Prompting tips: how to get better answers from an AI
Most disappointing AI answers come from short, ambiguous requests. You do not need special tricks or secret formulas to fix that. You need to give the assistant what a smart colleague would ask you for before starting the job.
The four ingredients of a good prompt
Think of a prompt as a short brief. A strong brief usually covers four things, and most of the time each one fits in a single sentence.
| Ingredient | What to say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Task | What you want done, with a clear verb | Summarize, compare, rewrite, plan, explain |
| Context | Who you are, who it is for, why you need it | For my team of six engineers, before Monday's meeting |
| Constraints | Length, tone, what to include or avoid | Under 150 words, no jargon, keep the numbers |
| Format | The shape of the answer | A table, five bullet points, a short email |
Here is what those four ingredients look like together:
Summarize the main arguments for and against a four-day work week for a small marketing agency owner who is considering it. Keep it under 200 words, neutral in tone, and end with three questions she should ask her team.
Try this promptFive mistakes that lead to vague answers
Asking for everything at once
"Plan my wedding" is too big. "List the decisions we need to make in the next two months for a wedding of 80 guests next June" gives you something you can actually work with. Then take each decision one at a time.
Leaving out the audience
An explanation for a child, a customer and an expert are three different texts. If you do not say who will read it, you get something that fits nobody well.
Hiding the real goal
If you ask for "a nicer version of this paragraph" when you really want the reader to sign up for a trial, say so. The assistant can only optimize for the goal it knows about.
Accepting the first draft
Treat the first answer as a draft. Follow-ups like "shorter", "more concrete", "drop the second idea" or "make the opening punchier" are where the quality comes from. 1avance keeps the whole conversation in mind, so you never need to start over.
Trusting numbers blindly
Language models can state wrong figures with confidence. For anything recent or precise, ask for sources. 1avance searches the web when the question needs it and lists the sources under the answer, so you can check them.
Three techniques that work surprisingly well
Let the AI ask you questions first
When you are not sure what details matter, turn things around.
I want to start running again after a long break. Before giving me a plan, ask me up to five questions about my situation, one at a time.
Try this promptGive an example of what good looks like
If you have a style or format in mind, paste an example. The assistant will match it far better than it could follow a description.
Ask it to check its own work
After a long answer, a simple follow-up catches many slips.
Review your previous answer. Point out anything that might be inaccurate, outdated or missing, and tell me what I should double-check myself.
Try this promptBefore and after
A weak prompt: "Write something about our new product."
A strong prompt: "Write a 90-word announcement for our newsletter about our new reusable lunch box. Readers are existing customers who care about reducing waste. Mention that it is dishwasher safe and ships next week. Friendly tone, no exclamation marks."
The second version takes thirty seconds longer to write and saves you three rounds of edits.
What not to share
You never need to share passwords, card numbers or detailed medical records to get useful help. Describe the situation instead of pasting sensitive documents. And remember that an AI can help you understand a legal, medical or financial question, but a qualified professional should make the final call.
Want to see these tips in action? Browse what 1avance can do or try the email writing guide.