Make AI ask you questions first

Vague request? End your prompt by asking the AI to interview you. The answers make the output 2x better.

Before you start, ask me up to 3 questions that would improve your answer.

Give it a role

Start with who the AI should be. A role sets vocabulary, depth and tone in one line.

You are an experienced [job]. 

Say the format out loud

Bullets, table, 3 sentences, 100 words. If you don't say it, you get an essay.

Answer in a table with columns: option | cost | pros | cons.

Edit, don't restart

Reply with what to change instead of re-prompting from scratch. The AI keeps the context.

Shorter. Make point 2 more specific. Keep everything else.

Show an example

Paste a sample you like and ask it to match. Examples beat adjectives.

Match the tone and length of this example: [paste]

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Ban the clichés

Tell the AI which words to avoid and its writing instantly sounds more human.

Avoid: 'delve', 'game-changer', 'in today's fast-paced world', exclamation marks.

Ask for 5, pick 1

For headlines, names and subject lines, ask for options. Then ask it to combine the best two.

Give me 5 options, then tell me which is strongest and why.

Make it critique itself

After a draft, ask the AI to grade its own work, then fix the weak spots.

Rate this draft 1-10 for clarity and persuasiveness, list the 3 biggest weaknesses, then rewrite it fixing them.

Reply to any email in one line

Paste the email, then write your intent in plain words. Let AI handle the polish.

Draft a reply that says: [yes to Thursday, need budget first]. Friendly, under 80 words.

TL;DR a long thread

Paste a messy thread and get decisions, open questions and your to-dos.

Summarize this thread: decisions, open questions, and action items for me with deadlines.

Say no without guilt

AI is great at warm, firm declines that keep the relationship intact.

Politely decline [request]. Warm, brief, offer [alternative]. Under 70 words.

Follow up without sounding annoyed

Make your follow-up answerable in one line by offering two options.

Write a short, friendly follow-up asking [question]. Offer two options they can pick from.

Teach AI your writing style

Paste 3 emails you wrote and ask it to describe your style. Reuse that description forever.

Describe my writing style in 5 bullets so you can imitate it: [paste 3 emails]

Fix a tone problem

Worried an email sounds rude? Ask for a tone check before you hit send.

How might this email come across to the recipient? Suggest a calmer version: [paste]

Describe your columns, get a formula

AI can't see your sheet. Tell it what's in each column and you'll get a working formula.

Column A = date, B = product, C = qty, D = price. Formula for total revenue of 'Widget' in March?

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Paste the error, get the fix

#N/A, #REF, #VALUE: paste the formula and the error, and ask for likely causes.

This formula returns #N/A: [formula]. What are the likely causes and the fix?

Clean names in seconds

Splitting 'Last, First' or fixing ALL CAPS? Ask for the cleanup formulas.

Give me formulas to split 'Last, First' into two columns and convert names to Proper Case.

Upgrade VLOOKUP to XLOOKUP

Ask AI to rewrite old formulas with modern functions that break less.

Rewrite this VLOOKUP as XLOOKUP and explain the difference: [formula]

Test formulas on 3 rows

Before you trust an AI formula, check three rows by hand. Takes 30 seconds, saves hours.

Ask for the trend, not the table

Upload a CSV (no personal data) and ask what changed and why it matters.

What are the top 3 trends in this data? Point out anything unusual.

Meeting notes → action items

Rough notes are fine. Ask for owners and dates, and tell it not to guess.

Turn these notes into: summary, decisions, action items (task | owner | due). Write 'unclear' instead of guessing.

Instant follow-up email

Right after the meeting, turn the summary into a scannable recap email.

Turn this summary into a follow-up email, action items first, under 150 words.

Agenda in 10 seconds

Give AI the open questions and get a time-boxed agenda.

Draft a 30-minute agenda with time boxes for these topics: [list]

Answer the FAQs once

List the questions customers always ask. Get friendly reusable answers.

Write friendly answers to these customer questions. Our policies: [paste]

Reply to a bad review

Specific, calm, no excuses. AI keeps you from replying angry.

Reply to this 1-star review: thank them, address the issue, invite them to email [email]. Under 70 words.

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A month of posts in one go

Ask for a mix of tips, behind-the-scenes and offers, then the first 3 in full.

Give me 12 social post ideas for a [business] in [town] for next month, then write the first 3.

Turn how-you-work into an SOP

Talk through a task out loud, paste the transcript, get a checklist for new hires.

Turn this into a numbered checklist a new employee could follow: [paste]

5-second homepage test

Customers should know what you do, where, and how to book in 5 seconds.

Rewrite my homepage intro so a visitor knows what we do, where, and how to book in 5 seconds.

Find underpriced services

Paste costs and prices and ask where margins look thin.

Here are my costs and prices. Where might I be underpricing, and why?

The image prompt formula

Subject, scene, style, lighting, format. Fill all five for images that look intentional.

[subject], [scene], [style], [lighting], [aspect ratio]

Change one thing at a time

Loved an image except one detail? Ask for that change only.

Same image, but make the coat red.

Add text later

AI still garbles text in images. Keep words short, or add them in Canva after.

Clean product shots

A simple phrase gets you studio-style product images.

Studio product shot on a seamless light grey background, soft shadows, 1:1.

Specific beats pretty

'Beautiful' adds nothing. Materials, era, place and mood add everything.

Demand sources

For facts, use a web-search mode and ask for links plus a confidence level.

For each key claim, give a source link and your confidence (high/medium/low). Say 'I don't know' rather than guess.

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Click the link

AI citations can be wrong. Open the source and check it actually says that.

Argue the other side

Ask the AI to attack its own answer to spot weak reasoning.

What are the strongest arguments against what you just said?

Distrust precise numbers

Very precise stats with no source are a hallucination red flag.

Explain like I'm new

Learning a topic? Ask for a plain-English explanation, then a quiz.

Explain [topic] in plain English with one everyday analogy. Then quiz me with 3 questions.

Dinner plan in one prompt

Give people, budget, time limit, dislikes and what's in the pantry.

Plan 5 dinners for 2 adults + 2 kids, under $90, 30 min max, no mushrooms. We have rice, eggs, pasta.

Grocery list by aisle

Ask for the list grouped by store section with quantities.

Now the grocery list grouped by store section with quantities, minus what I have.

What's in my fridge?

Snap a photo of your fridge in an app that takes images and ask what to cook.

What can I make tonight with what's in this photo, in under 25 minutes?

Sunday prep plan

Turn the week's menu into a 45-minute prep session.

Give me a 45-minute Sunday prep plan for these meals.

Decode the job post

Ask AI what the employer really prioritizes before you edit your resume.

List the top 6 skills this employer cares about, in priority order: [paste job post]

Bullets that show results

Rewrite duties as outcomes, using only numbers you provide.

Rewrite my bullets to lead with results. Don't invent numbers or experience.

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Your AI tool, one full screen, in front of people actively swiping for ways to use AI better. Clearly labeled, one sponsor per slot.

Mock interview

Have AI play hiring manager, one question at a time, with blunt feedback.

Act as the hiring manager. Ask one question at a time, wait for my answer, then give blunt feedback.

Strip personal info first

Remove your address and phone number before pasting a resume into any AI.

Set custom instructions once

Tell your AI who you are and how you like answers. Every chat gets better.

Lead with the answer. Bullets for lists. Under 200 words unless I ask. Say when you're unsure.

Use projects for repeat work

Create a project with your style guide and FAQs so every chat starts with context.

Audit your AI's memory

Check what your assistant remembers about you and delete anything you don't want stored.

Check training settings

Most tools let you opt out of chats being used for training. Find it in data settings.

Never paste secrets

Passwords, API keys, client secrets and health data don't belong in chatbots.

Turn a voice memo into a plan

Ramble into your phone, paste the transcript, get an organized plan.

Turn this rambling voice note into a clear plan with next steps: [paste]

Simplify anything

Dense contract or doctor's letter? Ask for plain English, then verify with a pro.

Explain this in plain English and list anything I should ask a professional about: [paste]

That's every tip, for now

New tips land every weekday. Dig deeper with the step-by-step guides.