BeginnerLesson 2 of 58 min read
A request built end to end.
A course from the Academy: Getting exactly what you want
Go to the quiz ↓Let's take a real case and build the prompt in front of you, lever by lever. Goal: an ad to sell a second-hand bike.
Version 1, the one you write spontaneously
"Write an ad to sell my bike."
Result: a generic, enthusiastic ad with placeholders to fill in and three emojis. Useless as is.
Add the context and the facts
"Write an ad to sell my city bike, brand Btwin, bought three years ago, barely used, a few scratches on the frame, brakes serviced in June. I'm selling it for 180 euros, pickup in Colmar."
Already usable. Note that we mentioned the scratches: an ad that hides a flaw gets torn apart in the comments.
Add the format and the tone
"Format: one short paragraph, then a list of features. Factual tone, no superlatives, no emojis."
Add the constraint that matters
"Don't invent any feature I haven't given you. If information is missing, leave a blank and flag it at the end of your response."
That last sentence is what will save you from trouble. Without it, it will fill the gaps: number of gears, frame size, exact year. Plausible details, and false ones.
What to do now
Take an item you might sell. Write the full prompt using the four steps above. Then check that no invented feature has slipped in.
Complete the lesson
A 4-question quiz: 3 correct answers are enough, plus an exercise to practise. It opens in the Academy, on this same lesson.
Take the quiz and complete the lesson Free. With an account, your progress is saved and leads to the course certificate.