What does a good prompt look like? Ten you can copy

What makes a prompt good

A prompt is the instruction you give an assistant. Treat it like a brief to a capable new hire who knows nothing about your business. Say who the answer is for, such as an unhappy customer or your crew. State the task in one line. Paste in the material to use, such as the email you received. Say what shape you want, such as five bullet points, and what to avoid, such as promising dates.

If you can, add an example of what good looks like, such as a past reply you were proud of. For a bigger job, add 'Before you start, ask me any questions you need answered.' The assistant will then tell you what it is missing instead of guessing. Read the draft, say what to change, and ask again. Keep passwords and private customer details out of tools your business has not approved.

Ten you can copy

An unhappy customer: 'Write a calm, short reply from [my name] at [business] to this customer email: [paste email]. Acknowledge what went wrong and say what we will do next. Do not promise a date or a refund. Plain words, sign off with a first name.'

Meeting notes into actions: 'Here are my notes from a meeting: [paste notes]. List the decisions made, then the actions with an owner and a due date, then any open questions. If an owner or date is missing, write not stated instead of guessing.'

A job ad: 'Write a job ad for a [job title] at [business] in [town]. The work involves [main tasks]. Must haves: [list]. Nice to have: [list]. Give hours and pay only as I state them: [details]. Plain language, under 300 words, no stock phrases.'

Following up a quote: 'Write a friendly follow-up email to [customer name], who was sent a quote for [job] on [date]. Ask if they have questions, offer to talk it through, and say the quote is valid until [date]. Under 100 words, no pressure.'

Rough notes into a procedure: 'Turn these rough notes into a step-by-step procedure a new starter could follow: [paste notes]. Number the steps, mark any safety warnings, and list anything you had to guess as questions for me at the end.'

A social post from a finished job: 'Write a short social post about a job we just finished: [what we did, the general area, what the customer needed]. Here is a past post in our voice: [paste]. Do not name the customer or claim anything I have not said.'

An invoice difference: 'A customer asks why invoice [number] is [amount] higher than the quote. Quote: [paste]. Invoice: [paste]. Explain each difference politely in plain words. List any figure you are unsure of.'

Plain English: 'Rewrite this for a customer with no technical background: [paste text]. Short sentences, no jargon, every fact and number kept exactly as written. Tell me if anything is unclear.'

Questions for a software vendor: 'I run a [type of business] with [number] staff. We are considering [tool] for [task]. Write ten questions for the vendor covering where our data goes, whether it trains their models, the cost at three times our usage, how we export our data, and what happens when it is wrong.'

Planning the week: 'Here is my to-do list: [paste]. I have [hours] hours a day and these fixed commitments: [list]. Suggest a plan for the week, put urgent and money jobs first, and flag anything too big for the time available.'

Where to start

Pick two of the ten that match your week and try them today with your own details. Keep the version that works in a shared note so the whole team can reuse it. Each time you have to fix the same mistake, add a line to the prompt, such as 'never mention discounts'. Read every result before it is sent, because you are the one who signs it.