Your first prompt

What is a prompt?

A prompt is simply what you write to Claude. It can be a question, a task, an instruction — or a combination of all three.

The most important rule

Claude is not a search engine. The more context you provide, the better the response. Compare these two prompts:

❌ Weak prompt:
"Write an email."

✅ Strong prompt:
"Write a short, professional email to a customer asking about delivery time. Tone should be friendly but precise. Max 5 sentences."

Three ingredients of a good prompt

Context — who are you, what is the situation? Claude adapts its response when it understands the background.

Task — what should Claude do? Be specific: "write", "summarize", "explain", "make a list".

Format — how do you want the answer? Bullet list, short text, table, code? Say it explicitly.

Iteration is key

You do not need to get the perfect prompt on the first try. Claude remembers the entire conversation — just say "make it shorter", "more formal tone" or "add an example" to refine the answer.

🎯 Test your knowledge

Test yourself — completely optional, but fun! 🎯

Question 1 of 3

What is the most important difference between a weak and a strong prompt?

A strong prompt gives Claude context, task and desired format — not just a vague topic.

Question 2 of 3

What three ingredients should a good prompt contain?

Context (who/what), task (what Claude should do) and format (how you want the answer).

Question 3 of 3

What does "iteration" mean in the context of prompting?

You can refine the answer by following up in the same conversation — Claude remembers the context.