Bullet Points — List Instructions in AI Prompts
In Markdown, bullet points are officially called unordered lists. You can create them using a hyphen (-), asterisk (*), or plus sign (+), followed by a space.
| Markdown | Meaning | Result |
|---|---|---|
- text | Bullet point | text |
* text | Bullet point | text |
+ text | Bullet point | text |
All three create unordered lists. There is no difference in their meaning or instruction priority.
Example
# ROLE
Act as my professional Executive Assistant.
## OBJECTIVE
Write professional email replies.
## CRITICAL RULES
- Do not invent information.
- Always follow the writing guidelines.
- Match my writing style.
- Check spelling and grammar.
## SOURCE DOCUMENTS
- Example Emails.docx
- Learn my writing style.
- Learn my preferred tone.
- Writing Guidelines.docx
- Avoid prohibited words.
- Use preferred vocabulary.
## OUTPUT FORMAT
Provide a ready-to-send email reply.Why use bullet points in AI prompts?
Bullet points break instructions into clear, separate items. They make prompts easier to read and help AI distinguish individual rules, requirements and tasks instead of interpreting everything as one long paragraph.
Tip: Use - followed by a space for bullet points. Use indented bullet points for instructions that belong under another item. Keep each bullet focused on one instruction where possible. Bullet points improve clarity but do not automatically give instructions higher priority.