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Guide

How to write a good prompt

A good prompt tells the tool what you want, who it is for, and what the result should look like. You do not need special words. You need a clear job, the facts the tool cannot guess, and a limit on what it must not invent.

Steps

  1. Say the job in one sentence.
  2. Add the facts the tool cannot guess.
  3. Say who the result is for, and what done looks like.
  4. Set limits, including what the tool must not invent.
  5. Ask for a format, such as a short email or a list.
  6. Read the result, fix what is wrong, and ask again only if you still need to.

You are giving a job, not casting a spell

A prompt is the text you type into a chatbot. The tool has not seen your inbox, your class, or your kitchen. If you do not include a fact, it may guess. Guessing is how a draft grows a fake date or a promise you never made.

Write the way you would brief a new assistant on their first day. Short is fine. Complete is better than clever.

A pattern you can reuse

  1. Job. One sentence. “Write a reminder email about an unpaid invoice.”
  2. Facts. The names, dates, and numbers you already know.
  3. Reader. Who will read it, and what they need.
  4. Limits. How long. What tone. What the tool must not invent.
  5. Shape. A list, a table, an email, or three questions.

Then you read it. The tool does not get the last word.

A weak prompt and a stronger one

Weak:

Write something nice about my business.

The tool does not know what you sell. It will fill the gap with generic praise. That text is hard to trust and easy to publish by mistake.

Stronger:

Outline the words for a one-page flyer. I repair lawn mowers for homes in Kansas City. I do not offer emergency night calls. Do not invent reviews, years in business, or a guarantee. Headline, three true points, and a line that says “Call the shop.”

The stronger prompt can still be wrong. It is much less likely to invent a life you do not have.

Blanks are safer than secrets

If a detail is private, do not paste it. Put a blank in the prompt:

Amount due: [amount]
Account number: [leave this out]

Fill the blank in after you copy the draft into your own document. The guide What is AI, in plain English explains why a chat box is a poor place for secrets.

Ask it to show its uncertainty

Add one line when the topic is factual:

If the text I gave you does not say it, write “not in the source.” Do not guess.

This does not make the tool honest. It gives you a hook. When you see a confident detail and you did not ask for a guess, check it or delete it.

One pass is usually enough

Long chains of “make it better” often make the draft vaguer. If the second try is still wrong, the prompt is missing a fact. Add the fact. If you are pasting a very long thread, the context window may be dropping the beginning. Start a new chat and paste only what still matters.

Where to use this

Every page in the use-case directory includes a prompt you can copy. Swap the bracketed parts for your own facts. Then read the result before it reaches another person.

Questions

Do I need a special formula?

No. Plain sentences work. A formula helps only because it reminds you to include the job, the facts, and the limits.

Should I say "act as an expert"?

You can name the kind of help you want, such as "help me write a short email." A costume does not make the tool more accurate.

What if the first answer is bad?

Say what is wrong. "Too long. Cut it to five lines. Do not add a discount I did not mention." Then read it again.