Vague instructions produce vague outputs. Specificity is the highest-impact improvement you can make.
# VAGUE vs SPECIFIC
VAGUE: 'Write a blog post about AI'
SPECIFIC:
'Write a 600-word blog post titled How AI is Changing Software Testing
for QA engineers. Include 3 real-world examples.
Use subheadings every 150 words.
Tone: professional but conversational.
End with a call to action.'
VAGUE: 'Make this shorter'
SPECIFIC:
'Reduce this text to 150 words while keeping all technical facts.
Remove filler phrases and passive voice.
Keep all numbered steps intact.'
VAGUE: 'Fix the code'
SPECIFIC:
'The function returns None when input list is empty.
Fix it to return [] instead.
Do not change any other behaviour.',
# Use positive instructions (what TO do)
BAD: 'Do not use technical jargon'
GOOD: 'Use simple language a high school student could understand'