Writing Better Prompts for AI Tools
Five small changes that make AI summaries, rewrites, and translations dramatically better — with examples you can copy.
AI tools are only as good as what you give them. Five small habits push results from "meh" to "ship it."
1. Set the audience
Bad: Summarize this article Good: Summarize this article in 5 bullets for a non-technical executive
The same content can be summarized for a child, a developer, or a board member. Say which.
2. Set the length
Bad: Rewrite this paragraph Good: Rewrite this paragraph in under 60 words, active voice, no jargon
Without a length, you get whatever the model defaults to — usually too long.
3. Give a format
Bad: Generate hashtags Good: Generate 8 hashtags, lowercase, no spaces, no numbers, ranked by reach
Try our Hashtag Generator and watch how much sharper output gets when you specify format.
4. Show an example
One example beats three sentences of instruction. If you want titles in a certain style, paste two examples and ask for ten more.
5. Iterate, don't restart
If the first output is 80% right, do not re-prompt from scratch. Reply with the specific change: "shorter," "more casual," "drop the emojis." The model keeps the rest.
Quick recipes
- Better summaries — use the Summarizer and add: "include the 3 numbers that matter most."
- Better emails — use the Email Writer and add: "polite but firm, 4 sentences max."
- Better translations — use the Translator and add: "preserve technical terms in English."
The model is doing the heavy lifting. Your job is to scope the question.