associate in IR & Marketing at PennantPark. Task: Draft a press release headline and summary for Q3 2024 results. Context: For media and shareholders, Q3 2024, must be compliance-ready. Section Focus: Financial highlights and portfolio performance. Requirements: Include NAV, NII, portfolio facts, and significant developments. Confirm with Q3 reports. Tags: [INPUT REQUIRED] for any missing data, [DISCLOSURE REVIEW] for all forward-looking statements. Hallucination Reduction: Start with “All figures below sourced from Q3 2024 internal reporting…”; tag any assumptions as [INPUT REQUIRED]. Format: Headline: “PennantPark Reports Q3 2024 NAV of $14.85, Portfolio 94% Performing” Summary: All figures below are sourced from Q3 2024 internal reporting. [INPUT REQUIRED: NII confirmation] [DISCLOSURE REVIEW: review for forward-looking statements]

Personalized Client/Investor Email Example

vbnet
Role: You are a Senior Associate in IR & Marketing at PennantPark. Task: Draft a warm, personalized email to [Investor Name], summarizing Q3 2024 results. Context: For a long-term investor since [Year], referencing their recent involvement (e.g., “Thank you for joining the Q2 call”). Section Focus: Q3 highlights—NAV, NII, distribution, portfolio quality, and any new developments relevant to the investor. Requirements: Use a warm, appreciative tone; highlight key data (NAV $14.85, NII $0.45/share, etc.); invite questions; offer a call. Tags: [PERSONALIZATION] for custom elements, [INPUT REQUIRED] for missing facts, [DISCLOSURE REVIEW] for compliance checks. Hallucination Reduction: Reference “according to Q3 2024 report” for all data; tag [INPUT REQUIRED] if not available. Close with: “Review the draft for personalization, completeness, and compliance.” Format: Dear [Investor Name], Thank you for your partnership since [Year]. As discussed on our Q2 call, here are Q3 highlights: - NAV: $14.85 [INPUT REQUIRED: confirm] - NII: $0.45/share - Distribution: $0.30/share - Portfolio: 94% performing [PERSONALIZATION: add detail about their interests] [DISCLOSURE REVIEW: check for compliance]

Step 5: Add Real Data (or Placeholders)

Input actual numbers (NAV, NII, etc.), or use [INPUT REQUIRED: …] where data is missing. Always flag missing data or sources for review.

Step 6: Run & Review in ChatGPT

Paste your fully structured prompt into ChatGPT or your custom GPT.

  • Did the output use the correct structure, sections, and tags?

  • Are all missing info, compliance, and personalization points clearly flagged?

  • Is there clear reference to sources and no unsupported “hallucinated” claims?

Step 7: Refine & Self-Assess

  • Revise for clarity, explicit source reference, and effective tagging.

  • Add/remind the AI to review for completeness, gaps, and compliance before output.

  • If the output isn’t what you need, repeat until it’s robust and review-ready.

Step 8: Share & Peer Review (Optional)

  • Share prompt and output with a colleague.

  • Review:

    • Are all review points, gaps, and compliance tags visible?

    • Is the structure and tone right for your use case?

    • Could someone else pick up the prompt and use it reliably?

Summary Table: Scenario-Based, Full-Best-Practice Prompt Examples

Scenario Prompt Example (full best-practice structure & hallucination controls)
Investor letter section See “Investor Letter Section Example” above
Peer benchmarking summary See “Peer Benchmarking Summary Example” above
Analyst/investor FAQ See “Analyst/Investor FAQ Example” above
Press release headline/summary See “Press Release Headline/Summary Example” above
Personalized client/investor email See “Personalized Client/Investor Email Example” above

Key Principle

Every prompt should:

  • Use all Prompt Anatomy elements (role, task, context, focus, requirements, tags)

  • Reference specific sources or data (“according to…”)

  • Use explicit tagging for missing info, compliance, and personalization

  • Instruct the model to self-assess, reflect, and flag any uncertainty or assumption