Write better prompts (with examples you can copy)

New to AI

Part of: Your first week with AI · Step 4 of 6

A prompt is what you type to an AI assistant. You don’t need special tricks or secret phrases. The things that help a person help an AI too: say what you want, give the background, and say what a good answer looks like.

Four habits

Say the task in one sentence. “Write a short thank-you email to my neighbor for watering my plants.”
Give the background it can’t guess. Who it’s for, what’s already happened, and anything to avoid.
Ask for a format. “Three bullet points”, “under 100 words”, or “a table with two columns”.
Ask it to flag what it’s unsure about. “List anything you’re not sure of.” Then check those parts yourself.

Before and after

Vague: “Write something about my yard sale.”

Clearer: “Write a short, friendly post for my neighborhood group about a yard sale on [date] from [time] at [street]. Mention [three kinds of items]. Under 80 words, no emojis.”

The second version says what, who for, which details to include and how long. You’ll spend less time fixing the answer.

Examples you can copy

Change the parts in [brackets].

Explain [topic] to me as if I'm new to it. Use everyday words, one short example,
and finish with three questions I can ask to learn more.

Here's a draft email: [paste text, with names and numbers removed].
Make it clearer and friendlier, keep it under [number] words, and don't add facts I didn't give you.

I'm comparing [option A] and [option B] for [what you need].
List the questions I should ask before deciding. Don't recommend one.

Here's what I wrote: [paste text]. Give me three specific suggestions to make it easier to read,
and explain each one. Don't rewrite it for me.

If the answer isn’t right

Say what’s wrong. “Shorter”, “less formal” or “you left out the date” works better than starting again.
Give an example of what you want. Paste a sentence in the style you like.
Break big jobs into steps. Ask for an outline first, then each part.

What prompts can’t fix

AI can still be wrong, even with a well-written prompt. See Check an AI answer before you trust it.
Don’t add private details to get a “better” answer. See Keep your personal info out of AI chats.
These habits work in any chat assistant. You can try them on a free one: see How to try a free model on OpenRouter or the free tools in Resources.

The short version

Say the task, give the background, ask for a format and ask what it’s unsure about. Then check the answer.