Being Specific vs Vague

Specificity is what separates amateur prompts from professional ones. The more specific your prompt, the more useful the output.

The Specificity Spectrum

This prompt is maximally vague. The AI could write about:

• Dog breeds, dog training, dog history
• A poem, an essay, a story, a list
• 50 words or 5000 words
• For children or scientists

Vague vs Specific Examples

Vague	Specific
"Write something interesting"	"Write a 2-paragraph explanation of why octopuses have blue blood"
"Help with my resume"	"Review my resume's work experience section and suggest 3 stronger action verbs"
"Make a good email"	"Write a polite follow-up email to a recruiter, 100 words max, mentioning my interview last Tuesday"
"Give me ideas"	"Generate 5 blog post titles about remote work productivity for a tech startup audience"

Dimensions of Specificity

1. Topic Specificity

Vague: "Technology" Specific: "The impact of AI assistants on customer service response times"

2. Audience Specificity

Vague: "Explain quantum computing" Specific: "Explain quantum computing to a 10-year-old using a video game analogy"

3. Format Specificity

Vague: "List some tips" Specific: "Provide 5 numbered tips, each with a bold headline and one explanatory sentence"

4. Length Specificity

Vague: "Keep it short" Specific: "Write exactly 3 sentences" or "Maximum 150 words"

5. Tone Specificity

Vague: "Be professional" Specific: "Use formal language, avoid contractions, and maintain a confident but not arrogant tone"

Exercise: Add Specificity

The Power of Constraints

Constraints create specificity. Adding limitations often improves output:

Without constraints:

"Write a story."

With constraints:

"Write a story in exactly 6 sentences. It must include a cat, take place in a library, and have a surprising twist ending."

Numbers Are Your Friend

Using numbers forces specificity:

• "Give me 3 reasons"
• "Write 150 words"
• "List 5 steps"
• "Use 2 examples"
• "In under 1 minute reading time"

Exercise: The Constraint Challenge

Specificity in Different Domains

For Code Generation

Vague: "Write a function to process data" Specific: "Write a Python function that takes a list of dictionaries with 'name' and 'age' keys, filters for ages over 18, and returns a sorted list of names."

For Creative Writing

Vague: "Write a poem" Specific: "Write a haiku (5-7-5 syllables) about a rainy Monday morning, with a melancholic but hopeful tone."

For Business Content

Vague: "Write a marketing email" Specific: "Write a 3-paragraph email announcing a 20% discount on premium plans. Target: existing free-tier users. Tone: friendly but professional. Include one clear CTA button text."

The Goldilocks Zone

Too vague = useless output Too specific = limited creativity

Find the balance:

• Specify the important constraints
• Leave room for the AI's strengths
• Be specific about format and length
• Be flexible about word choice and flow

Practice: Specificity Analysis

What specificity is missing?

• What kind of fitness? (strength, cardio, flexibility)
• What's "in shape" mean? (weight loss, muscle gain, endurance)
• How many days? What equipment?
• "Good" and "easy" are subjective

Specificity eliminates guesswork and gets you exactly what you need.