5 common prompt mistakes (and what to do instead)

Getting underwhelming results from AI? You're not alone. Here are the five most common mistakes we see — and simple fixes for each.

1. Being too vague

Bad: "Write me something about marketing." Better: "Write a 200-word Instagram caption for a small bakery announcing a new sourdough bread, targeting local food lovers."

The fix: Be specific about the topic, length, audience, and purpose.

2. Forgetting to set context

Bad: "Explain quantum computing." Better: "Explain quantum computing to a 15-year-old who's interested in science but has no physics background. Use everyday analogies."

The fix: Tell the AI who the audience is and what they already know.

3. Asking for too much at once

Bad: "Write a business plan, marketing strategy, and financial projections for my startup." Better: Start with one piece at a time. "Help me outline the core value proposition for a meal delivery service targeting busy parents."

The fix: Break big requests into smaller, focused prompts.

4. Not specifying the format

Bad: "Give me information about healthy eating." Better: "Give me a bulleted list of 10 easy healthy eating tips for someone who works long hours and doesn't have time to cook."

The fix: Tell the AI exactly how you want the response structured — list, paragraph, table, step-by-step, etc.

5. Giving up after one try

Bad: Getting a mediocre response and closing the tab. Better: "That's good, but make it more conversational and add a specific example for each tip."

The fix: Treat it as a conversation. Refine and iterate. The second or third response is almost always better than the first.

The pattern

Notice something? All of these fixes come down to giving the AI more information about what you actually want. You don't need to be technical — you just need to be specific.

That's what kkwan automates for you. Our clarifying questions extract exactly this kind of detail, so the prompt we generate already avoids these mistakes.