Prompts for Claude: concrete examples and tips that work

The principles of a good prompt

Four habits cover the essentials. Context: say who it is for, what the goal is, with what constraints. Format: specify the expected structure (list, table, length, tone). Example: show a sample of what you want, Claude uses it as a template. Iteration: if the answer is not perfect, fix it by pointing out what is wrong rather than starting over. You can also assign a role (for instance, ask Claude to take the view of a demanding reviewer) and ask it to reason step by step for complex problems.

Examples for writing and communication

For an email: You are my assistant. Write a warm but firm email to a client who has not paid an invoice overdue by three weeks. State the amount, propose a payment schedule, stay courteous. Maximum 120 words. For rewording: Rewrite this paragraph to make it clearer and more concise, without losing information, in a professional and accessible tone. Here is the text: [...]. For adapting to an audience: Explain this concept to a complete beginner, with an everyday analogy, then to an expert, in one technical sentence. These structures are reusable by changing the content in brackets.

Examples for analysis and code

To analyse a document: Here is a report. Summarise it in ten key points for a busy executive, then list the three decisions to make. Cite the page for each point. [paste the document]. To extract: Read this contract and give me a table with, for each important clause, its purpose, the party concerned and the risk. For code: Here is a function. Review it to spot bugs and unhandled edge cases, explain each issue and propose a fix. Do not rewrite everything, flag precisely. For debugging: Here is an error and the relevant code, help me find the cause.

Advanced tips and pitfalls to avoid

A few techniques that help: ask for several variants to compare; ask Claude to pose clarifying questions before answering if the request is ambiguous; for long tasks, approve an outline before execution. On pitfalls: avoid vague prompts (improve this text yields less than a precise instruction), do not pile ten contradictory requests into one message, and never trust facts, figures or sources without verification. Finally, keep one conversation per topic: a thread overloaded with different contexts blurs the answers. To discover other uses, the Claude News feed regularly shares concrete cases.

How do I write a good prompt for Claude?

Give context (who it is for, what the goal is), specify the expected format and tone, provide an example of what you want, and iterate by correcting what is wrong rather than starting over. For complex tasks, assign a role and ask for step-by-step reasoning. These four habits clearly improve answers.

Do I need magic phrases to talk to Claude well?

No. No secret formula is needed. A clear instruction in natural language, with context, format and an example, works better than an incantation. The real lever is iteration: refine through back-and-forth until you get the result you want.

Why does giving an example in the prompt help?

Because Claude uses it as a template for tone, format and level of detail. Showing a sample of what you expect is often more effective than describing it in words. It is one of the simplest and most rewarding tips.

What should I do if Claude's answer is not good?

Do not start over: say precisely what is wrong (too long, wrong tone, missing point, error) and ask for a revision. This iterative back-and-forth converges quickly on a correct answer, often faster than a perfect prompt on the first try.