# Source: https://docs.helicone.ai/guides/prompt-engineering/be-specific-and-clear.md

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.helicone.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Be specific and clear

> Be specific and clear in your prompts to improve the quality of the responses you receive.

## How to be specific and clear

The rule of thumb is to provide just enough instructions and context to help guide the AI’s response. Here are some suggestions:

1. Be direct and state exactly what you want (i.e. summary, list, explanation).
2. Mention the audience and tone.
3. Ask for one thing at a time. Avoid overloading your prompt with multiple questions.

## Examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Example 1: Generating marketing ideas." defaultOpen>
    Be direct and unambiguous in your request.

    **Vague:**

    > Give me some marketing ideas.

    **Specific:**

    > Explain three effective digital marketing strategies for increasing social media engagement among millennials.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Example 2: Retrieving sales data.">
    Explain how you want the information presented.

    **Vague:**

    > Give me the latest sales data.

    **Specific:**

    > Provide a summary of our Q2 2023 sales data, highlighting the top three performing regions in a bullet-point list.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Example 3: Writing about climate change.">
    Tailor the response to the intended audience and desired tone.

    **Vague:**

    > Write about climate change.

    **Specific:**

    > Write a persuasive speech for high school students on the importance of combating climate change, using an urgent and motivational tone.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Example 4: Explain the software features and what's in it for the customers.">
    Avoid combining multiple requests in one prompt.

    **Vague:**

    > Explain our new software features and how customers can benefit.

    **Specific:**

    > List and briefly describe the three new features introduced in our latest software update.

    Then, in a separate prompt:

    > Explain how each of these new features can improve productivity for our customers.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

<Accordion title="Need more help?">
  Additional questions or feedback? Reach out to
  [help@helicone.ai](mailto:help@helicone.ai) or [schedule a
  call](https://cal.com/team/helicone/helicone-discovery) with us.
</Accordion>