What it is: A prompt is what you type to an AI to tell it what you want.
Who it’s for: Anyone new to using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude
Best if: You’re learning how to get good answers from AI
Skip if: You already write prompts every day
Think of a prompt like asking a librarian for a book. If you say “I want a book,” you’ll get anything. If you say “I want a funny mystery book set in Paris for a 10-year-old,” you’ll get a much better pick.
A prompt works the same way. The more you tell the AI, the better it can help. A good prompt has three things:
- Who you want it to be. (“Act like a friendly teacher.”)
- What you want it to do. (“Explain photosynthesis to me.”)
- How you want the answer. (“Use short words. Use three short paragraphs.”)
Examples
Weak prompt: “Write about dogs.”
Strong prompt: “Write 200 words about why dogs help people with loneliness. Use kind language. Give two true stories as examples.”
The strong one gets you what you wanted. The weak one gets you whatever the AI picks.
Get Smarter About AI Every Morning
Free daily newsletter — one story, one tool, one tip. Plain English, no jargon.
Free forever. Unsubscribe anytime.