Writing Better Prompts for AI

Writing Better Prompts for AI: Why Simple Questions Do Not Always Give Simple Results

Over the last few weeks, I have spent a lot of time working with different AI tools, including ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Higgsfield, and other creative platforms. Like many people, I started with the idea that AI was supposed to be simple. You type in what you want, press enter, and the AI gives you exactly the answer, image, video, or piece of content you had in your head.

That is the version of AI that people are often sold.

The reality is slightly different.

AI can be incredibly powerful, but it does not read your mind. It works from the information you give it. If the instruction is vague, the result is often vague. If the instruction is missing important detail, the AI will fill in the gaps itself. Sometimes it does that well. Sometimes it completely misses the point.

That is where prompt writing becomes important.

What Is an AI Model?

A simple way to understand an AI model is to compare it with the older language we used for computers.

Years ago, we talked about computer programs. Word and Excel were programs. Then, as technology changed, we started calling them apps. Today, with artificial intelligence, we often hear the word model.

So, for most people, the easiest way to understand an AI model is this:

An AI model is the particular AI tool, program, or app you choose to use.

For example, you may choose to use ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, or another AI system. Each one works slightly differently, just as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, and other programs all had different purposes.

Technically, the model is the engine behind the tool rather than always being the whole app itself. But for everyday understanding, it is much easier to think of the model as the AI system you are using.

The important point is this: different AI models respond in different ways. They may understand instructions differently, prioritise information differently, and produce different styles of answer.

That is why prompt writing matters.

You are not just typing words into a blank box. You are giving instructions to a particular AI system. The clearer and more structured your instruction is, the better chance you have of getting a useful result.

What Is a Prompt?

A prompt is the message, instruction, question, or brief you give to an AI tool.

In some ways, prompt writing feels similar to computer programming, but in plain English.

You are not writing code in the traditional sense, but you are still giving a computer system structured instructions and asking it to follow them. It could be seen as part of the next evolution of how we communicate with technology.

A very simple prompt might be:

“Write me a social media post about my business.”

The problem with that is the AI does not know enough. It does not know your business properly. It does not know your tone of voice. It does not know your audience. It does not know whether you want the post to sound professional, friendly, emotional, direct, educational, or promotional. So the AI guesses.

A better prompt gives more structure, and as always, structure is important:

“Write a LinkedIn post for my business, Growth by Paul Dixon. The post should be written in a professional but personal tone. It should explain how I help business owners, education providers, and individuals bring order, clarity, and practical next steps to difficult situations. Avoid sounding corporate or over-polished. Make it sound like a real person speaking from experience.” That is a very different instruction. It gives the AI context, purpose, tone, audience, and boundaries.

The Myth: “Just Type Something In”

One of the biggest misunderstandings about AI is that you can type in a simple sentence and expect it to produce exactly what you imagined. Sometimes that works, especially for basic tasks.

But when you want something more specific, more professional, or more personal, the prompt needs to be built properly.

That is why prompt engineering has become a skill in its own right. It is not just about asking a question. It is about shaping the instruction so the AI understands what matters most. This is also why prompt frameworks are starting to become important, because they give people a structured way to build better prompts rather than relying purely on trial and error.

I have found this especially true when creating website content, social media posts, images, videos, business documents, and AI-generated scenes. If I do not tell the AI exactly what I want, it will make its own decisions. It will decide what to prioritise, what to leave out, what tone to use, and what direction to take. That can be useful, but it can also be frustrating.

AI Prioritises Things for You

One of the most important things I have learned is that AI will often decide for itself what is important.

For example, if you ask it to create a video scene, it might focus heavily on the camera movement but ignore the facial expression. It might create a beautiful background but get the person wrong. It might make the scene look dramatic when you wanted it to feel natural. It might give you a technically correct answer but miss the emotional point.

That does not mean the AI is useless. It means the instruction was not clear enough.

If something is important, you have to say so. If accuracy matters, say that accuracy is the priority.

If the person’s face, clothing, tone, language, brand, or message must stay consistent, say that clearly. If the answer must be practical rather than generic, say that.

AI responds much better when it knows what matters most.

Giving AI a Role

Another useful technique is giving the AI a role.

Instead of simply saying:

“Write this for me.”

You can say:

“Act as a professional website copywriter.”

Or:

“Act as a business consultant helping me explain this clearly to potential clients.”

Or:

“Act as an assistant director helping me create a realistic cinematic video scene.”

This helps the AI understand the angle it should take. It gives the response a clearer purpose.

For my own work, I have used this approach when creating business content, website text, social media posts, video prompts, and educational material. The role gives the AI a starting point. It tells the model what kind of thinking to apply.

Structure Matters

A good prompt is not just a long paragraph of random instructions. It often works better when it is structured. In prompt writing, this structure is often called a framework.

This was something I was introduced to during the course. We looked at different prompt frameworks, including examples such as ROSES, REASON, and VOICE.

The exact framework you use may change depending on the task, but the principle is the same: a framework gives the prompt a clear structure so the AI has a better chance of understanding what you want.

That was an important learning point for me, because it showed that prompt writing is already becoming more organised. It is not just about typing a quick sentence into a box and hoping for the best. People are starting to develop structured methods for how prompts should be written.

For example, I now often break prompts into sections or headings such as:

• Role

• Context

• Task

• Audience

• Tone

• Key points to include

• Things to avoid

• Output format

  
  

For video prompts, I may use a different structure, such as:

• References

• Scene

• Camera

• Action

• Dialogue

• Delivery

• Constraints

  
  

The headings should actually be included in the prompt. They matter because they help both the person writing the prompt and the AI reading it. They separate the thinking and lay it out in a logical, prioritised order. They also make it easier to adjust one part without rewriting the whole thing.

If the result comes back wrong, you can usually see which part of the prompt needs improving. Maybe the role was not clear. Maybe the tone was wrong. Maybe the action was too vague. Maybe the instruction did not say what to prioritise. This turns prompting from guesswork into a process.

Specific Does Not Mean Complicated

A good prompt does not have to be complicated, but it does need to be specific.

There is a big difference between being clear and overloading the AI with unnecessary detail. The aim is not to write the longest prompt possible. The aim is to write the clearest prompt possible.

The prompt should tell the AI:

What you want it to do.

Why you want it done.

Who it is for.

What style or tone it should use.

What must be included.

What must be avoided.

What the final output should look like.

That is the difference between casually asking AI for help and properly directing it. You can use the points above as a simple framework for your next prompt.

Prompting Is a Practical Skill

For me, learning to write better prompts has been a process of trial, error, frustration, improvement, and then a few breakthrough moments.

I have had prompts produce results that were nowhere near what I wanted. I have also had moments where, after restructuring the prompt properly, the same AI tool suddenly produced something much closer to the original idea.

That taught me something important. The problem is not always the AI tool. Sometimes the problem is the instruction.

This is similar to working with people. If you give unclear instructions to a person, you cannot be surprised when the outcome is different from what you expected. AI is no different in that sense. It needs clarity, context, and direction.

What This Means for Businesses and Clients

For business owners, educators, charities, trainers, and content creators, AI can save a huge amount of time. It can help write posts, create website content, draft documents, develop ideas, structure training material, plan videos, create marketing messages, and improve communication.

But it only works well when it is guided properly. Poor prompts often lead to generic content. Generic content does not sound like you. It does not explain your value properly. It does not connect with your audience. It often feels like something copied from the internet.

Good prompting helps produce content that is more accurate, more useful, and more aligned with your real message. That is where I can now add real value.

Through my recent work, course learning, and hands-on use of AI tools, I have developed practical experience in writing prompts that are structured, specific, and purposeful. I am not interested in making AI sound clever for the sake of it. I am interested in using AI as a practical tool to help people communicate more clearly, create better content, and move their ideas forward.

AI Is Powerful, But It Still Needs Direction

AI is not magic. It is a tool.

Like any tool, the result depends on how well it is used. The better the prompt, the better the output. The clearer the instruction, the clearer the result.

The more specific the role, context, priorities, and format, the more useful the response becomes. That is why prompt writing matters.

It is not just typing into a box. It is learning how to communicate with AI in a way that helps it produce something genuinely useful. And for businesses, educators, and individuals trying to save time, create content, or explain their message clearly, that skill is becoming increasingly valuable.

At Growth by Paul Dixon, I use AI in a practical, structured way to support business content, website writing, social media posts, educational mat

erial, creative projects, and problem-solving. The aim is not to replace human thinking, but to organise it, strengthen it, and turn it into something useful. AI can help. But only when we learn how to ask properly.