A better prompt starts with a better brief

“Make this better” is a perfectly understandable request and a deeply unhelpful brief. Better for whom? Shorter, warmer, clearer, less formal? An assistant has to fill those gaps somehow.

A good prompt gives it fewer gaps to fill. You can do that in a few plain sentences; there is no need to sound like you are programming a spaceship.

State the outcome first

Begin with a verb and a concrete deliverable. “Create a packing checklist for a two-night photography trip” gives the request a shape. “Help with my trip” leaves much more undecided.

Add the audience when it changes the result. Instructions for a first-time volunteer will need different context from notes for someone who already knows the project.

Keep the initial goal narrow. You can ask for the next step after reviewing the first output. Smaller tasks are generally easier for you to inspect and revise.

Supply the facts that matter

Give the tool the information it needs for this particular task. Dates, constraints, audience knowledge, desired length, and source text may all matter. Unrelated background can make the important details harder to identify. Microsoft's prompting examples show how adding context changes a brief.

Separate supplied facts from your instructions. A simple label such as “Project notes” followed by “What to produce” can clarify what should be used as material and what should guide the response.

Do not include sensitive information just to make an example feel realistic. Replace private details with fictional equivalents when testing a workflow.

Describe success in observable terms

“Make it good” is difficult to evaluate. “Use a short introduction, five checklist items, and a closing reminder” is much easier to check.

Name the details that must remain unchanged. If the source contains a date, a product name, or a quoted sentence, say whether it needs to be preserved exactly.

You can also explain what to do with gaps. “List unanswered questions at the end” gives uncertainty a place to go. You still need to verify the result, but the request encourages a more reviewable draft.

Offer an example when style matters

A short example can communicate tone more clearly than a long list of adjectives. Show a sentence that has the rhythm or level of detail you want, using material you have permission to share. Google's prompt design guide includes worked examples of supplying demonstrations in a prompt.

Explain what should be borrowed from the example. You might want its brevity, its structure, or its friendly language—not its subject matter.

If you have no example, describe the reading situation. “Someone will read this quickly on a phone before arriving” gives practical direction about length and organization.

Review, then revise specifically

Read the output against the original brief. Check facts, omissions, formatting, and whether the intended audience could use it.

When something fails, name the failure. Ask for a shorter opening, a clearer sequence, or preservation of a missing detail. Keep the parts that already work instead of restarting without a reason.

For factual material, verify claims against appropriate sources yourself. A polished answer is a draft to inspect, not evidence of its own accuracy.

Save successful briefs with a note about when they are useful. Over time, you will build a small collection shaped around your actual work. The valuable skill is learning how to describe and evaluate a task; the prompt is simply where that thinking becomes visible.