How to phrase a good request to AI: prompt basics

An AI has probably given you an answer that was vague, too long or off the mark. In many cases, a more precise instruction would have been enough. A “prompt” is simply the instruction you give the AI, and learning to write a good prompt is nothing technical. It means explaining clearly what you want, as you would to someone who doesn’t know you.

A good prompt is a good brief

Imagine asking a friend “Can you help me with dinner?”. They don’t know whether to cook, do the shopping or book a restaurant. An AI is in the same position. It can’t guess what you have in mind and answers what you write.

There’s no magic formula to learn by heart. A clear request, written naturally, almost always works better than a long, complicated text.

The 4 ingredients of a good prompt

To get a useful answer, think of these four ingredients. You won’t need all four every time, but the more you give, the better the answer fits.

1. The context says who you are and what the situation is. “I’m having 6 friends over on Saturday, one of them vegetarian.”
2. The goal says what you want to get. “I’m looking for a full menu that’s easy to prepare in advance.”
3. The format describes the shape of the answer. “Give it to me as 3 courses, with the shopping list.”
4. The constraints say what to avoid or respect. “£50 budget, and no oven available.”

If you have an example, add it, such as “in the style of this message”. AI follows examples well.

Example: before and after

Here’s the difference between a vague request and a clear one.

Before: “Write a message to my landlord.”

The AI produces a generic, overly formal text that doesn’t say what you want.

After: “I’ve been a tenant for 3 years. My boiler has been broken since Monday. Write a polite but firm message to my landlord asking for a repair before the end of the week. Courteous tone, 5 lines maximum.”

This time you get a message that’s nearly ready, which you only need to reread and adjust.

5 tips to go further

Once you have the four ingredients, these tips will noticeably improve the answers.

• Ask for several options. Choosing from three versions is quicker than correcting one.
• Let the AI ask you questions, by ending with “Ask me any questions you need before answering.”
• Keep the conversation going. Your first prompt is only a starting point, and you can ask for a shorter or warmer version.
• Ask which points are uncertain and which sources it is using, then check the important parts.
• Reuse what works. A request that gave a good result can serve as a template next time.

Never put sensitive information in a prompt, such as a password or a card number. We explain why in our article on AI and privacy.

Each profile has its own way of prompting

We don’t all write our requests the same way. The Experimenter likes to ask several AIs the same question to compare. The Architect builds neatly organised prompt templates and reuses them. The Pioneer writes fast and corrects along the way, while the Guardian spells everything out from the start.

Several ways of phrasing a request can be useful. Choose the one that fits your goal and adjust it according to the results. To discover how you approach AI, take our free test. In about 3 minutes, you’ll know your AI profile and get a first tip suited to the way you do things.