Product & Technology
Oct 6, 2025
Why Prompting Matters
Think of prompting like giving directions.
If you tell someone “go there,” you’ll probably get confusion. But if you say “walk two blocks east, then turn left at the café,” they’ll get you exactly what you want.
It’s the same with AI.
Clear, structured instructions lead to precise, useful results.
My favorite trick?
Take a breath, imagine how you’d explain it to a human colleague, and write that down — calmly, clearly, and specifically.
Let’s break that down into something you can use every day.
The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Method (Takes 2 Minutes)
Before writing a prompt, use this quick method to slow down and think clearly:
B – Breathe: Take five seconds. Don’t rush.
R – Result first: Start with what you need.
“I need a 5-bullet summary for our CFO.”
E – Essential context: Give the agent the must-know facts.
Who, what, where, when.
A – Audience & tone: Who’s going to read it? What tone should it have?
(e.g., friendly, formal, legal, technical)
T – Template or format: Be specific.
Bullets, email, table, JSON — whatever you want back.
H – Helpful examples: Add a small example or snippet of style.
“Write in this tone: clear, direct, no fluff.”
E – Edge rules: Define any constraints.
“No links. ≤150 words. Cite page numbers.”
That’s it. One minute to think, one minute to write — and your prompt will be 10× clearer.
The Building Blocks of a Great Prompt
Here’s the secret structure behind every great prompt. Copy-paste this format and fill in the blanks:Goal: ...
Context: ...
Audience & Tone: ...
Sources: ...
Format: ...
Limits: ...
Example (optional): ...
Let’s look at a few examples 👇
Copy-Paste Prompt Templates
You can use these as starting points inside 913.ai agents.
1. Executive Summary (Legal/Ops)
Goal: Create a 5-bullet executive summary for leadership.
Context: Based on the attached contract and my notes below.
Audience & Tone: VP-level, concise, neutral.
Sources: Contract.pdf, Notes.txt
Format: 5 bullets, each ≤20 words. Include clause numbers.
Limits: No assumptions or external links.
Example:
“• Renewal: auto-renews annually unless notice 60 days before term end (Section 9.2).”
2. Customer Support Reply (Email Draft)
Goal: Draft a reply to a customer about a delayed shipment.
Context: Order #1845 delayed 3 days; replacement now shipped.
Audience & Tone: Friendly, apologetic, helpful.
Format: Email with greeting + 2 short paragraphs + numbered next steps.
Limits: ≤120 words; do not offer discounts.
Example:
“Hi [Name], … Thanks, [My Name]”
3. Policy Comparison (Table)
Goal: Compare two policy documents.
Context: Policy_A.pdf and Policy_B.pdf.
Audience & Tone: Internal ops, objective tone.
Format: 4-column table: Topic | Policy A | Policy B | Notable Differences
Limits: Cite page numbers for each difference.
4. Meeting Notes → Action Items (Checklist)
Goal: Turn raw meeting notes into a checklist with owners and due dates.
Context: Paste notes below.
Audience & Tone: Internal, concise.
Format: Markdown checklist
- [ ] Task (Owner – Due: YYYY-MM-DD)
Limits: No new tasks — only those mentioned in the notes.
5. “Write Like Us” (Style Prompt)
Goal: Rewrite the paragraph in our brand voice.
Context: Our voice is clear, kind, confident — no jargon.
Audience & Tone: Customers, friendly and precise.
Format: One paragraph, ≤90 words.
Example:
Before: “We are writing to inform you…”
After: “Quick heads-up: …”
Before → After: How Small Changes Create Big Improvements
Bad prompt 👇
“Summarize this.”
Better prompt 👇
“Create a 5-bullet summary for our CFO using Contract.pdf. ≤80 words total. Include clause numbers.”
Bad prompt 👇
“Write an email.”
Better prompt 👇
“Draft a 4-sentence email to the vendor about the missing invoice. Tone: polite and firm. Include: invoice #, due date, next step. End with ‘Thanks, [My Name]’.”
Bad prompt 👇
“Compare these policies.”
Better prompt 👇
“Build a table comparing Policy A vs. Policy B. Columns: Topic | A | B | Risk/Impact. Include page numbers and highlight conflicts in bold.”
Clarity in → quality out.
Increase productivity & efficiency
Human-quality work
Scale & adapt quickly
Meet growing workloads and changing priorities instantly—without the cost or delays of hiring.