Prompt Variables & Templates — Build Reusable Prompts

Why Templates Matter

If you find yourself rewriting similar prompts over and over, you're wasting time. Prompt templates let you create a structure once and fill in different variables each time.

Variable Syntax Conventions

Most prompt communities use one of these formats:

Format	Example	Used By
[brackets]	[your topic]	Most common, Promptsy standard
{curly braces}	{company_name}	PromptBase, developer-style
<angle brackets>	<target audience>	XML-style, Claude-friendly
ALL_CAPS	PRODUCT_NAME	Simple, no special characters

Building a Template: Step by Step

Step 1: Write a Great Prompt for One Specific Case

Write a LinkedIn post about how remote work improves productivity for software developers. Use a personal anecdote as the hook, include 3 data points, and end with a question to drive engagement. Professional but conversational tone. Under 1300 characters.

Step 2: Identify What Changes Between Uses

• Topic: "remote work improves productivity"
• Audience: "software developers"
• Hook type: "personal anecdote"
• Supporting evidence: "3 data points"
• CTA type: "question"
• Tone: "professional but conversational"

Step 3: Replace Specifics with Variables

Write a LinkedIn post about [topic] for [target audience]. Use a [hook type] as the opening, include [number] [evidence type], and end with [CTA type] to drive engagement. [Tone] tone. Under [character limit] characters.

Step 4: Add Defaults and Instructions

Write a LinkedIn post.

## Variables:
- [topic]: the main subject of the post
- [target audience]: who should care about this (default: professionals)
- [hook type]: personal anecdote / surprising statistic / bold claim / question (default: personal anecdote)
- [evidence type]: data points / examples / quotes (default: data points)
- [number]: how many supporting points (default: 3)
- [CTA type]: question / call to action / invitation to share (default: question)
- [tone]: professional / casual / authoritative / vulnerable (default: professional but conversational)
- [character limit]: max length (default: 1300)

Advanced Template Patterns

Conditional Sections

Write a product description for [product name].

[IF e-commerce platform = "Amazon"]
Include: bullet points, A+ content sections, backend search terms
[IF e-commerce platform = "Shopify"]
Include: SEO meta description, rich text with headers, collection tags
[ENDIF]

Multi-Variable Tables

Generate social media posts for this content:

| Platform | Length | Format | Hashtags |
|----------|--------|--------|----------|
| LinkedIn | 1300 chars | text + emoji sparingly | 3-5 |
| Twitter/X | 280 chars | punchy, no hashtags | 0 |
| Instagram | 2200 chars | storytelling + hashtags | 10-15 |

Topic: [topic]
Key message: [one sentence message]

Template Libraries

Create a family of related templates:

• Blog post template → outline, then draft, then SEO optimization
• Email sequence template → welcome, nurture, conversion, win-back
• Product launch template → announcement, social, press release

Best Practices

1. Name your templates clearly: "LinkedIn Post — Hook-Value-CTA"
2. Document each variable with a description and default value
3. Test with edge cases — does the template work for wildly different inputs?
4. Version your templates — track changes and improvements over time
5. Share on Promptsy — let the community improve your templates

InputMode on Promptsy

Promptsy classifies prompts by how much user input they need:

InputMode	Description	Example
Ready to Use	No variables, copy and paste	System prompts
Fill Variables	Replace [brackets] with your values	Most templates
Paste Content	Paste your text for transformation	Email rewriter
Upload Image	Provide your photo for transformation	Photo style transfer
Upload File	Provide a document for processing	Contract reviewer

When creating templates for Promptsy, clearly mark your variables with [brackets] and include a brief description of what each variable expects.