How to write better prompts
The simple 5-part formula that gets far better answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI tools.
A “prompt” is simply what you type (or say) to an AI tool. Better prompts give better answers. You don't need special words — just give the AI what a helpful person would need to know.
The 5-part formula
- Who it should act as — “Act as a friendly maths teacher…”
- The task — “Explain fractions…”
- Context about you — “…to my 10-year-old who finds maths scary.”
- The format you want — “Use 3 short steps and one example with rotis.”
- Limits — “Keep it under 100 words, in simple Hindi.”
Before and after
Weak: “Write a leave letter.”
Strong: “Write a polite leave application to my school principal for my son Arjun, class 6B, who has fever and will miss school on 12 and 13 November. Keep it short and formal.”
Tips that always help
- Give examples of the style you like.
- Ask it to ask you questions: “Before you answer, ask me anything you need to know.”
- Improve step by step: “Make it shorter”, “more formal”, “add a table”.
- Ask for sources when facts matter, then check them.
- Use your language — most tools understand Hindi, Hinglish and other Indian languages.
Ready-made examples: browse the free prompt library.