Writing good Suno prompts is part art, part science. Get it right, and the difference in output quality is night and day.
The Four Components
Every effective Suno prompt has four parts:
- Genre/Style: What kind of music?
- Mood: Energetic, melancholic, triumphant?
- Instruments: Specific sounds or general vibes?
- Structure: Verse, chorus, bridge?
Prompt Formula
[Genre] with [instruments], [mood] atmosphere, [tempo] BPM, [optional: specific references]
Example: "80s synthwave with driving bass, neon atmosphere, 120 BPM, retrofuturistic"
Style Tags That Work
Suno recognizes these structural tags:
[intro],[verse],[pre-chorus],[chorus],[bridge],[outro][instrumental]for break sections[drop]for electronic builds
Genre Examples
Electronic/EDM
Energetic future bass with pulsing synths, drop at 1:00, euphoric build, big room vibes
Lo-fi Hip Hop
Chill lo-fi hip hop beat, dusty drums, mellow piano, relaxed mood, boom bap elements
Rock
Classic rock guitar riff, powerful drums, anthemic chorus, 70s prog rock energy
Pop
Catchy pop hook, modern production, bright synths, Taylor Swift-esque verses, big chorus
Jazz
Smooth jazz trio, upright bass, brushed drums, piano improvisation, relaxed evening vibe
Pro Tips
Use References (Carefully)
Suno responds to style references, but be specific. "Beatles-style" is better than "old music."
The GPT Trick
Many pros use ChatGPT or Claude to refine prompts:
"Give me a Suno prompt for a retro synth pop song with male vocals, 80s vibe, about moving on."
Then paste the result into Suno.
Iterate, Don't Settle
Generate 4-5 versions from the same prompt. The variation is a feature, not a bug.
Vocals Are Harder
Getting specific lyrics to work is tricky. Start with vague prompts ("soulful ballad about hope"), then iterate toward what you want.
Respect the Limits
- Free tier: watermarked, limited downloads
- Paid tiers: more generations, stem export, commercial rights
Common Mistakes
❌ Too vague: "Make a good song" → AI guesses wildly ❌ Too long: Prompts over 200 words often get truncated ❌ Contradictory: "Sad happy song" → Confusing results ❌ Ignoring structure: Let the AI find the form, then refine
The V5 Difference
With V5, prompts work better—especially for:
- Longer tracks (up to 4 minutes)
- Coherent song structure
- Realistic vocals without the "AI voice" artifact
Want practical examples? Check out our Suno V5 Studio Guide for a complete workflow.