How to write a Suno prompt

Suno reads two things: a style description and, when you add vocals, the lyrics with structure tags. Getting both right is the difference between a track that matches your idea and one that drifts halfway through. This guide covers the format that works, the conventions that keep results consistent, and a template you can adapt to any genre.

The underlying skill is the same as writing any music prompt, so if you have read the general prompt guide you already know the substance. What is specific to Suno is the formatting: tags rather than prose in the style box, and square-bracket section markers in the lyrics.

The style box wants tags, not prose

For the style field, a compact comma-separated list reads more reliably than a flowing sentence. Lead with genre, then tempo, then the key instruments, then mood and production. Keep it tight. A list of clear tags is easier for the model to weight and harder to misread than a paragraph where the important words are buried in connective grammar.

synthwave, ~110 BPM, analog synth arpeggios, gated reverb drums, fat bass, nostalgic, neon, wide stereo, instrumental

Read that left to right and you can see the priority order: the genre anchors everything, the tempo sets the energy, the next three tags name the defining sounds, and the last few colour the mood and mix. If you had to cut it in half, you would keep the front and drop the back, which is exactly the order you want.

A reusable style template

Fill in this skeleton for any genre and you will have a solid style box every time. Drop any slot that does not apply rather than forcing it.

[genre], ~[BPM] BPM, [lead instrument], [second instrument], [rhythm/drums], [mood], [texture or production], [instrumental or with vocals]

Structure tags for lyrics

When you want vocals, give the song a shape with square-bracket section tags on their own lines. This keeps verses and choruses where you expect them and helps the melody repeat consistently. Without tags, the model has to guess where the song changes gear, and that guess is where a lot of drift comes from.

[Verse 1]
First line of the verse here
Second line that rhymes or lands

[Chorus]
The hook that repeats
The line people remember

[Verse 2]
New detail, same shape as verse one
A line that moves the story on

[Chorus]
The hook that repeats
The line people remember

Tips for a more consistent result

• Pick one genre as the anchor and let the other tags support it. A single clear genre with good detail beats three competing ones.
• State instrumental in the style box if you do not want vocals, otherwise a vocal line may appear uninvited.
• Keep the chorus lyrics identical each time it repeats, so the melody and hook lock in rather than mutating.
• If the output drifts, remove tags rather than adding more. Drift usually comes from conflicting instructions, not missing ones.
• Match the lyric density to the tempo. Fast tracks want fewer syllables per line; slow ballads can carry more.

Start from a reference track

If you have a track that already sounds right, reverse it to get the exact tempo, key and instruments, then format those into the style box. It is the quickest way to match a sound you already have in mind, because it replaces guesswork with measurement. You read off the genre, BPM and the two or three defining instruments, drop them into the template above, add a mood word, and you have a style box that is grounded in something real rather than imagined.