Writing Good Prompts

Ask a vague question, get a vague answer. A prompt is simply what you type to the assistant, and the single biggest improvement most people can make is to say more clearly what they want. Today you'll learn a simple checklist that works every time.

Vague in, generic out

Imagine asking a new colleague: "Can you do something about the newsletter?" They'd have a dozen questions. An assistant has the same problem, except it doesn't ask; it guesses, and its guess is usually generic.

Write about saving money.

I'm a student living in a shared flat on £900 a month. Give me 8 practical ways to save money on food and bills. Make them specific to the UK, put the ones that save the most first, and keep each tip to one or two sentences.

Try both. The second answer will be far more useful, and the only difference is what you asked for.

The five ingredients

You don't need all five every time, but run through them when an answer disappoints:

Ask for the format you need

Assistants can produce almost any shape of answer, so ask for the one that's easiest for you to use:

Compare three ways to learn Spanish as an adult: an app, evening classes and a language exchange. Use a table with these columns: method, cost, time per week, best for, and biggest downside.

Other useful formats: "a numbered step-by-step guide", "a checklist", "an email with a subject line", "pros and cons", "a short paragraph I can read aloud", "questions I should ask".

Set the audience and tone

The same information can be written very differently. Say who it's for:

Explain what a pension is in 3 short paragraphs for a 17-year-old who's just started their first part-time job. Friendly and encouraging, no jargon.

Change "a 17-year-old" to "a new HR assistant who needs to answer staff questions", and the answer changes completely.

Putting it together

Here's a weak prompt improved step by step:

1. Weak: "Help me with a complaint."
2. + task and context: "Help me write a complaint to my broadband provider. My internet has dropped out every evening for three weeks."
3. + audience and tone: "…It's going to their customer service team. Firm and polite, not angry."
4. + format and length: "…Write it as an email with a subject line, under 200 words, and end by asking for a partial refund for the three weeks."

Recap

• Vague prompts force the assistant to guess, which gives generic answers.
• Use the five ingredients: task, context, audience & tone, format, length.
• Ask for the format you need: tables, lists, emails, checklists.
• Say who it's for; the same facts can be explained very differently.
• Plain, specific language beats any "magic" phrase.

Tomorrow you'll learn to give the assistant background material and examples, and to improve answers with follow-ups.