Prompting Best Practices
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PR is at the center of Generative Engine Optimization. This free course shows you how to turn coverage into citations that shape AI answers, including helpful tips and foundational concepts for prompt engineering.
Best Practices for Writing Prompts
To get the most out of your Generative Pulse report, start by writing a broad library of prompts. Here are some general best practices we recommend on how to write your prompts:
Vary phrasing to capture nuance. Create multiple prompts using synonyms, alternate structures, or thematic qualifiers.
For example: “best running gear for beginners,” “compare beginning running gear,” “running gear 2025.”
Add contextual qualifiers. Incorporate temporal (year, season) or audience-specific terms (e.g., “for kids,” “for enterprise”) to surface more targeted insights.
Keep prompts concise and focused. Avoid ambiguous or overly long prompts that can dilute the model’s ability to pinpoint relevant citations.
Test prompts with sample replies. Outside of Generative Pulse, review the AI’s sample Large Language Model (LLM) responses to each prompt and refine wording to ensure outputs align with your desired narrative.
Organize and document your prompt library. Categorize prompts by theme, campaign, or objective, and log performance metrics for continuous improvement.
Stick to English for now. Muck Rack’s Generative Pulse report currently supports English-only prompts to guarantee accurate entity extraction and linking.
By following these guidelines, you’ll ensure your GEO prompts are both effective and flexible enough to explore different angles of your brand’s AI-driven narrative.
Prompts to Include in Your Report
Based on our research, we found six main prompt types, and each one prioritizes sources a little differently. For example, objective prompts (like Event Updates and Fact Lookups) lean heavily on earned media, while subjective prompts (Advice, Creative, Comparative, Instructions) pull more from owned and niche outlets. We recommend including a variety of prompts that align with each of the 6 types shown below.
💡Tip: When you build a Generative Pulse report, you can use the “Prompt” filter on the view results for specific queries. This lets you compare how different prompt framings shift AI citations and identify exactly where you need to double down on your PR efforts depending on each use case (see recommendations in the table below). |
Prompt Type | Example Prompt | GEO Focus Recommendation |
Event Update | “Newest Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors” | According to our research, these types of queries disproportionately cite stories published in the last 12 months. Make sure your owned and earned assets are as fresh as possible if you want them surfaced.
Check whether your latest press releases or product-announcement blog posts are being cited. If your owned media share is low, issue timely releases with clear headlines and structured Q&A, and pitch top news outlets for follow-up coverage. |
Advice / Opinion Seeking | “What’s the best ice cream flavor for vegans?” | Identify which reviewers, listicles or expert roundups are surfacing. If your spokespeople aren’t appearing, create authoritative how-to articles or expert Q&As on your owned channels and syndicate them to niche advice sites.
According to our research, these types of queries disproportionately cite stories published in the last 12 months. Make sure your owned and earned assets are as fresh as possible if you want them surfaced.
Our research also shows that AI tends to reward niche-specific content. Target specialist blogs and trade sites to get “in the mix” for subjective queries. |
Step-by-Step Instructions | “How do I make a banana split?” | Make sure you have well-structured how-to guides live on your site. If AI is pulling from competitor blogs instead, develop or optimize tutorial content and pitch it to tutorial-focused publications. |
Comparative Evaluation | “Is Ben & Jerry’s cheaper than Breyers?” | Audit your price-comparison or buyer’s-guide pages for clear “vs.” language and structured tables. If those pages aren’t cited, partner with industry analysts or trade outlets to produce co-branded comparison reports. |
Fact / Encyclopedic Lookup | “American ice cream companies” | Encyclopedic sources like Wikipedia and top wire services (Reuters, AP) dominate Fact Lookups. So if you’re crafting “Fact” prompts, bolstering your presence on those high-authority domains (e.g., a well-linked Wikipedia entry or expert quotes in top news outlets) will pay off.
Verify and enrich your Wikipedia entry and publish up-to-date thought leadership on high-authority domains (industry associations, government sites). Where possible, contribute citations back to those encyclopedic sources. |
Creative Content / Ideation | “Help me think of a unique ice cream flavor” | Spot which trend and culture outlets or “inspiration” round-ups are being cited. If your brand isn’t represented, commission interactive brainstorm posts (e.g., “10 unique flavor ideas”) and pitch them to lifestyle and trend blogs.
Our research also shows that AI tends to reward niche-specific content for this type of query. Target specialist blogs and trade sites to get “in the mix” for subjective queries. |
Building a Strong Prompt Library
If your brand is a leading running apparel company, your prompt library might include:
Prompt Type | Example Prompts |
Event Update | “New running gear launches 2025” “Running shoe releases summer 2025” “Latest innovations in running apparel” |
Advice / Opinion Seeking | “What’s the best running gear for beginners?” “Top-rated running shoes for flat feet” “Expert recommendations for trail runners” |
Step-by-Step Instructions | “How to choose running shoes for kids” “How to build a beginner running routine” “Steps to break in new running shoes” |
Comparative Evaluation | “Nike vs. Brooks for marathon training” “Best running shoe brands for long-distance runners” “How does Hoka compare to Asics?” |
Fact Lookup | “Major US running apparel brands” “History of Nike running shoes” “Running brands based in the US” |
Creative Content | “Running outfit ideas for cold weather” “Unique running gift ideas under $50” “Fun running costume ideas for races” |
Each prompt uncovers different citation patterns and surfaces different types of earned or owned media. Including a mix like this gives you the fullest picture of your AI visibility and where you might want to influence it next.
💡Tip: Running each of these against your core topics (and key competitors) uncovers which sources (earned, owned, paid or press) are being cited in generative-AI answers. That insight lets you tailor your outreach (e.g. pitching recipe bloggers vs. trade analysts) to close any gaps in your AI-powered narratives. |
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