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When you ask AI to create a report, presentation, or summary, you don’t have to settle for plain, boring text. With the right instructions, you can get beautifully formatted documents that look professional and are easy to read. Think of it like instructing a junior employee; the more specific you are about what you want, the better your results will be. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you design effective prompts for generating reports with headers, bullet points, and other formatting elements.

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Step 1: Specify the Report Structure

Define the structure of your report. For example, you might want the output to include headings, subheadings, bullet points, and tables. Example Prompt:
Generate a report summarizing the results of a customer survey. The report should include the following sections:
 1. Executive Summary
2. Key Findings
3. Recommendations
4. Detailed Analysis
Consider the desired style of your output and include instructions which reflect that style. Here are some examples for different report stuctures and styles:

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Step 2: Set the Tone and Style

Be specific about the style you want, such as professional, concise, or detailed. For best requests, request the output to be formatted as Markdown. Example Prompt:
Format the report in Markdown. Use **bold** for section headers, bullet points for findings, and italics for recommendations. Include a table for the detailed analysis section.

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Step 3: Include Clear Instructions on Formatting

For each section, specify how the content should be structured. You may ask the AI to use bullet points, tables, or numbered lists. Example Prompt:
- In the Executive Summary section, summarize the main findings in 3-4 sentences.
- In the Key Findings section, list the findings as bullet points.
- In the Detailed Analysis section, provide detailed descriptions in paragraphs.

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Step 4: Provide Sample Prompts for Clarity

Here’s a complete prompt example that follows these steps. Example Prompt:
Generate a report summarizing the survey results. The report should have the following sections: # Executive Summary
- Provide a brief summary of the main findings in 3-4 sentences. # Key Findings
- List the key findings using bullet points. Use bullet points for each finding.
 # Recommendations
- Provide a list of recommendations based on the findings, formatted as bullet points.
- Make sure to write recommendations in **bold**. # Detailed Analysis
- For each question in the survey, include a detailed analysis. Write paragraphs explaining the results and what they imply.
- If a table is needed for data, include it with the column names: “Question”, “Response”, and “Percentage”.
Example Output:

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Executive Summary

This report provides an overview of the recent customer survey results, highlighting key insights and actionable recommendations.

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Key Findings

80% of customers are satisfied with our product. 15% of customers noted issues with the website’s navigation. 5% of respondents have never used the product.

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Recommendations

Enhance website navigation to improve the user experience. Focus on customer engagement for the 5% who haven’t used the product.

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Detailed Analysis

Question 1: How satisfied are you with the product? 80% of respondents reported being satisfied with the product. This is a positive outcome, but there is still room for improvement to achieve even higher satisfaction levels. Question 2: What issues have you faced with the product? 15% mentioned issues with navigation. This suggests that the interface might be complex for some users. We recommend a review of the UI/UX.

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Conclusion

By clearly structuring your prompt and specifying how you want the content formatted, you can easily generate detailed and professional reports.

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Advanced: Markdown Cheatsheet

Markdown is a format which is well understood by AI and can be used to create structured, styled reports. When asking for Markdown formatting, you can use specific keywords to get the desired output. Here’s a quick reference: