Prompt Mistakes and Fixes

1. Mistake: Vague Task

Weak: 'Write something about our product.'

Fix: 'Write a 120-word product update for existing users. Include one new feature, one user benefit, and one next step.'

2. Mistake: No Audience

Weak: 'Explain this clearly.'

Fix: 'Explain this for first-time founders with no technical background. Use plain language and one example.'

3. Mistake: No Boundaries

Weak: 'Give me a marketing plan.'

Fix: 'Create a 30-day marketing plan for one landing page and one email sequence. Exclude paid ads.'

4. Mistake: No Output Format

Weak: 'Analyze this data.'

Fix: 'Return output in markdown with three sections: Key Findings, Risks, and Recommended Actions.'

5. Mistake: Mixing Too Many Tasks

Weak: 'Summarize, critique, rewrite, and translate this document.'

Fix: 'Step 1 summarize. Step 2 critique. Step 3 rewrite. Run each step separately for better control.'

6. Mistake: Hidden Assumptions

Weak: 'Use our usual tone.'

Fix: 'Use a direct, calm, non-hype tone. Keep sentences under 18 words.'

7. Mistake: No Validation Step

Fix: Add a final instruction: 'List uncertain claims and ask follow-up questions before finalizing.'

8. Mistake: Overpromising in Prompt

Weak: 'Make this guaranteed to convert.'

Fix: 'Suggest three evidence-based variants and explain tradeoffs. Do not claim guaranteed performance.'

9. Practical Next Step

After rewriting your prompt, run it through this site's Prompt Quality Check page to verify goal clarity, constraints, tone, and output format.