How to Write a Good AI Prompt (Without Any Technical Knowledge)
The most common complaint from business owners who have tried ChatGPT and given up is: "I tried it but it gave me rubbish results."
Nine times out of ten, the problem is not the AI. It is the instruction.
Writing a good prompt is not a technical skill. It is just being specific. This article shows you exactly how to do it.
Why Vague Instructions Get Vague Results
Think about how you would brief a new employee. If you said "write something about our business," they would not know where to start. But if you said "write a two-paragraph description of our bakery for the About page on our website — we focus on sourdough bread and we have been open since 2019 in Killarney," they would have everything they need.
AI tools work the same way. The more you tell them, the better the output.
The Four Things a Good Prompt Includes
1. What you want the AI to produce Be specific about the format. An email. A social media post. A list of five ideas. A two-paragraph description. Not just "write something about X."
2. Who it is for Who will read this? Customers? A supplier? The general public? A first-time visitor to your website? The tone should match the audience.
3. Context about your business The AI knows nothing about you unless you tell it. Include your business type, location if relevant, your tone (formal or friendly), and any specific details that matter.
4. Any constraints Word count, tone, things to include or avoid. "Keep it under 100 words." "Don't mention pricing." "Use a warm, friendly tone."
Side-by-Side Examples
Here is the same request written badly and then well:
Bad prompt:
Write a social media post for my shop.
What you get: Something generic and useless.
Good prompt:
Write a friendly Facebook post for a family-run hardware shop in Sligo. We have just got in a new range of garden furniture for summer. Keep it short — two or three sentences — and end with a call to action to visit us in store. Friendly, local tone.
What you get: A usable post you can put up in 30 seconds.
Here is another example:
Bad prompt:
Write an email to a customer.
Good prompt:
Write a short, professional email to a customer who placed an order online 5 days ago but has not received it yet. I run a small clothing boutique in Galway. Apologise for the delay, reassure them the item is on its way, and offer them a discount code for their next order as a goodwill gesture. Keep it warm and not overly formal.
The good prompt takes about 30 seconds longer to write. The result is dramatically better.
A Simple Template to Follow
When you sit down to write a prompt, use this structure:
Write a [format] for [who it's for]. I run [type of business] in [location if relevant]. [Key information to include]. [Tone — formal/friendly/professional]. [Any constraints — length, what to avoid, etc.]
You do not have to follow this exactly. But having it in mind keeps you from writing something too vague.
One More Trick: Ask It to Try Again
If the first result is not quite right, do not start over. Just tell it what to fix.
"That's good but it sounds too formal. Make it friendlier and a bit shorter."
Or:
"Can you give me three different versions — one shorter, one that mentions our loyalty programme, and one that ends with a question?"
AI tools are conversational. You can go back and forth until you get what you need.
You Will Get Better At This Fast
The first time you try this it feels a bit strange. By the tenth time it feels natural. Most business owners find they have a handful of prompt templates they reuse and adapt for common tasks — email replies, social posts, product descriptions.
Start with one type of task. Master the prompt for that. Then expand from there.
Want to see prompts written specifically for your type of business? TrueClarity has a library of ready-to-use prompts for Irish SMEs — organised by industry and task so you can copy, adapt, and go.