Why most prompts fail
Vague prompts get vague answers. 'Write about marketing' gives you generic text. A good prompt says who you are, who the reader is, what the goal is, and what format you want. That one change improves almost every answer.
The simple prompt formula
Role + Goal + Audience + Context + Format + Constraints. Example: 'You are an email copywriter. Write a 120-word launch email for busy freelancers. Audience: designers who hate spam. Tone: friendly and direct. End with one clear call to action.' That is specific enough to be useful.
Prompts for writing
1) 'Rewrite this in plain English, keep the meaning, shorten by 30%.' 2) 'Give me 10 headline options for this article, each under 60 characters.' 3) 'Turn these bullets into a 3-paragraph intro for beginners.' Always paste your draft and ask for one change at a time.
Prompts for business
1) 'Summarize this meeting transcript into decisions, owners and deadlines.' 2) 'List 5 pricing objections for this offer and a one-line answer for each.' 3) 'Draft a polite follow-up email for a client who has not replied in 7 days.'
Prompts for learning
1) 'Explain this like I am 12, then like I am an expert.' 2) 'Quiz me on this topic, one question at a time, and correct me gently.' 3) 'Give me a 7-day learning plan, 30 minutes a day, with one exercise per day.'
Prompts for coding
1) 'Explain what this code does, line by line.' 2) 'Find the bug and explain why it happens, then show the fixed code.' 3) 'Rewrite this function to be simpler and add comments.' Never run code you do not understand.
How to reuse prompts
Save your best prompts in a doc. Note what worked and what did not. Small tweaks, audience, tone, length, matter more than finding a magic prompt. The best prompt is the one you have tested on your own work.