The Short Version · 1 min read
You ask for a draft, get back something generic, and decide the tool just isn't that good. Half the time, the problem isn't the draft — it's that the request never told it what actually mattered.
It shows up as a shrug: "AI is fine for simple stuff, but it doesn't really get what I need." Usually the ask was something like "write a proposal for this client" — four words, no context — and the draft that comes back reads like it could go to anyone. Add the actual details — who the client is, what they specifically asked for, what they care about, what's already been discussed — and the same tool produces something close to usable on the first try. The tool didn't get smarter between the two attempts. The request did.
Before you send your next request, run it through this:
“Here is what I'm about to ask you to write: [paste your request]. Before you draft anything, tell me what context is missing that would change the result — audience, specific details, tone, constraints, anything you'd need to know to do this well.”
Next time a draft feels generic, don't blame the tool and don't start over from scratch. Add the three details you skipped — who it's for, what they care about, what's already been said — and try again. That's usually the whole fix.
