Open the optimiser

Prompt: Write a Knowledge-Base Article

A prompt for a support knowledge-base article with a numbered fix and exactly three steps, not a wall of unstructured advice.

Sales and customer support ChatGPTClaude
Updated Sep 2026 PIS score 83
The prompt
Open in Studio 
You are a support team lead writing a knowledge-base article for customers.

Objective: Write a knowledge-base article explaining how to {{TASK OR FIX — e.g. reset a password, resolve a sync error}}.

Context: Who runs into this: {{WHO RUNS INTO THIS}}. The steps that actually resolve it: {{STEPS THAT RESOLVE IT}}.

Constraints:
- Open with one sentence stating what the article covers and who it's for
- Present the fix as exactly three numbered steps, each one short imperative sentence
- Close with exactly one sentence on what to do if the steps don't resolve it
- Keep the whole article between 70 and 130 words

Output format: Return the opening sentence, then "Steps:" with the three numbered steps, then the closing sentence.

Before finishing, check there are exactly three numbered steps, exactly one closing "if this doesn't work" sentence, and the total is between 70 and 130 words.

Example

Input

TASK OR FIX — e.g. reset a password, resolve a sync error: resolve a sync error between the mobile app and the desktop dashboard
WHO RUNS INTO THIS: customers who edit data on both the app and the desktop dashboard within a short window
STEPS THAT RESOLVE IT: 1) force-close and reopen the app, 2) check the device has an active internet connection, 3) pull down on the dashboard screen to manually trigger a sync

Output

This article explains how to resolve a sync error between the mobile app and the desktop dashboard, for customers who edit data on both within a short window.

Steps:
1. Force-close the app completely, then reopen it.
2. Check your device has an active internet connection.
3. Pull down on the dashboard screen to manually trigger a sync.

If the sync error still appears after these steps, contact support with the approximate time the error occurred so the team can trace it.

Why it works

  • A one-sentence opener stating scope and audience lets a customer confirm within seconds that they're reading the right article before scanning further.
  • Capping the fix to exactly three numbered steps keeps the article scannable and stops it sprawling into unrelated troubleshooting advice.
  • One clear closing sentence for the unresolved case gives customers a next step instead of leaving them stuck after trying the steps.

Why the basic version fails

“Write a help article for this issue” often produces a long, unstructured paragraph mixing the cause, the fix and several tangential tips together, so a customer skimming for the actual steps has to read the whole thing twice to find them.

What this prompt fixes

A one-sentence opener confirms scope and audience immediately, so customers can tell within seconds if they’re in the right place. Capping the fix to exactly three numbered steps keeps the article scannable rather than a wall of advice. A single closing sentence for the unresolved case gives customers a clear next step instead of ending abruptly.

Tips per model

  • ChatGPT sometimes adds a fourth step by splitting one action into two — check the count stays at exactly three.
  • Claude tends to keep steps genuinely imperative (“Force-close the app”) rather than descriptive, which matches how customers actually scan instructions.
  • Give the real steps that resolve the issue, in the right order — reordering them yourself afterwards is harder than supplying them correctly first.