The art of asking well: how a good prompt changes everything

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most disruptive tools in recent years, although it wasn't until 2024 that it truly grew on a massive scale. And even though many were initially opposed to the technology, today it's common to use it to answer emails, create content, write summaries, and even find out which dating app is most popular in Sweden.

If you feel like the answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Llama still leave a lot to be desired —not so much because of their content, but rather their robotic and unnatural tone— the key lies in the prompts.

What’s a prompt?

A prompt is an explicit instruction we give these models to get more complete, accurate, and effective responses.

This goes beyond just asking it to write a LinkedIn article about artificial intelligence; good prompts are clear, specific, and provide context.

Tips to improve your prompts

1. Provide context: In this case, more is more. Prompts need to be specific and rich in detail. This helps avoid the model making assumptions about what you mean.
2. Include an example: Show it things you've already worked on or reference something similar to what you're trying to achieve.
3. Define the format: How long should the text be? Do you need a table, bullet points, or a paragraph?
4. Establish a POV (point of view): Ask it to act like a specific person or an expert in a certain topic to get more aligned answers.
5. Be descriptive: Specify the tone, target audience, and where the message will be posted.
6. Ask follow-up questions: These models can sometimes go off-track or make things up. Asking for sources or how it arrived at a conclusion can make all the difference.

Generic prompts vs. specific prompts

For this exercise, we created a new account, with no prior history, to show the impact of a good prompt.

Let’s start with a generic instruction:

Prompt: “Explain how photosynthesis works.”

Response: “Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert sunlight into usable chemical energy in the form of glucose. This process is essential for life on Earth, as it produces oxygen and forms the base of the food chain. Let me explain in detail…”

Okay, we can’t show the entire answer because it goes on forever, but it continued by explaining the stages, the equation, and the importance of the process.

Even though these models can be the most agreeable thing you’ve ever seen, the outcome depends on how good your instruction is. If we apply the tips we just shared, we’ll get a specific answer, tailored to our needs, and with a more natural tone.

Prompt: “Explain photosynthesis in one paragraph using simple, casual language typical of Argentine Spanish, so that a 5-year-old child can easily understand the process and use the explanation for a science project.”

Response: “Photosynthesis is like plants cooking their own food using sunlight. They have special parts in their leaves that work like mini kitchens, where they mix sunlight, the water they absorb through their roots, and a gas in the air called carbon dioxide. With that mix, they make their food (which is like their energy) and, at the same time, they release oxygen into the air —which is what we breathe. It’s like plants are super chefs who also help us breathe better!”

Master tip: Ask the same AI to improve your prompt!

The importance of feedback

Used all the tips and still not getting what you want? As they always say, communication is key. Explain exactly why the result doesn’t work for you: “You mentioned X, but I was expecting Y.”

Feedback is one of the most important things —not just for a single response, but to help the tool become more specific and tailored to your needs.