Zero-Shot and Few-Shot Prompting

Two fundamental techniques separate beginners from power users: knowing when to just ask, and when to show examples first.

Zero-Shot: Just Ask Directly

Zero-shot means giving AI instructions without any examples.

When it works:

Common, well-understood tasks
Tasks AI has seen millions of times
When you want creative freedom

Example:

"Write a professional out-of-office email for a vacation next week."

AI knows exactly what this means — no examples needed.

Few-Shot: Show Before You Tell

Few-shot means providing 2-5 examples before your actual request.

When it works:

Specific style or format requirements
Unique naming conventions
Brand voice consistency
Uncommon output patterns

Example:

Here are examples of our product feature names:

"SmartSync" - automatic data synchronization

"FlexAuth" - flexible authentication options

"QuickPulse" - real-time analytics dashboard

Now, name a new feature that allows team collaboration on documents.

AI learns your naming pattern and follows it.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Aspect	Zero-Shot	Few-Shot
Setup time	Fast	Takes longer
Best for	Common tasks	Custom patterns
Creativity	Higher	Constrained by examples
Consistency	Variable	More consistent

Practical Business Examples

Zero-Shot (Common Task):

"Summarize this customer feedback in 3 bullet points: [feedback text]"

Few-Shot (Brand Voice):

Examples of our social media tone:

"Your success is our favorite notification. 🎯"

"Another feature request? Say no more. ✅"

"Weekend mode: activated. Productivity: still crushing it. 💪"

Write a tweet announcing our new mobile app launch.

Few-Shot (Data Formatting):

Format customer names like these examples:

"John Smith, NYC" → "J. Smith (New York)"

"Maria Garcia, LA" → "M. Garcia (Los Angeles)"

Now format: "Robert Johnson, CHI"

How Many Examples?

Situation	Recommended Examples
Simple pattern	2-3 examples
Complex format	3-5 examples
Unique style	4-5 examples

More than 5 examples rarely helps and wastes tokens (which costs money with paid APIs).

Use zero-shot for common tasks where AI already knows what you want. Use few-shot when you need specific patterns, formats, or styles that AI wouldn't guess on its own. The right choice saves time and improves results.

Next: Learn chain-of-thought prompting for complex problems that need step-by-step reasoning. :::