Achieving Consistent Formatting with AI Prompts
I am getting different results formatting from the same AI prompt. Is there anything to do about that, to force consistent formatting? Why is it randomly changing its output?
Loading attachments
I am getting different results formatting from the same AI prompt. Is there anything to do about that, to force consistent formatting? Why is it randomly changing its output?
To force consistent formatting from AI prompts, be extremely specific in your instructions:
Specify the Output Format: Explicitly state how you want the answer formatted and returned, including structure, tone, word count, and style. [1]
Use Step-by-Step Instructions: Provide clear, sequential instructions for the AI to follow. This prevents incorrect assumptions and ensures tasks are performed in your intended order.
Example Structure:
State what you want and which inputs to use
Specify the exact output format (word count, phrasing, etc.)
Provide prefixes or formatting rules if applicable [2]
AI prompting requires trial and error. If outputs are inconsistent, refine your prompt by adding more constraints—specify sentence count, formatting rules, or tone adjustments until you achieve the desired consistency.
For structured data extraction, our Neon model allows you to instruct it to return specific data points in separate columns, making results easier to work with.
Was that helpful?
This is what I have in the output format section: ---- ## OUTPUT FORMAT === COMPANY INFO === COMPANY NAME [Company Name] INDUSTRY [LinkedIn or Website Industry] === WEBSITE DATA === PAGE TITLE [HTML title] META DESCRIPTION [SEO description] MAIN HEADLINE [Hero text] SERVICES SECTION [Services/solutions] ABOUT SECTION [Company description from website] TARGET MARKET [Who they serve] OVERALL SUMMARY [2–3 sentence synthesis] === LINKEDIN DATA === ABOUT SECTION [LinkedIn About text] EMPLOYEE COUNT [Size range] INDUSTRY [LinkedIn classification] SPECIALTIES [Focus areas] LOCATION [Headquarters] FOUNDED [Year established] WEBSITE [LinkedIn website] ACTIVE JOBS [Number of job postings] SAMPLE JOB TITLES [5–10 job titles if available] VERIFIED PAGE [Yes/No] === STATUS === Website Scrape: [SUCCESS/FAILED] LinkedIn Scrape: [SUCCESS/FAILED] ## RULES 1. Extract exact text when available — do not summarize or paraphrase company language. 2. If multiple versions of a field exist (e.g., Industry), use LinkedIn as primary, Website as backup. 3. If a section is missing, output "Not found." 4. Keep the format consistent exactly as shown above. 5. Do not fabricate information. Only use what is present in the source data. ----- The problem is, in some cases it's using "{", and in other places it's using the specified "===" === COMPANY INFO === COMPANY NAME Atlas Search INDUSTRY Staffing and Recruiting
The inconsistent formatting (switching between { and ===) suggests the output fields may not be properly defined in your prompt configuration.
To troubleshoot this JSON formatting issue, could you copy and paste the full JSON or configuration from your prompt settings? This will help identify what's causing the inconsistency between runs.
If you still need help resolving the inconsistent formatting issue, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide the full JSON or configuration from your prompt settings so we can troubleshoot further?