When AI gives a weak answer, the question was usually too loose. “Write me some copy” leaves the AI guessing: for whom, how long, what tone? Wrong guesses make the result useless.
Good prompts need no tricks. Just cover three things: who it should be, what it needs to know, and what result you want.
Basic 1: give it a role
The role sets the angle and level of the answer.
- ❌ Take a look at this résumé
- ✅ You are an HR lead with ten years of tech hiring. Review this résumé
The second one makes the AI look for what a recruiter would screen out, instead of offering generic praise.
The more specific the better. “A marketing expert” is weaker than “someone who runs parenting accounts on Xiaohongshu”.
Basic 2: explain the context
The AI does not know who you are, what you are doing or who will read the result. If you do not say, it assumes the most generic case.
Context worth giving:
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Purpose: what this is for
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Audience: who reads it and how much they know
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Constraints: what to avoid, what must be included
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Material: related docs, data, or samples you wrote before
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❌ Write an article about our product
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✅ We make an AI tool that watches live-stream chat for streamers. Our users are new solo streamers whose biggest problem is keeping up with comments. Write an intro article, and avoid words like “disruptive” or “revolutionary”.
Basic 3: say what format you want
The same content as a paragraph, a table or ten bullets are very different things. Say which:
- Length: “under 300 words”, “three sentences”
- Structure: “three subheadings”, “a comparison table”
- Tone: “casual, like talking to a friend”
- Quantity: “give me 5 title options”
If you already know what good looks like, paste an example. It beats any description.
A template you can reuse
You are [role].
I am [doing what], for [whom], who [know this much about it].
Keep in mind: [constraints].
Reference material: [paste here]
Output [format, length, quantity].One last habit: keep talking
A disappointing first answer is normal. Do not start over. Say what is wrong:
- “Too formal, make it more casual”
- “Number three is good, write five more like it”
- “Drop the last paragraph”
Treat the AI like a smart new colleague: it can do almost anything, but you have to brief it well and tell it what to fix.