How do I get better answers from an AI chatbot?

A prompt is simply what you type into a chatbot such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. You don't need special words or tricks. The companies that build these tools all give roughly the same advice, and it sounds a lot like how you would brief a person.

What do the AI makers themselves advise?

Anthropic, the company behind Claude, puts it neatly in its guide for developers: "Think of Claude as a brilliant but new employee who lacks context on your norms and workflows." It adds a test anyone can use: show your prompt to a colleague who knows nothing about the task. "If they'd be confused, Claude will be too."

OpenAI's help page for ChatGPT says to "avoid ambiguity and be as precise as possible", and to name the tone you want, such as friendly, formal or serious. Google's Workspace guide says the best prompts read "as if you were giving instructions to a friend or colleague". Microsoft's Copilot page lists four parts of a good prompt: your goal, the context, your expectations for the result, and any source material.

Those overlap enough to boil down to six habits.

Which habits make the biggest difference?

1. Say what you want, and why. "Write an email" leaves the chatbot guessing. "Write an email asking my landlord to fix the boiler before my parents visit next week" does not. Anthropic's guide says explaining the reason behind a request helps the model "deliver more targeted responses", because it can generalise from the explanation.

2. Give context. Who is it for? What has already happened? What do you already know? The chatbot can't see your situation, only your words. Google's developer guide makes the same point: supply the background the model needs rather than assuming it has it.

3. Show an example if you have one. If you like the style of a previous letter, paste it in (minus anything private). Anthropic calls examples "one of the most reliable ways" to steer tone and structure, and Google's guide recommends them too.

4. Say what shape the answer should take. A table, a bulleted list, three short paragraphs, a script you can read aloud. OpenAI's API guide suggests swapping vague words like "fairly short" for something concrete, such as three to five sentences. It also suggests saying what to do, rather than only what to avoid.

5. Ask it to ask you questions. Add a line such as "Before answering, ask me any questions you need." Amanda Caswell, writing in Tom's Guide in July 2026, found this made the chatbot ask about her budget, departure city and children before planning a holiday, instead of guessing. She later limited it to three questions so simple requests stayed quick.

6. Check the answer, then iterate. OpenAI's own help page warns that ChatGPT "can produce incorrect or misleading outputs" and can make up quotes, studies and references, errors known as hallucinations. It advises treating an answer as a "first draft, not a final source". Microsoft says the same for Copilot. When you check, you will often spot what to ask for next: OpenAI, Google and Microsoft all describe prompting as a loop of try, read, adjust.

What should I never paste into a chatbot?

Leave out passwords, full bank or card numbers, ID numbers, medical records and anything about other people that they wouldn't want shared. You can almost always describe a situation without them: "my bank" instead of an account number, "my colleague" instead of a name. Our guide to your data and AI chatbots explains what the companies may keep and how to change your settings.

What do good prompts look like in real life?

Each pair below shows a typical first attempt, then a better one. The better versions are longer, but rarely by more than a few sentences.

1. An awkward email

Before: "Write an email to my neighbour about the noise."

After: "Help me write a short, friendly email to my upstairs neighbour. Their music has kept me awake past midnight three times this week. I want to stay on good terms, so no blame, but I'd like it quieter after 11pm on weeknights. Keep it under 120 words."

2. Planning a trip

Before: "Plan a trip to Lisbon."

After: "I'm going to Lisbon for four days in November with my partner. We like food markets, walking and one museum a day at most, and we don't want early starts. Our budget is moderate. Suggest a loose day-by-day plan with one rainy-day alternative for each day. Ask me anything you need first."

3. Explaining a letter from the bank

Before: "What does this mean?" (with the whole letter pasted in)

After: "My bank sent me a letter saying my mortgage is moving from a fixed to a variable rate. I've copied the main paragraph below with my name and account details removed. Explain in plain language what is changing, what it could mean for my monthly payment, and what questions I should ask the bank."

4. Cooking with leftovers

Before: "Recipe with chicken."

After: "I have half a roast chicken, two carrots, a tin of chickpeas, rice, an onion and some yoghurt. I have about 30 minutes and no oven, just a hob. Give me two dinner ideas for two people, with simple steps. One of us doesn't like spicy food."

5. Updating a CV

Before: "Improve my CV."

After: "I'm applying for an office manager job at a small architecture firm. Below is my CV with my contact details removed, and the job advert. Point out the three changes that would most help my CV fit this job, and rewrite my last role's description to show those skills. Don't invent experience I don't have."

6. Homework help that teaches

Before: "Answer question 4 on fractions." (from a child's worksheet)

After: "My 11-year-old is stuck on this question: 'What is 3/4 minus 1/3?' Don't give the answer. Act as a patient tutor: ask her one question at a time to help her work it out, and give a hint if she gets stuck twice."

7. Summarising a long document

Before: "Summarise this."

After: "Below is a 20-page report from our town council about a new parking scheme. I'm a resident on Mill Street. Summarise it in five bullet points, then tell me separately anything that affects Mill Street, permit costs or the deadline for comments. Quote the page or section for each point so I can check it."

8. Comparing options

Before: "Which is better, a heat pump or a gas boiler?"

After: "I live in a three-bedroom 1970s semi-detached house with average insulation. Compare a heat pump and a new gas boiler in a table: upfront cost, running cost, disruption during installation, and what I'd need to check about my house. Say where the answer depends on local prices or grants, rather than guessing numbers."

9. Preparing for a difficult conversation

Before: "How do I talk to my dad about his driving?"

After: "My father is 84 and has had two small scrapes this year. I want to raise whether he should stop driving without hurting his pride. He values his independence and hates being told what to do. Suggest how I might open the conversation, a few phrases to use and avoid, and how to respond if he gets defensive."

10. A complaint letter

Before: "Write a complaint about my broken washing machine."

After: "Write a firm but polite complaint to a retailer. I bought a washing machine eight months ago; it has stopped spinning and the shop says the warranty doesn't cover it. I want a repair or replacement. Set out the facts in order, say what I'm asking for and by when, and leave gaps in square brackets for dates and order numbers."

11. Learning a new topic

Before: "Explain inflation."

After: "I'm 45, never studied economics, and keep hearing about inflation on the news. Explain what it is and why central banks raise interest rates to fight it, using an everyday example. Keep it to about 300 words, then give me three questions to test whether I've understood."

12. Checking a fact

Before: "Is it true that we only use 10% of our brains?"

After: "I saw a claim online that we only use 10% of our brains. Tell me whether scientists agree with it, explain where the idea came from, and point me to two reliable sources I can open myself. If you're not sure about something, say so."

Why do the "after" versions work better?

Look back at the pairs and the same few things keep appearing: a reason, a bit of background, a clear audience, and a shape for the answer. Several also set limits ("don't invent experience", "don't give the answer", "say so if you're not sure"), which steer the chatbot away from its habit of filling gaps with confident guesses.

None of them use special phrasing. If an answer still misses, reply in plain words: "too formal", "shorter", "you've assumed we have a car, we don't". OpenAI's ChatGPT guide recommends exactly that cycle: start with a first prompt, review the response, and refine. For more on which chatbot to try, see our comparison of the main chatbots.