# Tips for prompts

Canonical page: https://www.questionpunk.com/support/ai-prompt-tips

Write effective prompts to guide AI follow-ups and tone.

Time: 5-20 minutes

Level: Intermediate

Audience: Researchers, Prompt engineers

## Steps

### 1. Be explicit about tone and depth

State desired tone (friendly, professional, academic), follow-up depth (1-2 follow-ups vs. deep probing), and response format.

### 2. Give examples

Provide positive and negative examples of the kind of follow-up questions you want the AI to ask.

### 3. Set boundaries

Tell the AI what topics to avoid, when to stop probing, and how to handle off-topic responses.

### 4. Iterate

Test prompts on sample responses using preview or synthetic testing. Refine until the AI behaves as you want.

## Details

Be explicit about desired tone, follow-up depth, and examples of acceptable responses. Short examples help the model mirror format and style.

Avoid ambiguous instructions; prefer concrete tasks like "Ask one clarifying question, then ask for a specific example."

QuestionPunk gives you full prompt transparency. You can see, edit, and append the underlying system prompt that drives the AI interviewer.

## Related articles

- [How AI interviews work](https://www.questionpunk.com/support/ai-how-it-works.md)
- [Choosing a model](https://www.questionpunk.com/support/ai-choosing-a-model.md)