In response to discussions after a recent Substack of mine, I decided to ask an AI agent to share some basic advice on how to write effective prompts.

It's not rocket science, and I'm no expert, but it is generally acknowledged that most AI users are probably only scraping the surface of what they might be achieving. I've certainly learned a lot over the last year and hope that these daily posts may be of some use.

On Monday, we introduced the basic concepts, and yesterday listed the three things every prompt needs. Today, it's time to look at the Context Stack.

Robert

MODULE 3: THE CONTEXT STACK

This is the technique that separates people who get genuinely useful AI output from people who get impressive-sounding noise.

Before you ask your question, feed the AI context. Not vague context — specific context.

Weak prompt:

Write a LinkedIn post about our new rosé.

Strong prompt:

I manage communications for a Provence rosé producer. Our wine sells at €18 retail, so we sit above the entry-level Provence category. Our audience on LinkedIn is UK and US trade buyers, not consumers. Write a LinkedIn post that positions our rosé as a serious food wine, not a poolside drink. Reference one specific food pairing. Tone is authoritative but not stuffy. Under 180 words. No hashtags.

The second prompt gets you something you can actually post. The first gets you something you will delete.

The rule: never ask AI for something without first telling it who you are, who you are writing for, and what you are trying to achieve.

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