From Generic to Specific

The Specificity Problem

Generic prompts get generic outputs. This isn't a bug—it's the AI doing exactly what you asked.

When you say "write a marketing strategy," you're asking for something that could fill a book. The AI has to guess what you actually need. Sometimes it guesses right. Usually it doesn't.

Specificity is about reducing the guess work.

The Vagueness Audit

Before submitting any prompt, audit it for vagueness:

1. Undefined terms — "Good," "professional," "engaging" mean different things to different people
2. Missing quantities — "Some examples," "a few points," "brief summary"
3. Unclear scope — "Write about AI" vs. "Write about AI's impact on healthcare billing"
4. Ambiguous audience — "For our team" vs. "For the 5-person engineering team"
5. Unspecified format — "Create a report" vs. "Create a 2-page executive summary with bullet points"

The Specificity Techniques

Technique 1: Quantify Everything

Replace vague quantities with specific numbers.

• "Brief" → "3 paragraphs"
• "Some examples" → "4 examples"
• "Key points" → "5 bullet points, each under 20 words"

Technique 2: Name Names

Replace categories with specific instances.

• "Major companies" → "Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple"
• "Recent trends" → "Trends from 2024, specifically X, Y, and Z"
• "Key stakeholders" → "The CFO, Head of Engineering, and Legal team"

Technique 3: Define Your Terms

Explain what subjective words mean to you.

• "Professional tone" → "Formal but not stiff—think Harvard Business Review, not legal brief"
• "Engaging" → "Uses questions to involve the reader, includes relevant anecdotes"
• "Concise" → "No sentence longer than 25 words, no paragraph longer than 4 sentences"

Technique 4: Use Counter-Examples

Show what you don't want.

• "Don't use marketing jargon like 'synergy' or 'leverage'"
• "Avoid the passive voice"
• "Don't start with 'In today's fast-paced world'"

Technique 5: Provide Models

Show what good looks like.

• "Structure this like the McKinsey articles on their website"
• "Match the tone of this example: [paste example]"
• "Follow this template: [provide template]"

Before and After

Generic prompt:

"Write a blog post about our new product."

Specific prompt:

"Write a 1,000-word blog post announcing our new inventory management feature.

Audience: Operations managers at mid-size retail companies (50-500 employees)

Key messages:

1. Reduces stockouts by 40% (based on our beta data)
2. Integrates with existing POS systems
3. Requires no IT resources to implement

Structure:

• Hook: A relatable scenario about stockout pain
• Problem: The hidden cost of inventory mismanagement
• Solution: Our new feature (without being salesy)
• Proof: 2 customer quotes from beta (I'll provide)
• CTA: Free trial offer

Tone: Confident but not boastful. Think 'helpful expert,' not 'pushy salesperson.'

Avoid: Generic AI phrases, superlatives, passive voice"

The Specificity Checklist

Before submitting any prompt, verify:

• [ ] All quantities are specific numbers
• [ ] All audiences are named explicitly
• [ ] All subjective terms are defined
• [ ] Format requirements are explicit
• [ ] Examples or models are provided where helpful
• [ ] Counter-examples show what to avoid