5 AI Prompting Techniques That 10x My PM Productivity

I use AI 10-15 times daily: Claude for coding, ChatGPT for analysis, Perplexity for research.

Here's what I learned: My first prompts usually suck.

After 100+ conversations, here are 5 techniques that get me 80% better outputs.

1. The "Who, What, Why, How" Framework

Bad: "Write a product strategy"

Good:
WHO: Data PM at B2B SaaS
WHAT: Q1 dashboard strategy
WHY: Boost adoption 40% → 70%
HOW: Self-service, not new features

Result: Claude gave me a strategy I could actually use, not generic advice.

Time saved: 60% (no back-and-forth)

2. "Constraints First"

Bad: "Help me prioritize features"

Good:
Prioritize 10 features. Constraints:
2 engineers, 6 weeks
Ship minimum 3 features
60% users on mobile

Real example: Asked for data warehouse design. Added "$10K budget, Snowflake only."

Got $4K solution instead of $15K over-engineered one.

3. Specify Output Format

Bad: "Compare BI tools"

Good: "Compare Tableau, Power BI, Looker in a table: Pros | Cons | Price"

Why it works: Zero reformatting. Paste directly into Slack.

Examples I use:

• "3 bullets, 250 characters each"

• "Output as JSON: {name, priority}"

• "2x2 matrix: effort vs impact"

4. Iterate Out Loud

Don't accept first answer. Refine it.

Example - Resume bullet:

• v1: "Improved data quality" (vague)

• v2: "Reduced issues 20%" (better)

• v3: "Reduced issues 20% via automated validation" (method)

• v4: "Reduced errors 20% via ETL validation, prevented $600K rework" (impact)

Time: 2 minutes, 4 iterations. Final = 4x better.

5. Show, Don't Tell

Bad: "Write in my style"

Good: Paste 2-3 examples of my writing, then say "Write like this."

AI learns from examples, not descriptions.

My Checklist (30 Seconds)

Before sending prompts:

• ✅ Explained WHO I am?

• ✅ Explained WHAT I want?

• ✅ Explained WHY (goal)?

• ✅ Specified format?

• ✅ Gave example?

ROI: 80% better first output, saves 5 min iteration.

Try This Tomorrow

Pick ONE technique. Use it 10 times this week.

AI is like a brilliant intern—incredible skills, zero context.

Give context, and AI goes from "meh" to "holy shit, this is useful."