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Beginner 6 min read

Writing Good Prompts

The 90% Rule

90% of bad AI answers are because of a bad question, not a bad AI. Ask a vague question, get a vague answer. Ask a specific question, get a specific answer.

That's the whole secret. There's no magic formula. Just be specific.

The Simple Formula

Every good prompt has three parts:

  1. Role: Tell it who you are (or who you want it to be)
  2. Task: Tell it exactly what you want
  3. Details: Give it the specifics

That's it. Role, task, details.

Example without the formula:

"Write a quote"

You'll get a generic template that could be from any industry on earth.

Example with the formula:

"I run a tree service company in Columbus, Ohio called Buckeye Tree Pros. Write a professional quote for removing 3 dead ash trees from a residential property at 456 Oak Street. The trees are 40-50 feet tall, close to the house, and will require a crane. Our price is $4,200 total. Include cleanup, stump grinding to 6 inches below grade, payment terms of 50% deposit and 50% on completion, and a note that the price is valid for 30 days."

Now you'll get something you can actually send to a customer.

Be Specific About Format

Tell the AI how you want the answer formatted:

  • "Write this as a bulleted list"
  • "Keep it under 100 words"
  • "Make it sound professional but friendly"
  • "Write it like a text message, not a formal email"
  • "Put the most important stuff first"
  • "Use simple language -- my customers aren't technical"

Give It Examples

If you want the AI to match your style, show it what you like:

"Here's a social media post I wrote that got a lot of engagement: [paste your post]. Write 3 more posts in the same style about different jobs we've done."

This is the fastest way to get AI to sound like you instead of sounding like a robot.

Ask It to Improve Its Own Work

If the first answer isn't great, don't start over. Just tell it what to fix:

  • "Make it shorter"
  • "Make it sound less formal"
  • "Add a paragraph about our warranty"
  • "Remove the part about financing"
  • "Make it sound more confident"
  • "Rewrite this but funnier"

You're the boss. It works for you. Tell it what you want changed and it changes it. No hurt feelings.

The "Act As" Trick

One of the most powerful things you can do is tell the AI to pretend to be an expert:

"Act as an experienced marketing consultant who specializes in contractor businesses. Review my website at [URL] and tell me the 3 biggest things I should fix to get more leads."

"Act as a commercial insurance agent. I'm a land clearing contractor with 2 employees, 3 machines, and $800K annual revenue. What coverage do I need and roughly what should I expect to pay?"

It won't replace an actual consultant or insurance agent, but it gives you a starting point so you walk into those conversations informed instead of clueless.

Prompts for Common Contractor Tasks

Here are templates you can copy, paste, and modify. Replace the stuff in [brackets] with your info:

Customer Follow-Up

"Write a friendly follow-up email to a customer named [name] who got a quote from us [X weeks ago] for [job description] at $[price]. We haven't heard back. Keep it short and not pushy."

Negative Review Response

"A customer left this review on Google: [paste review]. Write a professional response that acknowledges their concern without admitting fault, offers to make it right, and asks them to contact us directly at [phone number]."

Social Media Batch

"Write 5 Facebook posts for my [trade] company in [city]. Mix of: job completion updates, tips for homeowners, behind-the-scenes crew content, and seasonal reminders. Keep each under 150 words. Make them sound human, not corporate."

Equipment Troubleshooting

"My [machine make/model/year] is showing [symptom/error code]. It has [X] hours on it. Last service was [date/service type]. What are the most likely causes and what should I check first?"

One Last Tip: Save Your Best Prompts

When you find a prompt that gives you exactly what you need, copy it and save it somewhere -- Notes app, Google Doc, whatever. Next time you need the same thing, you just paste it in with new details instead of typing it from scratch.

Build your own collection of prompts that work for your business. That's your AI playbook.

Or just use ours -- we already built 25 ready-to-use prompts for contractors.

Next up: AI Agents: Your 24/7 Assistant -- What if AI didn't just answer questions but actually did things for you?