Ctrl + Prompt + Win: Expert Hacks to Make AI Actually Listen Across All Platforms

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Whether you're emailing, summarizing reports, or brainstorming ideas, the secret to unlocking AI potential lies in the way you ask it. You don't need a degree in computer science, experts say, to be a prompting master—just some smart tactics. Here are 8 expert-approved tips for prompting across platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity AI.

1. Apply the Persona-Task-Context-Format Framework

Instruct your prompt in the tone of assigning a task to a peer:

Persona: Who should the AI be? ("You are a travel writer…")
Task: What should it do? ("Write a paragraph on Delhi street food.")
Context: What's the context? ("User is on a food tour in Delhi.")
Format: How should it respond? ("Give me 5 bullet points.")

2. Be Specific—Vagueness Leads to Vague Results

Instead of "Write a summary," use: "Summarize this article in 5 bullet points on its economic impact on the IT industry."

3. Refine, Not Resign

Prompting is a loop. Ask follow-ups like:

"Make it more conversational."
"Convert this to a table."
"Tweet this."

4. Use Examples (Few-Shot Prompting)

Provide the AI with an example: > "Here's an example tweet. Now create one in the same voice on climate change."

5. Add Constraints

Treat the AI with constraints:

Word limit
Tone (serious, humorous, argumentative)
Audience (children, CEOs, students)

6. Request Multiple Choices

Rather than one answer, request: > "Give 3 versions of this headline."

7. Multi-Task

Stacking requests for more complex output: > "Summarize the article, then suggest a catchy title and 3 hashtags."

8. Clean Up and Repurpose

Save your best prompts. Reuse and adapt them for another task or platform.

These are not tech tips alone—they're for anyone who desires to work smarter with AI. As the tools evolve, your prompts are the new keyboard shortcuts to productivity, creativity, and clarity.

Sources: Indian Express, Kashmir Post, Geography For You