Your First Prompt

A prompt is just an instruction

Most beginners type something like: "write an email." Then they're disappointed. The fix is to add a little context. A strong everyday prompt has four easy parts:

1. Who/what it's for — "Write an email to a customer who asked for a refund."
2. The goal — "I want to keep them happy but explain our 30-day policy."
3. Any details — "Their order was 45 days ago. My name is Sam."
4. The shape — "Keep it under 120 words, warm and clear."

Put together, you get a prompt that produces something you can actually send.

Try it

Take a task you'd normally do yourself and write it as those four parts. Don't overthink it — one sentence each is plenty.

The golden rule

Show, don't assume. The AI can't see your inbox, your brand, or your situation. Anything you'd tell a new assistant on their first day, tell the AI. The more context you give, the less editing you do later.

Next: where AI falls short — so you know when to double-check it.