Prompts are drafts too
Nobody writes a perfect prompt first time, including professionals. The difference is that they have a method for improving one.
The cycle
- Draft. Write the rough version in plain words. Don't polish yet.
- Refine. Run it through Prompt Builder (Quick or Guided) or add the four parts yourself.
- Test on real input. Send it in Ask Ace with a real example of the material it will work on, not a made-up one.
- Diagnose. If the output misses, find out why with the four-part checklist:
- Wrong task? Sharpen the instruction.
- Wrong audience or tone? Add context.
- Made things up? Supply more input.
- Wrong shape or length? Specify the output format.
- Change one thing. Then test again.
Why one change at a time
If you change the role, the length, and the examples at once and the result improves, you won't know which change did it, or which one to keep next time. Small, single changes teach you what matters.
Test on more than one input
A prompt that works on one example may fail on the next. Before calling it done, test on two or three different inputs: a short one, a long one, and an awkward one. A newsletter prompt should handle a busy news week and a quiet one.
Questions that improve a prompt
When refining, ask yourself (or let Guided ask you):
- Who exactly reads this output?
- What should it definitely include, and what should it never include?
- How long is right, and what format will I paste it into?
- What's an edge case, such as missing information, that it should handle?
When to stop
Stop when the output is right, or needs only a quick edit, on several different inputs. Then save the prompt, so you never write it from scratch again.
Try it
Choose one of the lab's scenarios and write a rough draft prompt. Refine it in Prompt Builder, test it in Ask Ace on a real input, and note one thing you'd change. The lab is next.