How to prompt well

A clear message to an AI gets you a useful answer much faster. This lesson gives you a four-part shape for that message, plus a way to improve the answer in two turns.

Write for a smart new coworker

A prompt is the message you type into an AI app. Write it as if for a smart new coworker who knows nothing about your situation. If that coworker would be confused, the AI will be too.

Most weak prompts are one line long. The AI has to guess the rest, so you get a bland, general answer.

Try it now: Open your AI app. Type one task from your week in a single line, send it, and read the answer.

Use four parts: goal, context, examples, format

A good prompt has four parts. Each part answers one question the AI would ask you.

• Goal: What do you want? Start with a verb, like "write", "plan" or "compare".
• Context: What does the AI need to know? Give the facts, who it's for, and why it matters.
• Examples: What does good look like? Paste a short sample of the tone or shape you want.
• Format: What shape should the answer take? Say the length, the layout, and how it should end.

Try it now: Look at your one-line task. Write one sentence of context: who will read the result, and why.

Give the reason, not only the rule

Context works best when it includes the reason behind your prompt. "Keep it short" is a rule. "My manager reads email on a phone, so keep it short" gives the AI a reason it can apply to every choice.

Material the AI should work from, like notes or a long document, also counts as context. Paste long text near the top of your prompt. Put your question at the end.

Try it now: Add one "because" or "so" sentence to your context.

Show an example, then name the format

An example shows the AI what you mean far better than a description. One example is often enough. Add more only if the answer still misses.

For format, say what you want instead of what you don't want. "Write in short paragraphs" works better than "Don't use bullet points." AI apps differ in their default answers: some write long, some short, some use lots of lists. So always name the format.

AI apps also follow your words closely. If a rule applies to the whole answer, say so: "Use short sentences in every paragraph."

Try it now: Add a format line to your prompt, with a word limit and a layout.

See it work: an email to your landlord

Here is one task, done two ways, in Claude. The same prompts work in any AI app. Your water heater broke, and you want your landlord to fix it.

The weak prompt:

Write an email to my landlord about the water
heater.

You will likely get a stiff, general letter. It has no dates, no clear request and the wrong tone.

The four-part prompt:

## Goal
Write an email to my landlord asking them to fix
the water heater by Friday.

## Context
- The water heater stopped giving hot water on
  Monday. I reported it by phone that day.
  Nobody has come.
- I have rented this flat for 2 years and pay on
  time. I want to stay on good terms, so keep it
  polite but firm.
- The lease says the landlord fixes appliances
  they supplied. The heater is theirs.
- My landlord reads email on their phone, so keep
  it short.

## Example of the tone I want
"Hi Somchai, a quick note about the front door
lock. It sticks when it rains. Could someone look
at it this week? Thanks, Jay"

## Format
- A subject line, then the email.
- Under 120 words.
- End with one clear request and a date.
- If anything above is unclear, ask me before you
  write.

The headings are optional. They help most when your prompt mixes instructions with pasted text.

What changed:

• The goal names the outcome and a deadline.
• The context gives facts, dates and the reason for the tone.
• The example shows the tone instead of describing it.
• The format sets the length, the layout and the ending.
• The last line lets the AI ask you questions first.

Improve the answer in two turns

A follow-up is a message you send after the first answer, in the same chat. Treat the first answer as a draft. Two follow-ups usually make it ready to use.

Put the full prompt in your first message. Use follow-ups to fix details, not to add the main task. If the AI asks you a question, answer it. That is part of the process.

Turn 1: Say exactly what to change

Name each change and keep what already works.

Good. Two changes: mention the lease in one
sentence, and offer two times I can be home
(Thursday after 5 pm, Friday morning). Keep it
under 120 words.

A follow-up like "make it better" gives the AI nothing to work with. Specific changes get specific fixes.

Turn 2: Ask the AI to check its work

Ask the AI to read the draft as your reader would.

Read it as my landlord. Which line could annoy
them or sound like a threat? Rewrite that line,
then give me the final version only.

This turns the AI into a checker. You could also ask, "What did I leave out that my landlord would need?" Or ask for a short text-message version.

Try it now: Send your own four-part prompt, then send a follow-up with one exact change.

Try it

1. In a new chat, type four headings: Goal, Context, Example, Format.
2. Under Goal, write one task from your week, starting with a verb.
3. Under Context, add the facts, the reader, and one "because" sentence.
4. Under Example and Format, paste a short sample and set a length and layout. Send it. You'll see a draft that uses your facts, tone and length.
5. Send a follow-up with one or two exact changes, like a fact to add or a line to cut.
6. Send this follow-up: "Read it as my reader. Fix the weakest line, then show the final version." You'll see a final version that is close to ready to send.

If it goes wrong: if the AI ignores a rule, repeat it in a follow-up and say where it applies, like "in every paragraph".