Beginner guide

How to Write Better AI Prompts: 7 Simple Tricks

By Abdelmounaim Dib · Updated November 2026 · 8 min read

A "prompt" is simply what you type to an AI chatbot. Most bad answers come from short, vague prompts. These seven tricks work in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude, and none of them needs any technical skill.

The one-line version: tell the AI who it is for, what you want, and how the answer should look. Everything below is a way of doing that better.

The 7 tricks
  1. Give context
  2. Say the format you want
  3. Give it a role
  4. Show an example
  5. Set limits
  6. Ask it to ask you questions
  7. Improve the answer step by step

1. Give context

The AI does not know who you are or why you are asking. Two extra sentences change everything.

Weak: Give me a workout plan. Better: I am 40, I sit at a desk all day and I have bad knees. Give me a 20-minute home workout with no jumping and no equipment.

We tested both prompts in ChatGPT. The difference is easy to see:

ChatGPT answer to 'Give me a workout plan': a gym schedule with machines like leg press and chest press
Weak prompt: it guessed and gave a gym plan with machines. It also pulled personal details from earlier chats, which we blurred.
ChatGPT answer to the detailed prompt: a 20-minute knee-friendly home workout with warm-up and gentle exercises like wall push-ups
Better prompt: a 20-minute, knee-friendly home workout with no jumping and no equipment, exactly as asked. Our own test, November 2026.

Good to know: ChatGPT can remember things from your earlier chats ("memory"). That is why our weak prompt got a plan based on old details. You can turn memory off or use a temporary chat in the settings.

2. Say the format you want

Tell it exactly how the answer should look: a list, a table, an email, three short options.

Compare renting and buying a car for someone who drives 5,000 miles a year. Put it in a table with three rows: cost, flexibility, hassle.

3. Give it a role

Starting with "Act as..." points the AI toward the right tone and knowledge.

Act as a patient math teacher. Explain percentages to an adult who always found math hard. Use money examples.

4. Show an example

If you want a certain style, paste a short example and say "like this".

Write 5 Instagram captions for my bakery. Keep them short and friendly, like this one: "Fresh croissants, still warm. You know what to do."

5. Set limits

Limits stop long, rambling answers. Use words, numbers or reading level.

  • "Keep it short." or "Under 100 words."
  • "Explain it like I am 12."
  • "Give me 3 options, no more."
  • "Do not invent facts or numbers."

We used "Keep it short" in all our tests, for example in our comparison of four free chatbots, and it worked in every one.

6. Ask it to ask you questions

When you are not sure what details matter, let the AI interview you first.

I want to plan a birthday party for my wife. Before you suggest anything, ask me 5 questions to understand what she would like.

7. Improve the answer step by step

The first answer is a draft. Reply in the same chat to shape it:

If the answer is...Reply with
Too long"Shorter, please. Keep only the main points."
Too formal"Make it sound more friendly and casual."
Too general"Give me specific examples for my situation."
Not quite right"Good, but change the second part to..."
Full of claims"Which of these facts should I double-check?"

A copy-and-paste template

Fill in the brackets and you will get a good answer most of the time:

Act as [a role]. I am [who you are / your situation]. I need [what you want]. Please give it as [format], [length limit]. Do not invent facts. If you need more details, ask me first.

What not to put in a prompt

Never paste passwords, bank or card numbers, ID numbers or other people's private details. And remember that even a perfect prompt can get a wrong answer, so check what matters.

Try it now: take a question you asked an AI last week, rewrite it with tricks 1, 2 and 5, and compare the answers. New to chatbots? Start with ChatGPT for beginners.

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