How to Create Prompts: A Complete Guide to Talking to AIs

A artificial intelligence Chatbots are already part of our daily lives, helping us with tasks ranging from searching for information to creating content. But how do we create prompts correctly? A recent study raised an alarm: the way we ask for answers, especially when we ask for conciseness, can affect the quality of the text generated by the tool. In this guide, we teach you how to communicate effectively with chatbots to ensure accurate and reliable answers, avoiding the “trips” that a simple request for a summary can cause.

Why does the way you ask make a difference? 

To get the most out of artificial intelligence tools and chatbots, you need to master the art of “talking” to them. This communication takes place through prompts — the instructions, questions, or commands you enter — and the quality of those prompts is the single most important factor in determining the quality of the response you receive.

Think of a prompt as your guide. A clear, targeted prompt will lead the AI ​​to produce the exact result (or as close to it) as you want. On the other hand, vague or ambiguous prompts increase the chance that the AI ​​will “get lost” and produce something generic, irrelevant, or worse, incorrect. 

What are AI “hallucinations”?

In the world of artificial intelligence, the term “hallucination” has become synonymous with unwanted behavior: when a chatbot or language model generates and presents information as facts, but which are actually incorrect, invented or distorted. This is a recurring problem and one of the biggest challenges for those who develop and use AIs.

The cause behind hallucinations is linked to the very architecture of these models. Trained to predict the most likely sequence of words based on vast volumes of data, they function as sophisticated inference engines, rather than databases of concrete facts (to better understand how they work, check out our article on how ChatGPT thinks).

It is precisely this probabilistic nature that poses the risk. When a prompt is vague, incomplete, or forces the AI ​​to simplify a complex topic, the model may “fill in the gaps” with the most statistically plausible answer, which may not always be the truth.

And recent research reinforces this dynamic, showing how the way you ask questions can, in fact, be a trigger for these AI “trips”. The researchers from giskard looked at how the instructions given in prompts directly impact the factual accuracy of the responses generated by language models. They put leading AIs on the market to the test, such as GPT-4o da OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT), Or Mistral Large and Claude 3.7 Sonnet da anthropic, subjecting them to different question and prompt scenarios.

The research found that instructing chatbots to provide shorter answers tended to increase the propensity of these models to “hallucinate,” especially when questions involved topics that required greater detail or could be interpreted ambiguously.

Tips for creating your prompt

By following a few tips and applying simple principles, you can guide your chatbot to deliver more accurate, useful, and reliable responses, minimizing the risks that the very nature of AI can present, such as hallucinations. Here are the first essential tips to improve your communication with language models:

Use the format “you are…”

A powerful technique for directing the behavior and style of an AI’s response is to assign it a “role” or “persona.” Starting your prompt by defining “who” the AI ​​should “be” helps shape its tone, perspective, and even the type of information it will prioritize when generating text.

Instead of a generic request like “Describe the importance of solar energy,” ask: “You are an expert in renewable energy. Explain the importance of solar energy for the Brazilian energy matrix in a concise and informative way for an executive report.”“By defining the persona and the goal, you give the AI ​​a filter through which it processes your request, resulting in a more focused and professional response.

Be clear and specific

The more details you provide about the topic, task, and expected outcome, the more accurate your answer will be.

Prompt vago: "Quero ideias para um projeto para pequenas empresas locais."

Prompt específico: "Gere 5 ideias para um projeto de aplicativo móvel focado em auxiliar pequenas empresas locais a gerenciar suas redes sociais, com ênfase em funcionalidades de agendamento de posts e análise de métricas básicas."

Demand clarity in content what you seek is the opposite of demanding only size. Do not ask for excessively short answers (“in just two lines”, “a very short summary”) for complex topics, without specifying the that must be concise or which points focus. So be specific in subject it is us essential elements you need, allowing the AI ​​to utilize the space it needs to be accurate.

Provide context

Providing context is giving the AI ​​the “background” of your request. Telling why you need the information, what it will be used for, or what background information it should consider helps the model generate a more relevant response that is aligned with your situation.

Prompt sem contexto: "Preciso de uma receita de bolo."

Prompt com contexto: "Tenho apenas farinha, ovos, leite e chocolate em pó em casa. Preciso de uma receita de bolo de chocolate simples e rápida que use apenas esses ingredientes e possa ser feita em menos de 1 hora (incluindo tempo de forno)."

Instead of just any cake recipe, you get one that potentially fits your situation and limitations.

Indicate the format and tone

For the AI’s response to be useful and appropriate to your purpose, it is essential to specify how you want the information to be structured and what the tone of the language should be. Do you need a list, a running text, a table, a script, or programming code? Should the tone be formal, informal, technical, creative, or funny? Defining the format and tone allows the AI ​​to organize the information in the most functional way for you and adapt to the context in which the response will be used.

Use examples

When you have a specific style of writing in mind or a very particular type of response, showing AIs one or more examples can be the most effective way to ensure that the output is what you expect. AIs tend to do a good job of identifying patterns to replicate styles.

Example: “Write a product description for an electronics e-commerce site. Follow this style example: “Smartphone X: Power in the Palm of Your Hand. Vibrant display, high-resolution cameras, and ultra-fast processor for your everyday life.” Now, create a similar description for a wireless headset, highlighting audio quality and comfort.”

In tools like ChatGPT e Gemini:, you can attach entire files (such as texts and presentations) and request that the text style and structure be reproduced.

Request updated data

It’s important to remember that most language models have a “cutoff date” for their knowledge, meaning they haven’t been trained on information that’s past a certain point in time. If your request requires very recent data — such as breaking news, real-time market quotes, current event results — specify this in the prompt. Chatbots with web search capabilities can then find this information to give you the most up-to-date answer possible.

Break tasks into parts

The artificial intelligence tools we use most today are iterative, meaning you can refine the content gradually as you go along. For very complex requests or requests that involve multiple steps, it may be more efficient to break the original request down into a sequence of smaller prompts. This helps the AI ​​process each step in a more manageable way and allows you to refine the direction as you go.

Remember that AIs usually don't forget what you've sent in the chat previously, even after many messages. This way, you can resume any step throughout the development.

Specify limitations or preferences

If your request involves restrictions, avoidance criteria, or clear preferences, include that information in the prompt. This helps the AI ​​filter the options and generate a response that is actually useful for your situation.

Example: “Suggest topic ideas for a college paper on sustainability, but avoid topics related to renewable energy, as I have already addressed this before. Focus on urban solutions.”

Sample prompts to get more accurate answers

The accuracy of the AI's response directly depends on the accuracy of your prompt. Recapping the AI's research giskard: avoid requiring overly short answers, provide rich context, and be specific about the content are the safest ways to obtain reliable information. See below how to make the tool make the right inferences and minimize the risk of “hallucinations”, making it a powerful and reliable tool in your daily life.

Summarize text into main points

“Summarize this,” “summarize it more,” “I need the text even shorter”… who hasn’t had this kind of conversation with an AI? Summarizing is one of the most common tasks for chatbots, but asking for a very short summary of a complex text can lead the AI ​​to omit crucial information or, worse, to “invent” it to connect ideas. The key is to focus on the content that you want extracted, not just the final size.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Resuma este artigo em 1 parágrafo."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Leia o artigo e identifique os 3 principais argumentos apresentados pelo autor. Explique cada um em um parágrafo curto, focado nas ideias centrais."

The prompt then directs the AI ​​to look for specific elements of the text (main arguments) and defines a clear format (explain each one in a short paragraph), ensuring a more faithful and informative summary than simply asking for an arbitrary sentence limit. And, of course, if you need the summary for a specific purpose, be sure to cite it, so the AI ​​can identify the best arguments related to your need.

Create text with specific tone and format

Often we need text for a specific purpose, such as a formal email, a casual social media post, or a product description with a specific appeal. Specifying the format, tone, and target audience are crucial.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Escreva um texto sobre os benefícios de beber água."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Você é um influenciador fitness no Instagram. Crie um post curto e motivacional sobre os benefícios de manter a hidratação diária. Use linguagem simples e inclua emojis. O público são pessoas que estão começando uma rotina de exercícios."

Assigning a persona (“fitness influencer”), defining the format (“short post for Instagram”), the tone (“motivational”, “casual”) and the audience (“people starting to exercise”) guides the AI ​​to generate a text that exactly meets your need and context of use.

Review text

Chatbots can be great proofreaders, but they need to know what to look for. Simply asking to “proofread” may not be enough. Effective prompting specifies the types of proofreading you want (spelling, grammar, clarity, redundancies) and the tone you want to maintain, ensuring that the AI ​​performs the proofreading according to your expectations and the purpose of the text.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Revise este texto."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Revise o seguinte texto para corrigir erros de ortografia e gramática. Além disso, sugira melhorias na clareza das frases e elimine redundâncias, mantendo um tom profissional."

Organize information in a table

Asking AI to organize data is common. Specifying the format (table) and desired columns is essential for a useful result.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Crie uma tabela sobre a população e área dos estados do Brasil."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Crie uma tabela com 3 colunas: 'Estado', 'População Estimada em 2023' e 'Área em km²'. Preencha a tabela com dados do IBGE para todos os estados do Brasil, organizados em ordem alfabética pelo nome do estado."

By explicitly defining the exact number and headings of columns, the data source, and the sorting criteria, you ensure that the generated table is structured the way you need it. This is also a valid strategy for those who will build tables with Deep Research, which often checks dozens of data sources to create reports.

Learn how to do it (tutorials)

To provide a complete and safe tutorial, the AI ​​needs to understand exactly what you want to do, in what context, and what your level of knowledge is (beginner, intermediate, advanced).

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Como filtrar dados na planilha?" 

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Em uma planilha com informações de vendas no Google Sheets, quero criar um filtro para ver apenas as linhas onde a coluna 'Status do Pedido' mostra 'Concluído'. Me explique o passo a passo de como aplicar este filtro usando os menus do Google Sheets."

Help with studying (tasks and tests)

Chatbots can be excellent study aids, whether explaining concepts, generating exercises or simulating arguments for exams.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: ""Como foi a Segunda Guerra Mundial?"

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Estou estudando para uma prova de história sobre a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Explique os principais motivos que levaram ao início da guerra, as potências envolvidas, e os três eventos mais decisivos do conflito, como se estivesse me dando uma aula rápida e focada nos pontos-chave."

By specifying the topic (“World War II”), the objective (“studying for a test”), what should be covered (“reasons”, “powers”, “decisive events”) and the format/tone (“quick lesson”, “focused on key points”), the chatbot can become a tutor targeted to your study needs.

Do in-depth research

Some more advanced chatbots have tools like Deep Research, which are dedicated to conducting online searches to bring up up-to-date and in-depth data. Here, you need to direct the AI’s search to what’s relevant, rather than just giving it a general topic.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Pesquise sobre o mercado de smartphones."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Encontre dados e tendências recentes (últimos 6 meses) sobre a participação de mercado de smartphones na América Latina por fabricante. Cite as fontes consultadas e apresente um resumo das principais conclusões." 

To learn more specific prompts and uses of Deep Research, read our articles about How to use ChatGPT Deep Research and Gemini Deep Research.

Generate ideas or lists

Need inspiration or to organize your thoughts? Chatbots can generate lists and ideas quickly, but the quality will depend on how well you direct the AI’s creativity.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Ideias de posts para redes sociais."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Gere 10 ideias de posts para o perfil de uma cafeteria artesanal no Instagram, focando em atrair clientes jovens na faixa de 20 a 30 anos. As ideias devem incluir formatos como Reels, Carrossel e Stories, abordando temas como grãos especiais, métodos de preparo e ambiente aconchegante."

specifying type business (“artisanal coffee shop”), the platform (“Instagram”), the public-bowel (“young customers, 20-30 years old”), the numerous of ideas, the formats desired and the Topics to be addressed, the answer will be more targeted to your objective.

Make comparisons

Comparing products, services, concepts, or ideas requires you to define which criteria are important for the analysis. Without this, the AI ​​will make a generic comparison that may not be useful.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Compare marketing tradicional e marketing digital."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Faça uma comparação entre marketing tradicional e marketing digital, focando nas diferenças de custo, alcance de público, capacidade de mensuração de resultados e interatividade com o cliente. Apresente a comparação em formato de tabela."

Make suggestions

Whether it’s a book, a movie, a place to visit, or a solution to a problem, AI’s suggestions will be better if you provide your preferences, needs, or the context of the situation.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Sugira um filme para eu assistir."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Sugira 3 filmes de suspense lançados após 2020 que estejam disponíveis na Netflix Brasil e que tenham boas avaliações da crítica, mas que não sejam muito violentos."

Understanding what matters

Sometimes the goal is not to generate something new, but to understand the essence of a topic, event, or concept. Asking AI to focus on the “important points” without defining what those points are can be risky, especially in complex subjects where “important” is subjective.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Quais os pontos mais importantes da crise econômica de 2008?"

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Explique os principais fatores que desencadearam a crise econômica de 2008, focando no papel do mercado imobiliário e das instituições financeiras. Mencione também as consequências globais mais significativas."

Without leaving it up to the AI ​​to decide what is “most important” in a complex event, the prompt directs the AI ​​to the specific aspects of the event the user wants to understand (triggering factors, role of the market/finance, global consequences).

Create schedules

Planning and organizing tasks into a schedule requires deadlines, activities, dependencies, and resources.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Faça um cronograma para o desenvolvimento de um site."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Crie um cronograma detalhado para o desenvolvimento de um website institucional em WordPress, com prazo total de 6 semanas. Divida o cronograma em fases (planejamento, design, desenvolvimento, conteúdo, testes, lançamento) e liste as principais atividades dentro de cada fase, indicando uma estimativa de tempo para cada atividade."

Plan trips

Planning a trip involves multiple details: destination, duration, budget, interests, type of company, etc.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Planeje uma viagem para a Europa."

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Planeje um roteiro de 15 dias pela Europa para duas pessoas, com orçamento moderado. A viagem deve focar em história e cultura, incluindo visitas a museus e sítios históricos em Portugal, Espanha e Itália. Sugira as cidades a visitar, as principais atrações em cada uma e uma estimativa de custos diários (excluindo passagens aéreas).

Choosing restaurants

To get recommendations that actually work, tell the AI ​​your preferences, location, and occasion. By detailing your location (“Pines”), the occasion (“dinner with friends”), types of cuisine (“Italian or Brazilian”), critérios (“good value for money”, “relaxed atmosphere”) and the number of suggestions, you allow the AI ​​to filter through the countless options and present those that are most likely to please you, making the suggestion practical and relevant.

Prompt Menos Eficaz: "Onde comer em São Paulo?"

Prompt Mais Eficaz: "Estou no bairro de Pinheiros, em São Paulo, e busco sugestões para jantar hoje à noite com amigos. Quero opções de restaurantes com culinária italiana ou brasileira, que tenham bom custo-benefício e um ambiente descontraído. Preciso de pelo menos 3 sugestões com faixa de preço estimada." 

In this case, it is also valid to use internet search tools, in AI models that support them (such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok), to receive more updated results. Recently, OpenAI updated its search service, improving interaction for shopping using ChatGPT — learn how to use it here at Showmetech.

Therapy and emotional support

It is essential to make it clear: AI chatbots are not therapists and do not replace professional psychological or medical care. However, they can be used as auxiliary tools for self-reflection, organizing thoughts, or obtaining general information. The prompt should be formulated with this limitation in mind.

Describe a little about a situation or feeling that is distressing you. Then ask:

"Com base [na situação/sentimento citada], qual o profissional mais indicado para consulta?"

By phrasing the prompt this way, you are using AI to task of identification and informational targeting, within safe limits.

Create images with specific sizes, formats and styles

Image-generating AIs are becoming increasingly powerful, but turning your idea into a visually accurate image requires more than a basic description. Details about style, lighting, composition, and even proportions are essential. Read the best prompts for image manipulation in Google AI Studio and para image editing in ChatGPT, here in the showmetech.

The specification to define styles is crucial, especially for those who intend to generate images in differentiated arts, as occurred in the trends of ChatGPT doll and Ghibli style.

Create photorealistic images (AI photography)

To generate images that look like photographs, the prompt should direct the AI ​​to common elements in photography, such as lens type (simulated), depth of field, angle, and realistic light conditions.

Exemplo: "Gere uma imagem fotorrealista de uma paisagem montanhosa na Nova Zelândia ao amanhecer. Foco em um vale com névoa suave, com os primeiros raios de sol iluminando os picos. A composição deve ter uma profundidade de campo rasa nas montanhas do fundo e uma paleta de cores predominantemente azul e dourada."

Use terms that refer to photography (“photorealistic”, “depth of field”), specify the local (“New Zealand”), the light condition (“dawn”, “first rays of sun”), visual elements (“soft mist”, “peaks”) and even the color palette guides the AI ​​to simulate the result of a professional nature photograph with the desired atmosphere.

By applying the tips and understanding the examples we present, you will be better prepared to extract the maximum potential from chatbots, transforming them into powerful allies in your daily life, whether for work, study or personal tasks. And you, did you like the tips? Have you had any curious experiences with AI hallucinations? Share your impressions and questions in the comments!

Read more about Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI and FDA to Use AI in Drug Evaluation

Inside LLMs: How ChatGPT Thinks

Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 12 / 05 / 2025.

Sources: TechCrunch, giskard (Via Huggingface)