How to write effective prompts: a real example
Want to really understand how to write effective prompts, not in theory? Then follow me. We'll take a sloppy request and fix it step by step, right in front of you. By the end you'll see the huge gap between a lazy prompt and a good one. We'll use a real case: an email asking for a discount.
The starting point: the lazy prompt
Here's how a beginner writes it: "Write an email to ask for a discount." The AI answers, but out comes a vague, cold email that could fit anyone. It's not the AI's fault. Everything is missing: who, on what, why. Now let's improve it piece by piece.
Step 1: add context
Say who you are and the situation. It becomes: "I'm a loyal customer of an online shoe shop, I've been buying for two years." Now the AI knows where you start from. Context is the first thing that changes everything. Without it, the AI just guesses.
Step 2: add the precise goal
Say exactly what you want. Not "a discount," but: "I want to ask for 15% off my next order because it'll be a big one." The more precise you are about the result, the closer the AI takes you. A vague goal gives a vague answer.
Step 3: add tone and length
Say how it should sound. "Kind and confident tone, short, max 6 lines, not too formal." Now you've given the shape too. Putting it all together, the prompt becomes this:
- Who you are: loyal customer for two years.
- What you want: 15% off your next big order.
- How: kind, confident, short, 6 lines.
Step 4: ask for variants and pick
Last trick: don't stop at one. Add "give me 3 different versions." That way you read, compare and take the best. Maybe you mix two. Asking for variants is the secret of effective prompts: it gives you choice, not one result to take or leave.
The final result
With the lazy prompt you had an anonymous email. With the four steps you have three tailored emails, ready to send. Same tool, ten times better result. Remember the formula: context, goal, tone, variants. It works for emails, posts, recipes, anything.
The next step
Don't want to build every prompt from scratch each time? The AI Method gives you 200 ready-to-use prompts, already written with the right context, goal and tone. Open, paste, change a couple of your own words and it works. It costs 29€, one time only. It's the shortcut to writing well without thinking about it.