After analyzing 775 Suno AI style prompts, we found three consistent patterns in the best ones: they use 6–8 comma-separated tags (the sweet spot for quality), they include a specific subgenre as the first tag (72.6% do), and they give explicit vocal direction (66.7%). Prompts with all five core components — subgenre, mood, vocals, instruments, production — consistently outperform simpler prompts.
Most Suno prompt advice is anecdotal. Someone gets a good result, shares their prompt, and it becomes "the way to do it." But what if you could see patterns across hundreds of prompts instead of one?
We analyzed every style prompt in the HookGenius curated library — 775 prompts across 155 guide pages, spanning 50 artist recreations, 32 genre templates, 14 mood-based sets, 12 language-specific guides, and more. We parsed each prompt for tag count, component type, and structural patterns.
Here's what the data says.
| Category | Pages | Prompts | Avg Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artist-style recreations | 50 | 250 | 8.3 |
| Genre templates | 32 | 160 | 7.4 |
| Use-case specific | 15 | 75 | 7.6 |
| Mood-based | 14 | 70 | 7.6 |
| Language-specific | 12 | 60 | 8.7 |
| Problem-solving | 12 | 60 | 5.0 |
| Comparison | 8 | 40 | 5.9 |
| Technique guides | 7 | 35 | 6.7 |
| High-intent | 4 | 20 | 5.7 |
| Beginner | 1 | 5 | 7.4 |
| Total | 155 | 775 | 7.5 |
Every prompt was built for Suno v4/v5, tested for output quality, and refined before publishing. This isn't a random scrape — it's a curated dataset of prompts designed to produce specific, repeatable results.
The median prompt has 8 tags, the average is 7.5. Only 3.2% of prompts use 3 or fewer tags, and less than 1% exceed 10.
Why this matters: Too few tags and Suno fills in the blanks with generic defaults. Too many and the tags compete for influence, creating muddy, unfocused output. The 6–8 range gives Suno enough direction to produce a specific sound while leaving room for creative generation.
pop, upbeat, female vocals
synth-pop, euphoric, driving beat, shimmering synths, powerful female vocals, polished radio mix, anthemic chorus
indie synth-pop, dreamy, nostalgic, reverb-heavy, 80s-inspired, chorus pedal, female vocals, breathy, lo-fi drums, analog synths, tape saturation, slow build, warm bass, ambient pads
Not all tags serve the same purpose. We categorized every tag into functional roles and measured how often each appears.
The top five components — subgenre, vocal direction, production quality, instrumentation, and mood — each appear in more than half of all analyzed prompts. These five form the core of what we call the 5-Part Suno Prompt Formula.
Structure tags (like "verse-chorus-verse"), negative prompting ("no drums"), and BPM references are much rarer — not because they're bad, but because they serve specialized purposes. Structure belongs in the lyrics field. BPM is inferred from genre and energy tags. Negative prompting is a precision tool, not a default.
Based on the component analysis, the most effective prompt structure follows this pattern:
Not just "pop" but synth-pop, dream-pop, or electro-pop. Specificity is the single biggest lever. Found in 72.6% of prompts.
Words like euphoric, melancholic, aggressive, intimate. These set the emotional direction for the entire generation.
Be specific: raspy male vocals, airy female falsetto, aggressive rap delivery. Vague "male vocals" gives vague results. Found in 66.7% of prompts.
Reference the defining instruments: acoustic guitar, 808 bass, shimmering synths. Don't list everything — pick the 1–2 instruments that define the sound.
Tags like polished radio mix, lo-fi warm analog, crisp modern production. This tells Suno the production standard to aim for. Found in 61.5% of prompts.
Putting it together:
neo-soul, warm and intimate, smooth male vocals, Rhodes piano, bass-heavy groove, vintage analog production
dark trap, aggressive, hard-hitting 808s, rapid hi-hats, intense rap delivery, punchy modern mix
indie folk, nostalgic and bittersweet, breathy female vocals, acoustic guitar, gentle strings, warm lo-fi recording
HookGenius generates optimized Suno prompts using this formula automatically. Describe your idea, get a production-ready style prompt in seconds.
Try HookGenius FreeSome tags transcend genre boundaries. These are the most versatile descriptors in Suno prompting.
| Tag | Uses | Category |
|---|---|---|
bass-heavy | 52 | Instrumentation |
cinematic | 44 | Production |
atmospheric | 43 | Mood |
intimate | 41 | Mood |
warm | 39 | Production |
energetic | 37 | Energy |
emotional | 34 | Mood |
acoustic guitar | 29 | Instrumentation |
raw | 26 | Production |
danceable | 26 | Energy |
radio-ready | 25 | Production |
nostalgic | 23 | Mood |
modern production | 23 | Production |
polished production | 22 | Production |
dramatic | 22 | Mood |
Notice the pattern: production-related tags dominate. cinematic, warm, raw, radio-ready, modern production, polished production — six of the top fifteen tags are production descriptors. This supports our finding that production quality markers are among the most impactful prompt components.
Recreating a specific artist's sound requires more precision than describing a genre.
Artist-style prompts — prompts designed to capture a specific artist's sonic signature — consistently use more tags than other categories. This makes sense: a genre prompt needs to describe a broad style, while an artist prompt needs to nail specific vocal quality, production aesthetic, and instrumental choices that make that artist recognizable.
| Category | Avg Tags | Common Extra Components |
|---|---|---|
| Language-specific | 8.7 | Script/pronunciation, cultural instruments |
| Artist-style | 8.3 | Vocal quality, signature production |
| Use-case | 7.6 | Target platform, audience context |
| Mood-based | 7.6 | Multiple emotion layers |
| Genre | 7.4 | Standard formula coverage |
| Technique | 6.7 | Specific parameter focus |
| Comparison | 5.9 | Minimal, contrast-focused |
| Problem-solving | 5.0 | Targeted fix, fewer tags |
Language-specific prompts are the most complex at 8.7 average tags. They need everything a genre prompt needs, plus cultural instrumentation and language-specific vocal direction. A Korean pop prompt might include K-pop, upbeat, polished female vocals, Korean lyrics, synth-heavy, precise choreography-ready beat, bright modern production — each tag serving a specific purpose.
Only 21.8% include structure direction, 7.9% use negative prompting, and 6.3% specify BPM.
These aren't mistakes — they're specialization tools. But they represent opportunities for creators who need more control:
[Verse], [Chorus], [Bridge] markers. In the style prompt, use anthemic chorus or slow build to guide overall energy flow.no drums for ambient tracks, no vocals for instrumentals. Each negative tag uses a slot that could be a positive descriptor.If there's one takeaway from this analysis, it's this: production quality tags are the most underused high-impact component.
Six of the top fifteen tags are production descriptors. Yet many beginners write prompts with zero production direction, letting Suno default to a generic mix. The difference between a prompt that says pop, female vocals, piano and one that says pop, female vocals, piano, polished radio mix, warm analog compression is enormous.
Production tags tell Suno how the track should sound, not just what it should contain. They're the difference between a demo and a finished track.
hip-hop, aggressive, male vocals, 808 bass, trap hi-hats
hip-hop, aggressive, male vocals, 808 bass, trap hi-hats, punchy modern mix, hard-hitting, radio-ready
Source: 775 style prompts from the HookGenius curated library, published across 155 guide pages as of February 2026.
Analysis: Each prompt was parsed for comma-separated tag count, then each tag was classified into one of eight functional categories (subgenre, mood/emotion, vocal direction, instrumentation, production quality, structure, negative prompting, BPM). Classification used keyword pattern matching against established music production terminology.
Scope: All prompts were designed for Suno v4/v5 style prompt input. Results may not apply to other AI music generators (Udio, Soundraw, etc.) which process prompts differently.
Limitations: This dataset reflects curated, optimized prompts — not randomly generated ones. The patterns describe what works, not what the average user writes. We also cannot measure Suno's internal weighting of tags, only the patterns in prompts that consistently produce quality output.
HookGenius applies these patterns automatically. Describe your song idea in plain English — get a Suno-ready prompt with the right tags, structure, and vocal direction.
Try HookGenius — 5 Free CreditsOur analysis found 6–8 tags is the sweet spot, used by 71.6% of effective prompts. The average is 7.5 tags. Fewer than 4 tends to produce generic results; more than 10 can create unfocused output as tags compete for influence.
The best prompts include five components: a specific subgenre (72.6% of prompts), vocal direction (66.7%), production markers (61.5%), instrument references (59.7%), and mood descriptors (57.3%). Combine all five within 6–8 tags for consistent results.
Yes. Suno gives more weight to earlier tags. Place your most important descriptor first — typically the subgenre. Follow with mood, vocals, instruments, then production quality. This left-to-right priority ordering appeared consistently in our highest-quality prompts.
Only 7.9% of prompts use negative tags like "no drums" or "without vocals." It works for specific needs (instrumental tracks, removing unwanted elements) but each negative tag uses a slot that could be a positive descriptor. Focus on what you want rather than what you don't.
The most frequently used tags are: bass-heavy (52 uses), cinematic (44), atmospheric (43), intimate (41), warm (39), energetic (37), and emotional (34). Production tags dominate the top 15, confirming they're the most versatile and impactful category.
Artist-style prompts average 8.3 tags compared to 7.4 for genre prompts. They include more specific vocal quality descriptors and signature production details to capture a recognizable sound. Genre prompts follow the same formula but with broader descriptors.
Only when you need an exact tempo (sync work, workout playlists). Just 6.3% of prompts include BPM. Suno infers tempo from genre and energy tags — "high-energy trap" implies fast tempo more naturally than specifying "140 BPM" and produces more musical results.
The formula is: (1) Subgenre — specific genre classifier, (2) Mood — emotional tone, (3) Vocals — who sings and how, (4) Instruments — 1–2 defining instruments, (5) Production — quality and aesthetic markers. This pattern appears in the majority of effective prompts across all categories.
Structure tags appeared in 21.8% of style prompts. Song structure is better controlled through lyrics formatting (using [Verse], [Chorus], [Bridge] markers). In the style prompt, energy-flow descriptors like "anthemic chorus" or "slow build" are more effective than structural labels.
775 curated prompts from the HookGenius library were parsed for tag count and classified into eight functional categories using keyword pattern matching. The dataset spans 155 guide pages across 10 content types including genre, artist-style, mood, language, and technique categories.
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