Prompting: How to Ask Well
Simple techniques that turn vague, generic AI answers into specific, useful ones.
A prompt is just what you type to the AI. The quality of the answer depends heavily on the quality of the ask. You don't need special tricks: give context, be specific about what you want and in what format, and then keep the conversation going by refining. Treat it like briefing a smart new colleague.
Key takeaways
- Use the C.R.A.F.T. checklist: Context, Role, Ask, Format, Tone.
- Give examples of what 'good' looks like when you can.
- Iterate: 'shorter', 'more casual', 'give me 3 options' beats starting over.
- Ask it to ask you questions first when the task is complex.
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The C.R.A.F.T. checklist
| Letter | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| C | Context: background the AI needs | "I run a small bakery with 3 staff..." |
| R | Role: who should it act as | "Act as an experienced marketing coach." |
| A | Ask: the specific task | "Write a 1-week Instagram plan." |
| F | Format: how you want it | "As a table with day, post idea, caption." |
| T | Tone: style and audience | "Warm, local, a little playful." |
Before and after
Vague
Example promptWrite an email to my landlord.Better
Example promptI rent an apartment. The kitchen faucet has leaked for 2 weeks and I reported it once by phone. Write a short, polite but firm email to my landlord asking for a repair date this week. Keep it under 120 words.The second prompt gives context, a clear goal, a tone and a length, so the first draft is usually usable.
Seven techniques that work
- Be specific about length and format. "3 bullet points", "a table", "under 100 words".
- Show an example. Paste something you like and say "match this style".
- Ask for options. "Give me 5 subject lines" then pick or combine.
- Have it interview you. Example promptI want to plan a 4-day trip to Portugal. Before you suggest anything, ask me up to 5 questions about my preferences.
- Ask for step-by-step thinking on tricky problems: "Walk through this step by step."
- Set the audience. "Explain to a 10-year-old" / "for a CFO".
- Ask it to critique. "What's weak about this plan? What am I missing?"
Refining (the real secret)
Your first prompt rarely gets the perfect answer. Keep chatting:
- "Make it shorter / more casual / more formal."
- "Keep paragraph 2, rewrite the rest."
- "That's too generic. Use details from what I told you."
- "Put that in a table I can paste into a spreadsheet."
Reusable prompt template
Example promptContext: [who you are / the situation] Task: [exactly what you want] Format: [list, table, email, length] Tone: [friendly, professional, simple] Before you start, ask me anything you need to do this well.Free: Learn AI in 7 Days + all PDFs
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