1In one sentence
Gemini gives you exactly what you ask for, so a prompt that answers four questions and, for big jobs, fills nine blocks will beat any trick or secret phrase.
2New words
- Brief — a short, clear description of what you want, who it is for, and what "good" looks like. The same word a designer or writer uses.
- Vague — missing the details that would let someone do the job well. "Write an email" is vague.
- Master prompt — a longer brief, built from nine blocks, that you keep and reuse for a job you do often (and which becomes a Gem or Skill, Chapter 1.12).
3Why you would want it
Imagine a new assistant on their first day. "Write an email" leaves them guessing who, what, how long. Gemini is that assistant, every chat, on its first day. Twenty seconds of brief saves five rounds of "no, not like that". Gemini answers long and generic when given little; a clear shape of answer is the cure.
4The four questions and the nine blocks
| Question | Blocks that answer it | Example for Sam's Bakery |
|---|---|---|
| What exactly do I want? | Role, Goal | You are a copywriter for a small bakery. Goal: one Instagram post announcing Friday's cinnamon rolls. |
| Who is it for, and what do you know? | Context, Inputs | Customers are local families. Here is last month's best post: [paste]. |
| What are the rules? | Constraints, Process | Under 60 words, no emojis, no prices. First give me 3 angles, wait for me to pick, then write. |
| What should the answer look like? | Output format, Quality bar, Where to run it | Plain text, caption then 5 hashtags. Good means a stranger would want to visit. Use the Pro model and search for nothing. |
5Try it now
- In a new chat type: Write an email. Read what comes back.
- In the same chat type: Write a 5-line email to our flour supplier. They delivered two days late twice this month. Polite but firm: we need Friday deliveries by 7 a.m. or we will look elsewhere. Just the email, no subject line options.
- Compare the two.
- Reply: Shorter, and drop the threat. Watch it keep everything else.
- Fill every block of the table for one job you do weekly and paste it as one message. If it works, save it as a Gem or Skill.
6What you will see
With "Write an email" Gemini either asks who and what, or writes a generic sample with placeholders. With the full brief, a ready-to-send email. After your follow-up, the same email trimmed and softened, the rest untouched:
Nothing changed except the question.
7Watch out
- Long is not the same as clear. Four short facts beat a rambling paragraph. Gemini will happily follow a bad long brief.
- If you do not know what you want yet, say so: Help me figure out what to ask for. That is a valid prompt.
8Go further
Read Chapter 1.17, because a well-briefed answer still needs checking.