Traditional Prompting:
User → Prompt → AI → Output

Meta-Prompting:
User → "Help me write a prompt" → AI → Better Prompt → AI → Output

Meta-Prompt:
"I need a prompt that will help an AI write a competitive
analysis report. The analysis should cover market position,
strengths/weaknesses, and strategic recommendations.

Write an effective prompt I can use to get this output."

AI Response:
"Here's an effective prompt:

'Act as a senior business strategist with expertise in 
competitive intelligence. Create a comprehensive competitive
analysis report for [COMPANY] in the [INDUSTRY] sector.

Structure your analysis as follows:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (2-3 sentences)

2. MARKET POSITION
   - Current market share and trends
   - Position relative to top 3 competitors
   - Key differentiators

3. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS (for each major competitor)
   - Strengths
   - Weaknesses
   - Recent strategic moves
   - Threat level (High/Medium/Low)

4. SWOT SYNTHESIS
   - Our strengths vs. competitor weaknesses
   - Our vulnerabilities vs. competitor strengths

5. STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
   - 3 offensive strategies (exploit opportunities)
   - 2 defensive strategies (mitigate threats)
   - Priority ranking with rationale

Use concrete examples and cite specific evidence where 
possible. Maintain an objective, analytical tone.'"

Meta-Prompt:
"Here's my current prompt:
'Write a blog post about AI.'

Critique this prompt and provide 5 specific improvements
that would make it more effective. Then write an improved
version incorporating all improvements."

AI Response:
"Critique:
1. Too vague - no specific topic or angle
2. No target audience specified
3. No length or format guidance
4. No tone or style direction
5. No constraints or requirements

Improved Prompt:
'Write a 1,500-word blog post about how small businesses
can use AI for customer service automation in 2026.

Target audience: Small business owners (10-50 employees)
who are curious about AI but not technical.

Structure:
- Hook: A relatable challenge small businesses face
- 3-4 specific AI tools they can implement this month
- Real cost and time estimates
- Common pitfalls to avoid
- Action steps to get started

Tone: Practical, encouraging, jargon-free.
Include 2-3 concrete examples.'"

Meta-Prompt:
"For this task: 'Explain quantum computing to a high schooler'

Generate 5 different prompt approaches, each using a
different strategy to make the explanation effective.
Label each with the strategy used."

AI Response:
"1. ANALOGY-BASED:
'Explain quantum computing using only analogies to things
a high schooler encounters daily—sports, video games, 
social media. Each quantum concept should map to something
familiar.'

2. STORY-BASED:
'Tell a short story about a character named Quinn who
discovers quantum computing. Through Quinn's journey,
explain the core concepts naturally within the narrative.'

3. PROBLEM-SOLVING:
'Present 3 problems that are impossible for regular 
computers but possible for quantum computers. Explain
WHY each problem is hard normally and how quantum 
computing approaches it differently.'

4. COMPARISON:
'Create a side-by-side comparison of a regular computer
vs. quantum computer, like comparing two phones or game
consoles. Use a table format and casual language.'

5. BUILD-UP:
'Start with what the student already knows about regular
computers (bits, processing). Progressively introduce
quantum concepts, building each on the last. End with
what becomes possible.'
"

Meta-Prompt:
"I used this prompt:
[YOUR PROMPT]

And got this response:
[UNSATISFACTORY RESPONSE]

I wanted:
[WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANTED]

Analyze why the prompt didn't work and provide a fixed
version that addresses the gap."

AI Response:
"Analysis of Prompt Failure:

1. Ambiguity: 'Brief' was interpreted as 1 paragraph,
   you wanted 3-4 paragraphs with examples
   
2. Missing context: No industry context provided, so
   examples were generic rather than relevant
   
3. Format unclear: 'Points' was interpreted as bullets,
   you wanted narrative paragraphs

Fixed Prompt:
'Provide a 3-4 paragraph explanation of [TOPIC] for 
professionals in the [INDUSTRY] sector.

Each paragraph should make one main point supported by
a specific, real-world example from this industry.

Write in flowing narrative paragraphs (not bullet points).
Use professional but accessible language.'"

Step 1: Initial Prompt
"Write a product description for a sustainable water bottle"

Step 2: Get Output, Identify Issues
[Output is generic, lacks emotional appeal]

Step 3: Meta-Prompt for Improvement
"This prompt produced a generic description. Modify it to:
- Evoke emotion and lifestyle aspiration
- Highlight sustainability impact specifically
- Use sensory language
- Include a call to action"

Step 4: Improved Prompt
"Write a compelling product description for a sustainable
water bottle that makes eco-conscious millennials feel
proud of their purchase. Appeal to their senses—how does
the bottle feel, sound, look? Quantify the environmental
impact of choosing this bottle over plastic. End with
an inspiring call to action. 150-200 words."

Step 5: Test Again, Repeat

Meta-Prompt:
"I frequently need to write performance reviews for team
members. Create a reusable prompt template I can fill in
each time. Include placeholders and instructions for what
to put in each placeholder."

AI Response:
"Performance Review Prompt Template:

---
'Write a balanced performance review for [NAME], who holds
the position of [ROLE] on the [TEAM] team.

Performance period: [START DATE] to [END DATE]

Key accomplishments to highlight:
1. [ACCOMPLISHMENT 1]
2. [ACCOMPLISHMENT 2]
3. [ACCOMPLISHMENT 3]

Areas that need development:
1. [AREA 1]
2. [AREA 2]

Context:
- Overall rating will be: [RATING: Exceeds/Meets/Below]
- This person's career goal: [GOAL]
- Key feedback from peers (optional): [FEEDBACK]

Write a 500-word review that:
- Opens with overall assessment
- Balances positive achievements with constructive feedback
- Provides specific examples (use what I provided)
- Connects development areas to their career goal
- Ends with encouragement and clear next steps

Tone: Supportive but honest. Professional HR language.'
---

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING:
- [NAME]: Employee's full name
- [ROLE]: Their job title
- [ACCOMPLISHMENTS]: Be specific—projects, outcomes, metrics
- [AREAS]: Genuine development opportunities, not criticisms
..."

Meta-Prompt:
"I'm about to use this prompt:

[YOUR PROMPT]

Acting as a prompt engineering expert, evaluate it on:
1. Clarity (1-10): Is the task unambiguous?
2. Completeness (1-10): Does it provide all needed context?
3. Specificity (1-10): Is the expected output well-defined?
4. Feasibility (1-10): Can an AI realistically do this?
5. Potential Issues: What could go wrong?

Provide the scores, identify the weakest aspect, and 
suggest one specific improvement."

Meta-Prompt:
"I need to ask an AI to write a Python function that
[DESCRIPTION]. 

Generate a prompt that:
- Specifies exactly what the function should and shouldn't do
- Includes edge cases to handle
- Requests appropriate error handling
- Asks for docstrings and type hints
- Specifies code style preferences
- Requests example usage"

Meta-Prompt:
"Create a content brief prompt for a blog post about [TOPIC].
The prompt should capture:
- Target audience and their pain points
- Key message and angle
- SEO keywords to incorporate naturally
- Desired emotional response from readers
- Call-to-action to include
- Voice and tone guidelines
- Length and format requirements"

Meta-Prompt:
"Design a prompt for analyzing [DATA/SITUATION] that:
- Defines the exact analysis framework to use
- Specifies what conclusions to draw
- Requests evidence for each conclusion
- Includes perspectives to consider
- Asks for confidence levels
- Requests limitations and caveats
- Specifies output format and sections"

Poor: "Write a prompt for X"
Better: "Write a prompt for X that is under 200 words,
        includes an example, and specifies the output format"

Meta-Prompt:
"I'll use this prompt with Claude 3 Opus for enterprise
document processing. The end users are legal professionals.
Generate a prompt that works well for this context..."

"Generate 3 prompt variations for this task. For each,
explain WHY you structured it that way and what kind
of output each structure optimizes for."

Meta-prompt → Prompt → Output  ✓

Meta-meta-prompt → Meta-prompt → Prompt → Output  ✗
(Usually over-complicating)