Be Clear and Specific

Principle: Vagueness is the number one reason prompts fail. The more specific your request, the closer the answer lands to what you imagined.

Replace vague words with concrete details

Spell out the details that matter

• Length — "in 50 words", "in 3 paragraphs"
• Audience — "for a 10-year-old", "for senior engineers"
• Tone — "friendly", "formal", "persuasive"
• Focus — "emphasise the cost savings"

Avoid words the model has to guess

Words like "good", "nice", "better", and "some" mean different things to everyone. Replace them with measurable detail. Instead of "write a short post", say "write a 150-word post".

💡 Test: if you handed your prompt to a stranger, could they do the task exactly as you intended? If not, add detail.