Bad AI Prompt vs Better AI Prompt

An AI tool can only be as clear as your request. A vague prompt gets a generic answer. A better prompt hands the AI the context, goal, and format it needs.

A better prompt is not longer. It is clearer.

Role

The part the AI should play

Context

Who you are and what is going on

Goal

The result you want

Audience

The people the result is for

Format

Length, structure, and style

Rules

What to include and what to avoid

Bad prompt

Write a productivity blog post.

Better prompt

Write a 700-word blog post for busy freelancers on three ways to plan a week in 15 minutes. Use a friendly tone, short paragraphs, one example per tip, and a closing checklist.

Bad prompt

Write my client an email about the delay.

Better prompt

Write a short, polite email telling a client their website launch moves from May 3 to May 10 because of a payment system issue. Own the delay, state the new date, and offer a 15-minute call.

Bad prompt

Tell me about electric cars.

Better prompt

Compare this year’s three best-selling electric cars in the UK on price, range, and charging speed. Use a table, cite dated sources, and say which one suits a family on a budget.

Bad prompt

Write a LinkedIn post on AI.

Better prompt

Write a LinkedIn post for small business owners about one AI task that saves an hour a week. Open with a one-line hook, keep lines short, give three steps, and close with a question. No hashtags or emoji.

Bad prompt

A coffee shop.

Better prompt

A cozy corner coffee shop on a rainy evening, warm light spilling through the window, a barista pouring latte art, shot on a 35mm lens, soft-focus background, realistic photo, 4:5 format.

Bad prompt

Make a city video.

Better prompt

Slow drone shot rising over a coastal city at sunrise, golden light across glass buildings, a calm sea, gentle wind and distant gulls, cinematic, eight seconds, 16:9.

Bad prompt

Fix my code.

Better prompt

This function should return the total price with 20% tax, but it returns the price without tax. The code and the error are below. Find the bug, explain it in one sentence, and fix only that bug.

Bad prompt

Explain quantum computing.

Better prompt

Explain quantum computing to a curious 15-year-old in under 200 words, using one everyday analogy. Then ask me one question to check that I understood.

Bad prompt

Give me business ideas.

Better prompt

I am a graphic designer with $500 and 10 hours a week. Suggest five online business ideas I could launch this month, each with steps to land a first customer and its realistic risks.

Bad prompt

Analyze this spreadsheet.

Better prompt

This spreadsheet shows monthly sales by product. Find the three biggest changes last quarter, suggest a likely reason for each, and present the results in a table and one chart.

• Add the audience
• Add the goal
• Add the format and the length
• Add one example of good output
• Ask the AI to question you first when you are unsure

Before you answer, ask me any questions you need to give me the best result.

Role: [role]. Context: [who I am and the situation]. Task: [what to do]. Audience: [who it is for]. Format: [length, structure, style]. Rules: [include, avoid, facts to keep].