2025 AI Tips and Power Tools; Google Gemini — 5 tips to get better results with your prompts

 27th April, 2025:  Auckland, New Zealand

Source of Article: Tom's Guide

Take your Gemini prompts to the next level

To get the best results from Google Gemini, focus on writing clear, specific, and conversational prompts. Provide context, use natural language, and break down complex tasks into smaller prompts. Imagine you're speaking with a helpful colleague, and aim to be as detailed and precise as possible. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Be Specific and Clear:

Avoid vague language and use action verbs (like "write," "summarize," "create") to guide Gemini. 

Provide Context:

Explain your goal, your level of expertise, and any relevant details about the task. 

Break Down Complex Tasks:

If you have a complex problem, try to break it into smaller, more manageable prompts to help Gemini focus. 

Use Natural Language:

Write prompts as if you were speaking to a person, using complete sentences and avoiding jargon. 

Iterate and Experiment:

Don't be afraid to refine your prompts if you're not getting the desired results. Try rephrasing, using different keywords, or adjusting the level of detail. 

Consider Different Roles:

Experiment with asking Gemini to act in different roles (e.g., colleague, teacher) to see how it affects the output. 

Use "Make this a power prompt":

In the Gemini app, start your prompts with "Make this a power prompt: [original prompt text here]" to get suggestions on how to improve it. 

Utilize follow-up questions:

If you're not happy with the initial response, ask follow-up questions to refine the output. 

By following these tips, you can create prompts that effectively guide Gemini and help you get the most accurate and helpful responses. 

In the growing world of AI assistants, Google Gemini stands out as a powerful tool with seriously vast capabilities. You might have heard it can do some pretty impressive stuff, like summarizing your favorite YouTube video, or even creating a custom playlist depending on your mood. It can even help you outsmart airline pricing by finding the cheapest flights. 

But here's the thing: getting Gemini to perform these tasks effectively isn't always straightforward. It's all about how you ask. If you've ever felt like you're not quite speaking Gemini's language, you're not alone — I've been in that boat plenty of times. Like many, I've had my fair share of head-scratching moments when an AI's responses have missed the mark completely. 

That's where crafting the right prompts comes in. In this guide, we'll break down the art of asking Gemini the right questions, helping you unlock its capabilities and get the results you're after. Let's get started!

1. Frame your query with context

Start by approaching Gemini as if you're chatting with a knowledgeable friend. When crafting your prompt, its really important to use complete sentences instead of just keywords. 

For example, if you typed "email writing tips" you'd receive useful general advice on writing clear, concise, and effective emails. However, this advice would be generic and not tailored to your specific situation. 

Instead, try something like: "I need to write an important email to my boss about a project delay. Can you gi

This approach provides context, allowing Gemini to offer more personalized guidance and in this case, a template to work from.

2. Explain your goal

Clarify why you're seeking information or assistance. This helps Gemini understand your ultimate objective. Even when asking a straightforard question, you'll get more out of Gemini if you clearly explain what you're after.

For instance, instead of asking "How to create a spreadsheet?", try: "I need to create a monthly budget spreadsheet to track my personal expenses and savings goals. Can you guide me through setting this up in Google Sheets, including suggested categories and formulas?" 

3. Request step-by-step instructions

When you need help with a process, ask Gemini to break it down into clear steps. This approach ensures you receive comprehensive, easy-to-follow instructions every time.

For example, rather than asking "How to change a tire?", say: "Can you provide a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to change a flat tire on a standard passenger car? 

4. Indicate your familiarity

When writing prompts in Gemini, you should always fill the AI in on how much you understand about the subject. Doing this from the get-go helps the Gemini explain things at the right level for you. 

For example, instead of asking 'How does photosynthesis work?", you could say: "I have a basic understanding of photosynthesis from high school biology. Can you explain it in a bit more depth? This way, Gemini knows to skip the basics and dive into more detailed information without getting too technical. 

On the other hand, if you're completely new to a topic, don't be afraid to say so. You might ask: "I've never understood how the stock market works. Can you explain it to me as if I'm a complete beginner?" This ensures you get an explanation that starts from square one.

5. Mention specific tools or platforms

When your query involves particular software, devices or apps that you use daily, include these details. For instance, instead of asking Gemini:"How do I organize my email?", try: "Can you give me tips on how to use labels and filters in Gmail to organize my work emails more efficiently?"

Or, if you're an iPhone user, you might ask, "What are some hidden features in the latest iOS 18 update for iPhone 16 that can help me be more productive?" By specifying the exact tools you're using, you'll get more practical and relevant advice that you can apply right away.

Bonus tip: keep it concise!

While detail is important, try to keep your prompts under 4,000 characters. Focus on including relevant information without unnecessary elaboration. 

Remember, a well-structured, concise prompt often leads to more focused and useful responses from Gemini. Happy prompting! 

2025 AI Tools and Tips: I test ChatGPT for a living — 7 secrets to instantly up your prompt game

 27th April, 2025:  Auckland, New Zealand

Source of Article: Tom's Guide

There's bad prompts, and then there's good prompts

If you’ve ever typed a question into ChatGPT and thought, “Huh. That’s not exactly what I wanted…” don't worry, you’re not alone.

The truth is, most people are only scratching the surface of what AI chatbots can really do. But as someone who prompts AI professionally, I can tell you the difference between a good result and a great one often comes down to the way you ask.

Below are some of the best-kept secrets that prompt engineers like myself use to unlock more helpful, creative, and accurate responses from ChatGPT and other chatbots.

1. Give ChatGPT a role

Known as role prompting, this technique works like a charm for things such as writing, brainstorming, or even asking for professional advice.

By assigning the AI an identity or job title, you prime it to respond with more confidence, structure, and relevance.

Instead of the prompt: “Tell me about marketing.”

Try this prompt: “You are a world-class marketing strategist. What are three clever ways a small business could grow on TikTok?”

By applying this technique to your queries, you will unlock greater potential within the chatbot to uncover better responses and more thorough answers.

2. Think step-by-step

This is called chain-of-thought prompting, and it’s especially powerful for multi-step tasks, logic puzzles, and tricky queries that require reasoning. You’ll often get more thorough — and more accurate — results by using a more sophisticated prompt because ChatGPT tends to give better answers when you guide its thinking process.

Instead of the prompt: “What’s the answer to this math problem?”

Try this prompt: “Let’s solve this step by step.”

3. Set clear constraints

By adding rules and context, you give the model boundaries to work within, which helps it stay focused. It’s like telling a designer your brand colors instead of saying, “make something cool.”

I have found that this trick is one that many casual users tend to break. They simply are not detailed enough with their request.

Just remember, the more specific your query, the better the output.

Instead of the prompt: “I need three subject lines for a Mother’s Day sale”

Try this prompt: “Give me three subject lines for a Mother’s Day sale — keep them under 50 characters and use playful language.”

4. Break big tasks into smaller prompts

If you’ve ever dumped a wall of text into ChatGPT, you know that it doesn’t exactly mean good results. In many cases, the chatbot might hallucinate because of information overload. That’s why I always break it up.

Prompt engineers guide the AI step by step like this:

1. “Summarize this blog post.”

2. “Now rewrite that summary in a more casual tone.”

3. “Now turn it into an Instagram caption.”

This gives you more control over the tone, accuracy, and final format and it makes the process feel more collaborative.

5. Show examples

If you want a specific tone or vibe, show the model what you’re looking for.

This is especially helpful with image generation. Known as few-shot prompting, when given extra context with an example, the AI will usually mirror the structure, tone, and rhythm surprisingly well.

Even without additional instructions, you'll find that the chatbot responds well.

For example: “Write a product description like this one: ‘These boots are made for adventure. Built tough, but cozy enough for your lazy Sunday scrolls.’ Now write one for a travel backpack.”

6. Don’t be afraid to iterate

As a prompt engineer, I often treat prompting like debugging code. The first result is rarely perfect.

However, even a tiny change, such as adjusting the role or tone can completely transform the output.

As a prompt engineer, my work typically looks like this:

• Run the prompt

• See what went wrong

• Change one variable

• Try again

7. Tell the chatbot how you want it to sound

Sometimes ChatGPT nails the content but totally misses the tone. That’s because it doesn’t know how you want it to sound — unless you say so. A simple fix? Just add a line about tone or style to your prompt.

Instead of the prompt: “Write a thank-you note.”

Try this prompt: “Write a thank-you note that’s warm and funny, like something you’d text a close friend.”

Want it to sound confident, professional, casual, flirty, dramatic, Gen Z, like Shakespeare? Just say the word. The more you tell it about the vibe you’re going for, the better your chances of getting the exact tone you want.

This also goes for if you're working with ChatGPT Pro tools or in the Playground, you can set a system message at the beginning of your session: “You are a professional copywriter who writes with humor and clarity for a Gen Z audience.”

That tone will stick through the whole session, keeping the responses consistent and on-brand.