How to Write Better AI Prompts: A Practical Guide with Examples

A prompt is simply what you type to an AI tool. The same assistant can give you a vague, generic answer or a sharp, useful one — and most of the difference comes from the prompt. The good news is that writing better prompts isn't a secret skill. It's mostly about giving the AI the same information you'd give a capable colleague.

The techniques below work in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and most other AI assistants.

1. Say what you're trying to achieve

The AI can't see your situation. Tell it the goal behind the request, not just the task.

The better prompt answers the questions a colleague would ask: who is it for, what happened, what do you need from them?

2. Give it the context it needs

Paste in the material the answer should be based on — the document, the data, the previous email, your notes. AI assistants are far more accurate when they work from text you've provided than when they rely on general knowledge. If the material is long, say which part matters most.

Context also means saying who you are and who the audience is: "I'm a nurse explaining this to patients" leads to a very different answer than "explain this to a medical student".

3. Describe the format you want

If you don't say how the answer should look, you'll get the AI's default — often long, with lots of headings. Be specific:

• Length: "in under 100 words", "one paragraph", "three bullet points".
• Structure: "as a table with columns for price, pros and cons", "as a numbered checklist".
• Tone: "plain and friendly", "formal", "no jargon".

4. Show an example

When you want a particular style, showing beats describing. Paste one or two examples of what good looks like, and ask for more in the same style.

5. Break big tasks into steps

One giant request ("write my business plan") gives a shallow result. Split it up and work through it together: first an outline, then each section, then a review. You can steer at every step, and mistakes get caught early instead of buried in a long answer.

6. Let the AI ask you questions

When you're not sure what information matters, end your prompt with: "Before you start, ask me any questions you need answered to do this well." The AI will list what it's missing — often things you hadn't thought of.

7. Iterate instead of starting over

Treat the first answer as a draft. Reply with specific feedback: "shorter", "make the second point more concrete", "this is too formal for our customers". Small corrections in the same conversation work better than rewriting the whole prompt from scratch, because the AI keeps the context.

8. Ask for sources — and check them

For anything factual, ask the AI to cite its sources, and use a tool that can search the web, such as Perplexity or the web search in your assistant. Then open the sources. AI assistants can state wrong facts confidently and sometimes invent references that don't exist. A good habit is to ask: "Which parts of this answer are you least sure about?"

Before and after: three examples

Save prompts you use often

If you write the same kind of prompt again and again, don't retype it. Most assistants let you save standing instructions:

• ChatGPT has custom instructions and custom GPTs.
• Claude has Projects, where you can store instructions and reference documents.
• Gemini has Gems — saved custom assistants with their own instructions.

Even a simple text file of your best prompts saves time.

Prompts for images

Image generators follow the same principle — specific beats vague — but they reward different details: subject, setting, style, lighting and composition. Our guide on how to generate images with AI for free has a step-by-step recipe with examples.

What not to put in a prompt

Don't paste passwords, financial details, health records or other people's personal information into an AI tool unless you're sure how that data is stored and used. Check your assistant's privacy settings, and follow your employer's rules for work documents.

The one-sentence version

Tell the AI what you want, why, for whom, from what material and in what format — then refine. If you're still choosing an assistant to practise with, see ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini.