How to create reusable prompt templates with variables, placeholders, and conditional sections. Write once, use everywhere — the DRY principle for prompt engineering.
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.
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 |
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.
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.
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)
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]
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]
Create a family of related templates:
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.
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