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The Sidepreneur

You’re asking AI the wrong way

Published 6 months ago • 1 min read

Last week, I was on a call with a friend who uses AI for everything.

Work? AI.

Emails? AI.

Date night ideas? AI.

And yet, despite using AI more than most, he was frustrated.

"Why do my AI responses sound... generic?" he asked.

So I asked him a simple question:

"How do you write your prompts?"

His answer?

"I just tell it what I need."

Classic mistake.

See, the quality of an AI response is only as good as the quality of the prompt. And most people treat prompting like ordering fast food—short, simple, and straight to the point.

But if you’ve ever gotten a boring AI output, it’s because you didn’t give it enough to work with.

Here’s the fix: The CARE Framework.

Context: Give AI the background it needs (what’s the goal, who’s it for?)

Ask: Be specific in what you need (format, tone, style)

Rules: Set boundaries (word limits, do’s & don’ts)

Examples: Show what good looks like (or bad, so it avoids it)

​

Most people just use Ask. The pros use CARE.

For example, instead of:

"Write a Twitter thread about productivity."

Try this:

"You are a Twitter growth expert. Write a 7-tweet thread on productivity hacks, tailored for busy solopreneurs. Use a mix of storytelling and direct advice. Keep it concise, engaging, and include a CTA at the end."

See the difference?

AI is powerful, but only if you guide it properly.

Next time you prompt, CARE enough to get the answer you actually want.

Tona

P.S. What’s the worst AI response you’ve ever gotten from a bad prompt? Hit reply. I’d love to hear it.

Tona

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The Sidepreneur

by Tona

Building small things on the side of everything else. For people with more ideas than time.

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