What Are Prompts and Why Do They Matter?
AI is becoming a game-changer in business, helping with everything from content creation to data analysis and decision-making. But here’s the secret most people don’t realise: AI is only as good as the prompts you give it.
A prompt is the instruction or question you give to an AI tool (like ChatGPT, Copilot, or a chatbot). Think of it as talking to an intern—you need to be clear about what you want, or you’ll get a vague, incomplete, or even completely incorrect response.
Why Getting Your Prompts Right is Crucial
A well-crafted prompt can:
✅ Save time – Get exactly what you need on the first try.
✅ Improve accuracy – Reduce errors and misunderstandings.
✅ Maximise AI’s value – Unlock better insights and creativity.
On the flip side, a bad prompt can lead to:
❌ Frustration – You’ll waste time refining your request.
❌ Poor results – Vague or off-topic responses.
❌ Incorrect or made-up data – AI can “hallucinate” (fabricate information) if your prompt is too vague or misleading.
How to Craft Great Prompts: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Be Specific and Clear
AI doesn’t “guess” what you mean—it only works with what you give it. If your prompt is too broad, you’ll get generic or irrelevant answers.
🚫 “Tell me about marketing.”
(This is too vague—AI doesn’t know if you mean digital marketing, B2B vs. B2C, trends, or something else.)
✅ “Explain three digital marketing strategies for small businesses, including SEO, social media, and email marketing. Provide an example for each.”
(Now, AI knows exactly what to focus on, leading to a more useful response.)
2. Provide Context
AI works best when it understands the situation. Adding details like industry, audience, or goals helps refine the response.
🚫 “Write a LinkedIn post about cybersecurity.” (Too broad—who is the audience? What’s the message?)
✅ “Write a LinkedIn post for small business owners about why weak passwords are a major cybersecurity risk. Make it engaging, use simple language, and end with a call to action encouraging businesses to implement password managers.”
(Now, AI tailors the response to a business audience with a clear topic and action point.)
3. Define the Format or Structure
AI can generate articles, summaries, reports, scripts, emails, social media posts, and more. Specifying the format ensures clarity.
🚫 “Give me ideas for a meeting.” (Too vague—AI doesn’t know if you want an agenda, topics, or icebreakers.)
✅ “List five agenda points for a 30-minute client meeting on AI adoption, focusing on challenges, benefits, and next steps.”
4. Set the Tone and Style
Want something formal? Conversational? Humorous? Say so!
🚫 “Write an email about our new product.” (No tone, no audience, no key details.)
✅ “Write a friendly and engaging email announcing our new AI-powered reporting tool to small business owners. Emphasise how it saves time, improves insights, and requires no technical expertise.”
5. Use Examples or Role Instructions
Telling AI to “act like an expert” helps shape better responses.
🚫 “Give me business advice.” (AI doesn’t know if you mean leadership, marketing, finance, etc.)
✅ “Act as a startup mentor and provide three key lessons for a new business launching an AI-powered analytics tool. Focus on product-market fit, customer education, and scaling efficiently.”
6. Ask AI to Improve on Its Own Work
AI can refine responses if prompted.
✅ “Make this response more engaging.”
✅ “Rewrite this to be simpler and more concise.”
✅ “Give me three alternative versions of this answer.”
Examples of Great AI Prompts in Action
✅ For Business Strategy:
“Explain the benefits and risks of AI adoption for small businesses. Use real-world examples, and provide a short case study of a business that successfully integrated AI.”
✅ For Marketing:
“Generate five LinkedIn post ideas about cybersecurity for SMEs, with one focusing on email security, another on phishing, and another on employee training.”
✅ For Emails:
“Write a professional yet friendly email inviting existing customers to a webinar about AI-powered automation in small businesses. Include key details and a registration link.”
✅ For Summaries:
“Summarise this 3-page report into three key insights, making it easy to understand for executives with limited time.”
✅ For Productivity:
“Create a 5-step checklist for team leaders implementing AI-powered document automation.”
✅ For Decision-Making:
“Compare the pros and cons of ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot for business productivity. Focus on security, ease of use, and integration with Microsoft 365.”
What Happens When Prompts Go Wrong?
🚨 Example of a Bad Prompt:
“Tell me about IT security.”
Impact:
- Generic response – AI might provide a Wikipedia-style definition.
- No relevance to your needs – Does this relate to small businesses, enterprise, or personal security?
- Potential hallucination – AI might fabricate details if you ask about a “new IT security law” without specifying which country.
✅ How to Fix It:
“Explain IT security best practices for small businesses, focusing on email threats and password security. Use examples of real cyberattacks.”
🚨 Example of an Incomplete Prompt:
“What are some marketing tips?”
Impact:
- Superficial list – AI might return “Use social media” without deeper insights.
- Lack of application – Tips might be irrelevant to your industry.
- Missed opportunities – AI won’t tailor responses to the latest trends.
✅ How to Fix It:
“Provide five advanced digital marketing strategies for B2B companies in the software industry, with real-world examples of successful campaigns.”
🚨 Example of a Misleading Prompt:
“Give me the latest data on AI in 2024.”
Impact:
- Potentially outdated information – AI models have cutoff dates and don’t have real-time data.
- Hallucinations – If AI doesn’t have up-to-date info, it might “guess” or make things up.
- Lack of sources – AI-generated data isn’t always verifiable.
✅ How to Fix It:
“Summarise key AI adoption trends in 2024 based on recent reports from Gartner, McKinsey, or Forrester. If unknown, suggest where I can find reliable data.”
Final Tip: Test, Tweak, Repeat
Even the best prompt might need adjustments. If you’re not getting the answer you need, rephrase, add details, or ask AI to refine its response.
Next time you use AI, think of your prompt as a GPS—the clearer the instructions, the better the AI can navigate towards your ideal answer.
