How to write better AI prompts

If your ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini answers feel bland or off, the prompt is almost always the reason. AI is only as good as what you ask. Once you learn five or six small habits, you can stop getting "here is a generic resume" and start getting something you actually want to send.

Bad prompts vs better prompts

Habit 1: Be specific about what you want

Vague prompts get vague answers. The AI fills the gap with the average of what most people ask for. The fix is to tell it what you actually want.

• How long? "Three sentences." "About 200 words." "One paragraph."
• What tone? "Warm but professional." "Casual, like texting a friend." "Direct, no fluff."
• What kind of output? "Email." "Letter." "List of bullet points." "Table."

Habit 2: Give context about you and your situation

AI does not know who you are. Tell it.

• "I am 67, recently retired."
• "I run a small bakery."
• "I have a 9 year old learning to swim."
• "I am a Spanish teacher writing a thank you to a parent who donated supplies."

This one habit alone fixes 80% of generic AI answers. The AI now knows whose voice to write in.

Habit 3: Tell the AI what to leave out

By default, AI loves to:

• Start with "I'd be happy to help!" or similar
• Use exclamation points
• Wrap up with "Let me know if you need anything else!"
• Repeat your question back to you
• Add a section header for everything
• Use emoji

You can turn off any of these. "Skip the introduction." "No exclamation points." "Do not summarize my question." "Plain prose, no headers." Add these instructions every time and the result reads more like a real person wrote it.

Habit 4: Tell it the format

"Three short bullet points." "A two-column table with X and Y." "A numbered checklist I can print." "A 100 word paragraph." Format requests cost nothing and dramatically change the result.

Habit 5: Iterate after the first answer

The first answer is rarely the best one. Treat it as a draft. Then refine:

• "Shorter."
• "Less formal."
• "Now write it in the voice of a 65 year old grandmother."
• "Remove the second paragraph."
• "Add a sentence at the end thanking them for their patience."
• "Try one more, completely different angle."

Most people give up after the first try. The big improvement comes from one or two rounds of refinement. AI is fast; use that.

The "give me 5 options" trick

Instead of asking for one answer, ask for several.

• "Give me 5 different ways to phrase this opening line, ranging from formal to casual."
• "Suggest 3 subject lines for this email."
• "Draft 4 different birthday card messages for my mom, who is 80 and loves gardening."

You read all five, pick the best, and ask the AI to refine that one. Way faster than asking for one and hating it.

The "act as" prompt for tough situations

If you need a specific kind of expertise, just say it:

• "Act as a contractor reviewing this kitchen remodel quote. Flag anything that looks off."
• "Act as a friendly editor. Edit this paragraph for clarity, but keep my voice."
• "Act as a financial advisor. Explain whether a Roth IRA or Traditional IRA makes more sense for someone in my situation."
• "Act as a doctor (not for diagnosis, just for general questions). Explain what an A1C test measures."

Always remember: this does not make the AI a real expert. It is still just predicting useful text. But the framing tends to produce more focused, helpful answers.

The "explain it like" prompt

If a topic is over your head:

• "Explain like I am 12 years old."
• "Explain like I am smart but have never heard the words you are using."
• "Explain in plain English with no jargon."
• "Use a concrete example with actual dollar amounts."

The "ask me questions first" prompt

When you do not even know how to describe what you want:

"I want to write an apology letter to a friend I hurt. Before writing it, ask me 5 questions to understand the situation better."

The AI asks; you answer; then it writes. The result is dramatically better than just typing "write an apology letter."

Prompts for specific kinds of work

Writing an email

"Write a [length] email to [recipient], asking them to [request]. I have already [history]. Tone should be [tone]. Skip the introduction. No exclamation points."

Editing a draft

"Edit this email for clarity. Keep my voice. Do not change the meaning. Make it about 30% shorter. [paste draft]"

Summarizing a document

"Summarize this in 3 bullet points. Then list the 2 things I should ask follow-up questions about. [paste or upload]"

Brainstorming ideas

"Suggest 10 names for [thing]. Range from playful to professional. After the list, recommend the best 3 and why."

Figuring out a decision

"I am deciding between [option A] and [option B]. Here are the facts: [facts]. Ask me 5 questions to clarify, then give me your honest recommendation."

Explaining something hard

"Explain [topic] in plain English. Use a concrete example. Then test my understanding with 3 simple questions and tell me if I get them right."

Common mistakes

• Treating it like Google. Short keyword queries get short keyword answers. Write a full sentence.
• One shot and done. The first answer is the starting point, not the finish.
• Mixing topics in one chat. Start a new chat for each new task. Old context confuses things.
• No context. "Write me a poem" without telling it who, what for, or tone is throwing dice.
• Believing it blindly. Always read what came back with a critical eye, especially anything numerical or anything that "sounds confident."

One prompt template that works for almost anything

Steal this:

"Help me [do thing]. Context: [who I am, situation, history]. I want it to [tone, length, format]. Do NOT [things to avoid]. After your first answer, ask me anything that would make the next version better."

That template will get you better answers than 90% of what people type into AI.

Video walkthrough

Video by Jeff Su on YouTube