WRITING GOOD AI PROMPTS MADE SIMPLE

AI tools like ChatGPT are now everyday helpers. They can draft emails, brainstorm ideas, tutor students, write stories, and much more. But here’s the catch - the quality of the answer depends on your prompt. A prompt is just the instruction or question you give the AI. The clearer and sharper it is, the more accurate, helpful, and interesting the response will be.

Imagine this - you ask AI to ‘tell me about history’, and it spits back a long, generic answer that could’ve come from any old textbook. Not helpful. Now imagine instead you say, ‘Explain the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution in 300 words for high school students’. Suddenly, the response is tighter, clearer, and useful for your exact need. That’s the power of a well-written prompt - it turns vague guesses into answers that feel like they were made just for you.

Why Prompt Writing Matters

Prompt writing is just communication. Think of it like giving directions to a friend. If you say, ‘Take me somewhere fun’, you’ll probably end up at a random spot that doesn’t match what you had in mind. But if you say, ‘Take me to a quiet café with good Wi-Fi where I can work for two hours’, the outcome is way better.

Clear prompts don’t just save time. They unlock the AI’s best features step-by-step reasoning, focused explanations, and creative problem-solving. You only get that if you guide it with clarity.

The Key Principles of Writing Good Prompts

Be Specific and Detailed
Imagine asking a friend, ‘Tell me about films’. You’ll probably get a vague answer about Hollywood or Netflix. Now imagine doing the same with AI - the result won’t be much different, just broad and unfocused. But if you say, ‘List five influential French films from the 20th century and explain why they matter’, AI suddenly has clear directions. It knows where to focus, and the response feels sharper and more relevant.

Another example:

• General: ‘How can I improve my leadership skills?’
• More Complex: ‘Provide a detailed plan with five actionable strategies to improve leadership skills for a mid-level manager transitioning to an executive role in a tech startup. Include methods for fostering team motivation, managing remote employees effectively, and dealing with rapid organisational change. Support each strategy with recent research findings or industry case studies.’

Provide Context and Role Instructions
Sometimes AI needs a role to play. Think of it as hiring an actor - you don’t just say ‘go on stage’, you hand them a script and a character. It works the same way with prompts. If you simply say, ‘Write advice for graduates’, the answer might feel generic. But if you tell it, ‘You are a careers adviser writing advice for graduates entering the tech industry’, the response shifts immediately. The AI knows the voice it should use and the type of knowledge it should draw on.

Another example: 

• Basic: ‘Write a product description for a smartwatch’.
• Context-Rich: ‘You are a senior product marketer at a wearable tech company targeting health-conscious consumers aged 25–40. Write a persuasive, technically accurate product description of the latest smartwatch, highlighting its heart-rate variability tracking, sleep monitoring, and guided meditation features. The tone should be engaging but professional, appealing to fitness beginners and enthusiasts’.

Focus on a Clear Task
If you’re vague, you’ll get vague back. ‘Tell me about climate change’ could lead anywhere. But ‘Summarise the main causes and impacts of climate change in three short bullet points for a school project’ gives the AI a specific, doable job.

Another example:

• Simple: ‘Explain quantum computing’.
• Expanded: ‘Explain the concept of quantum computing in a 500-word essay aimed at undergraduate computer science students. Include a brief history, fundamental principles like superposition and entanglement, potential applications, and current challenges. Use analogies and avoid overly technical jargon, but provide references to further reading.’

Use Creative Scenarios to Inspire Freshness
AI thrives on imagination. ‘Write a story’ will likely bring back something standard. But try, ‘Write a diary entry from the perspective of a robot discovering human emotions for the first time’. Suddenly, the AI has a character, a setup, and room to create something fresh.

Another example:

• Basic: ‘Write a poem’.
• Enhanced: ‘Write a narrative poem from the perspective of an astronaut stranded on Mars, reflecting on isolation, hope, and human resilience. Use vivid space imagery, emotional language, and a rhythmic structure reminiscent of classic epics.’

Instructional Q&A Prompt

Not every prompt has to ask the AI to “write” something. Sometimes you want a straight, fact-based answer, and you can guide the AI by setting clear rules. A good way to do this is to provide context, ask a question, and tell the AI how to respond if it’s unsure.

Example: ‘Answer the question based on the context below. Keep the answer short and concise. Respond “Unsure about answer” if not sure about the answer.

Context: In 2007, a small railway station in Japan was struggling with declining passenger numbers. To boost morale and bring attention to the town, the railway company appointed a local stray cat named Tama as the official “station master” of Kishi Station. Tama wore a little stationmaster’s hat and greeted passengers, quickly becoming a national celebrity. Her presence increased tourism so much that the station’s revenue rose by over 10%, and she kept her honorary role until her death in 2015.

Question: What animal was appointed station master at Kishi Station in Japan?
Answer: A cat.’

Experiment and Improve
Prompts are like drafts - the first one doesn’t need to be perfect. If the answer feels off, tweak it. Add more detail, adjust the tone, or break the task into steps. For example, instead of ‘Write a full guide on starting a business’, start with ‘Write a short introduction for someone who is thinking about starting their first business, explaining why small businesses matter and how they can make a difference in everyday life’. Each tweak gets you closer to what you want. 

Advanced Prompt Techniques

Once you’re confident with the basics, there are extra techniques worth trying:

• Few-Shot Prompting. Show the AI a few examples first so it learns your style.
• Chain-of-Thought Prompting. Ask the AI to explain its steps instead of only the final answer.
• Prompt Chaining. Break a big job into smaller linked prompts, building as you go.
• Meta-Prompting. Ask the AI to improve your prompt before answering it.

Conclusion

Good prompts aren’t complicated, but they make all the difference. Clear, specific instructions with the right context turn AI from guesswork into something genuinely useful. Think of your prompt as the blueprint - the better you sketch it out, the stronger the result.

The essentials are simple - be specific, give context, set a clear task, get creative, and adjust as you go. Once you’re comfortable, experiment with examples, step-by-step reasoning, or chaining prompts together.

With a bit of practice, AI becomes more than just a tool. It becomes a partner for writing, brainstorming, research, and problem-solving. The sharper your prompt, the smarter your AI.