Level 2 · Lesson 5

Good vs bad prompts

⏱ 7 min read ✦ 30 XP 🧠 3 questions

Reading

Exercise

Quiz

What makes a prompt bad

Bad prompts aren't wrong — they're incomplete. The AI will always give you something. The question is whether that something is actually useful.

Most weak prompts share the same few problems:

🌫️Vagueness. "Write something about marketing" could mean a thousand different things. The AI has to guess — and it will.

🧩Missing context. The AI doesn't know your industry, your audience, your constraints, or your history. If you don't tell it, it fills in the blanks with generic assumptions.

📏No format guidance. Without instructions, the AI picks a default — which is often longer, more formal, or more listy than you actually wanted.

🎯Assumed shared knowledge. Saying "make it better" assumes the AI knows what better means to you. It doesn't.

What makes a prompt good

A good prompt removes ambiguity. It gives the AI a clear target, the tools to hit it, and the constraints to stay on track.

🎯Specific action. Not "write something" — "write a 3-paragraph explanation." Verbs matter.

🗂️Relevant context. Who is this for? What do they already know? What's the goal? Even one sentence of context dramatically changes the output.

🔒Useful constraints. Word limits, tone, what to avoid — these aren't restrictions, they're directions. They make the result more useful, not less.

The smart stranger test

Imagine handing your prompt to a smart stranger — someone capable, but who knows nothing about you or your situation. Would they know exactly what to produce? If not, your prompt needs more.

Three pairs, side by side

The same task. Completely different prompts. See how much direction changes the result.

Writing

Weak

"Write me a bio."

No role, no context, no format. You'll get something generic and probably too long.

Strong

"Write a 2-sentence professional bio for a freelance photographer who works with small businesses. Warm tone, third person."

Why it works: Task, audience, constraint, tone — all there.

Analysis

Weak

"Analyse this email."

Analyse for what? Tone? Grammar? Intent? The AI will pick one and guess.

Strong

"Read this email from a client and tell me: is the tone frustrated or neutral? What are they actually asking for? Bullet points, max 3."

Why it works: Specific questions, format, and a limit that forces clarity.

Brainstorming

Weak

"Give me ideas for my business."

What business? What kind of ideas? The AI has nothing to work with.

Strong

"I run a small dog grooming business. Give me 5 low-cost marketing ideas targeting local neighbourhoods. No social media ads."

Why it works: Industry, goal, quantity, budget constraint, and what to exclude.

The one question to ask yourself

Before you send any prompt, ask: "Would a smart stranger understand exactly what I need from this?"

If yes — send it. If not — what's missing? Usually it's one of three things: what you want the output to look like, who it's for, or what success actually means.

Constraints are your friend. Adding a word limit, a tone, or a list of what to avoid doesn't make a prompt harder to answer — it makes it easier. You're giving the AI a smaller target to hit, not a bigger one.

Try it yourself

Rewrite this bad prompt

Here's a weak prompt. Rewrite it in the box below using what you've learned — then try both versions in your AI and see the difference.

The weak prompt

"Help me with my presentation."

Your improved version:

↗ Open your AI

Try the weak version first, then yours. Notice the difference in quality.

Knowledge check

Three quick questions

1. Which is the stronger prompt, and why?

2. What's the single biggest thing that weakens most prompts?

3. True or false: adding constraints like word count or tone makes a prompt harder for the AI to answer well.

+30

XP Earned

✦ 0 XP total

Lesson complete! 🎉

You can now tell a weak prompt from a strong one — and fix it. Next up: writing your first real prompt for something you actually need.