From Meh to Magic: How to Write Better AI Prompts

If you’ve ever typed a request into an AI tool and then stared at the result thinking, “Well, that’s one interpretation,” congratulations: You’ve met the limits of a not-so-great prompt.

A prompt is simply the instruction you give an AI system. It’s the opening line of a conversation. But unlike your coworkers, AI can’t lean back in a chair, raise an eyebrow, and ask, “What do you mean by that?” (Yet.) If your prompt leaves room for interpretation, it will confidently fill in the blanks—sometimes beautifully, sometimes bafflingly.

The good news is that bad prompts are extremely fixable. In fact, most “AI problems” people run into aren’t really AI problems at all. They’re communication problems. Once you learn how to give clearer, more complete instructions, AI becomes easier to use, more predictable, and much more helpful.

This guide walks you through the most common reasons prompts go wrong, shows real examples of prompts (before and after their glow-ups), and explains why the improved prompt works better. By the end, you’ll know how to transform any wobbly prompt into a polished one.

What Is a Prompt?

A prompt is the text you type into an AI system to tell it what you want. It can be a question, a request, a description, or a set of instructions. The AI uses your prompt as its starting point, so the quality of the output usually reflects the clarity of your input.

Why Prompts Go Bad—And How to Fix Them

Below are the most common prompt problems people run into, along with examples that demonstrate the hiccups.

Reason #1: The Prompt Is Too Vague

Vague prompts are the number one cause of disappointing outputs. If a prompt could reasonably apply to a hundred different tasks, the AI will pick one—just not necessarily the one you wanted.

Bad Prompt (Before):

“Write something about remote work.”

What kind of “something”? For whom? In what tone? For what purpose? Without answers to those questions, the AI is guessing.

Good Prompt (After):

“Write a 200-word introduction for a blog post aimed at small business managers about the challenges of leading fully remote teams. Use a friendly, practical tone.”

Why This Works Better:

This improved prompt provides an audience, a purpose, a length, and a tone. You’re framing the task so the AI has direction.

Reason #2: The Prompt Leaves Out Key Context

AI has no way of knowing the backstory unless you share it. If the prompt doesn't define what “better,” “shorter,” or “friendlier” means, the AI applies its own definitions.

Bad Prompt (Before):

“Rewrite this to sound better.”

Good Prompt (After):

“Rewrite this Slack announcement so it sounds upbeat and human, while still being professional. Keep it under 100 words. This message is for our customer support team.”

Why This Works Better:

You clarify the tone, audience, and constraints. The AI abandons guesswork and writes with intent.

Reason #3: The Prompt Tries to Do Everything at Once

Multitasking prompts often produce muddled results. AI can do many things, but it does them best when they’re done one at a time.

Bad Prompt (Before):

“Write a marketing email, summarize our product features, and give me a few taglines and brainstorm some subject lines, too.”

Good Prompt (After):

Break the task into steps:

Prompt 1: “Summarize the main benefits of our product for small HR teams in friendly, concise language.”

Prompt 2: “Using that summary, draft a short marketing email for HR managers in a warm, helpful tone.”

Prompt 3: “Generate five subject lines based on the email.”

Why This Works Better:

AI handles sequences beautifully. Smaller prompts mean clearer thinking and cleaner outputs.

Reason #4: The Prompt Doesn’t Specify Tone

Tone determines how your request feels. If you don’t specify it, the AI will choose a tone—sometimes one you’d never choose yourself.

Bad Prompt (Before):

“Write a social post announcing our company’s new webinar.”

Good Prompt (After):

“Write a casual, conversational LinkedIn post announcing our upcoming webinar on inventory management. Make it sound knowledgeable, but not salesy.”

Why This Works Better:

Tone is a major variable. When you name it, you control it.

Reason #5: The Prompt Doesn’t Include Helpful Constraints

Constraints make outputs sharper, shorter, or easier to skim. They also keep the AI from drifting off into tangents.

Bad Prompt (Before):

“Give me tips for improving customer retention.”

Good Prompt (After):

“Give me five practical tips for improving customer retention in SMBs. Keep each tip to one sentence.”

Why This Works Better:

Limits reduce cognitive load and create predictable output.

Complete Prompt Makeover Example

Here’s an example that shows how much clarity matters.

Bad Prompt (Before):

“Help me write something for our new product.”

Good Prompt (After):

“I need a short paragraph to use in an email to introduce our new scheduling tool for small dental practices. The tone should be friendly and confident. Emphasize that it reduces administrative work and helps offices run on time. Please give me two versions to choose from.”

Why This Works Better:

This has everything a strong prompt needs:

• A clearly defined deliverable - It’s clear what the AI is supposed to do.
• Target audience - This is important context the AI could not guess on its own.
• One discrete task - You didn’t ask the AI to do too much at once. This is one clear deliverable.
• A tone and key messages - Without specifying these, AI will make up its own.
• A format - The length and options for comparison ensure you get an output in the format you need.

Cheat Sheet: How to Turn Any Bad Prompt Into a Good Prompt

To fix a weak prompt, ask yourself:

1. What am I actually asking the AI to do? Define the task clearly.
2. What context is missing? Assume the AI knows nothing unless told.
3. Should this be broken into steps? If it’s more than one task, yes, it should.
4. What tone or style do I want? Conversational? Professional? Playful? Precise? Let the AI know.
5. What constraints will make the output more useful? Consider things like word count, format, number of options to provide, etc.

These questions turn vague instructions into strong, actionable prompts. 

Great prompt writing isn’t about learning a new language. It’s about communicating clearly—something you already do every day.

If you want to continue refining your prompting, try this useful tool built by Dharmesh Shah: MetaPrompt. Put in your prompt, and get an optimized prompt back. After seeing the before and after a few times, you'll start to get the hang of writing naturally great prompts the first time.