# Founder Prompt Formula Template > From NerdSmith Founder Track -- Module 0, Lesson 3: Prompting Fundamentals > Fill in the blanks for any founder task. Works every time. --- ## The Formula ``` [CONTEXT] + [TASK] + [CONSTRAINTS] + [FORMAT] = Good Prompt ``` Every prompt you write should have these four parts. Skip one and Claude guesses -- usually wrong. --- ## Fill-in-the-Blank Template Copy this template. Fill in the brackets. Paste into Claude Code. ``` [CONTEXT] I'm a [your role] building/running [what you're building/doing]. Product/business: [1-sentence description]. Stage: [Pre-launch / MVP / Growth / Scaling]. Target customer: [Who pays you / who uses this]. [TASK] [Specific verb: Write / Analyze / Generate / Compare / Summarize / Create] [exactly what you need]. [Add 1-2 sentences of additional detail if needed.] [CONSTRAINTS] - Length: [word count or page limit] - Tone: [professional / casual / technical / friendly / persuasive] - Include: [must-have elements] - Exclude: [what to avoid -- jargon, code, fluff, etc.] - Audience: [who will read this output] [FORMAT] Use this structure: ## [Section 1 heading] [What goes here] ## [Section 2 heading] [What goes here] ## [Section 3 heading] [What goes here] ``` --- ## Quick-Fill Templates by Task Type ### Product Spec Prompt ``` [CONTEXT] I'm a [non-technical founder / PM / product lead] building [product name]. Product: [1-sentence description]. Stage: [Pre-launch / MVP / Growth]. [TASK] Write a product spec for the "[feature name]" feature. This feature [what it does in 1-2 sentences]. [CONSTRAINTS] - Keep it under 2 pages - Use plain English (no technical jargon) - Focus on user benefits, not implementation - Target audience: [who will read this spec] [FORMAT] ## Problem Statement [2-3 sentences: what pain does this solve?] ## Proposed Solution [How this feature addresses the problem] ## Key Features - [Feature 1] - [Feature 2] - [Feature 3] ## User Stories - As a [role], I want to [action] so that [benefit] ## Success Metrics - [Metric 1: how we measure success] - [Metric 2] ``` --- ### Customer Research Analysis Prompt ``` [CONTEXT] I conducted [number] customer interviews with [who they are]. Goal: Understand [what you're trying to learn]. [TASK] Analyze [the files/transcripts in research/interviews/] and identify: 1. Top [3-5] pain points mentioned most often 2. Patterns in how they describe the problem 3. What solutions they've tried and why those failed [CONSTRAINTS] - Focus on pain points, not feature requests - Rank by frequency (how many people mentioned it) - Include direct quotes to support each finding - Keep analysis under 3 pages [FORMAT] ## Pain Point 1: [Name] - Mentioned by: X/[total] interviewees - Description: [2-3 sentences] - Quote: "[Direct quote]" - Why current solutions fail: [1-2 sentences] [Repeat for each pain point] ## Summary [3-4 sentences: what this means for product direction] ``` --- ### Landing Page Copy Prompt ``` [CONTEXT] Product: [product name] ([type: SaaS, app, service, etc.]) Target: [who is this for -- be specific] Stage: [Beta / Launch / Growth] Goal: [What you want visitors to do -- signup, buy, book demo] [TASK] Write landing page copy: hero section + [3-4] benefit sections + CTA. [CONSTRAINTS] - Hero: 1 headline (6-8 words) + 1 subheadline (15-20 words) - Benefit-focused, not feature-focused - Tone: [Professional / Casual / Bold / Friendly] (like [brand example], not like [anti-example]) - Total length: ~[200-400] words - No jargon, no buzzwords [FORMAT] ## Hero **Headline:** [short, benefit-driven] **Subheadline:** [specific outcome the reader gets] ## Benefit 1: [Title] [2-3 sentences] ## Benefit 2: [Title] [2-3 sentences] ## Benefit 3: [Title] [2-3 sentences] ## CTA **Button:** [text] **Supporting text:** [1 sentence below button] ``` --- ### Competitive Analysis Prompt ``` [CONTEXT] I'm building [product] in the [industry] space. Target customer: [who]. Key competitors I know about: [list 3-5 names if you have them]. [TASK] Research and compare [number] competitors in this space. Focus on: positioning, pricing, features, and gaps. [CONSTRAINTS] - Use publicly available information only - Flag anything you're uncertain about with [UNVERIFIED] - Focus on what matters to founders: pricing, PMF signals, weaknesses - Keep each competitor analysis to 3-4 bullet points [FORMAT] ## Competitive Matrix | Feature | Us | [Competitor 1] | [Competitor 2] | [Competitor 3] | |---------|----|----|----|----| | [Feature 1] | | | | | | [Feature 2] | | | | | | Pricing | | | | | | Target market | | | | | ## Key Findings 1. [Finding 1: gap or opportunity] 2. [Finding 2: gap or opportunity] 3. [Finding 3: gap or opportunity] ## Our Advantage [2-3 sentences: what we can do that they can't/won't] ``` --- ### Email Sequence Prompt ``` [CONTEXT] Product: [product name] Sequence type: [Onboarding / Sales / Re-engagement / Launch announcement] Audience: [who receives these emails] Previous touchpoint: [how they got on this list -- signup, purchase, etc.] [TASK] Write a [3-5]-email sequence for [purpose]. [CONSTRAINTS] - Subject lines: under 50 characters, curiosity-driven - Body: 100-150 words per email - Tone: [conversational / professional / urgent] - Each email has ONE clear CTA - Space emails [2-3 days / 1 week] apart [FORMAT] ### Email 1: [Theme] (Day 0) **Subject:** [subject line] **Body:** [copy] **CTA:** [button text + link description] ### Email 2: [Theme] (Day [X]) **Subject:** [subject line] **Body:** [copy] **CTA:** [button text + link description] [Repeat for all emails] ``` --- ## The Checklist (Before You Hit Send) Before submitting any prompt to Claude, verify: - [ ] **CONTEXT:** Did I say who I am, what I'm building, and what stage I'm at? - [ ] **TASK:** Did I use a specific verb (write, analyze, compare) and say exactly what I need? - [ ] **CONSTRAINTS:** Did I set length, tone, audience, and what to exclude? - [ ] **FORMAT:** Did I show Claude the exact structure I want? If any box is unchecked, your output quality will drop. --- *NerdSmith Founder Track -- Module 0: Claude Code Bootcamp* *Download: Founder Prompt Formula Template*