Writing Effective Prompts
Learn how to get the most from your agents
Think of each agent in Kolena as a junior employee who can work at blistering speed, provided you give them precise, unambiguous directions. The more detailed and direct your instructions, the better the results will be. Kolena takes the pain of prompt writing away by rewriting prompts for your agents; however, some cases will require you to provide your own explicit instructions. Use the guidelines below whenever you want to craft your own instructions.
1. Provide Clear and Specific Instructions
Tell the agent exactly what to do, in what order, and to what depth.
| Vague prompt | Improved prompt |
|---|---|
| ”Summarize this report.” | “In 150 words or fewer, summarize the Key Risks section of the attached Q2 Cyber-Security Report. Highlight any new vulnerabilities and their potential business impact.” |
Tips
- Break complex tasks into steps (“First…, next…, then…, finally…”).
- Describe the required output (“bullet list,” “table,” “two-sentence summary”).
- Mention any constraints (word limit, tone, region, currency, format, deadline).
2. Supply Business Context
AI doesn’t know your internal jargon, project history, or the audience you’re targeting. Provide this knowledge within your prompt by attaching reference files in your prompts. For example, it may help to add the following to the prompt:
- Business objective - “The report will be presented to the Board to secure budget.”
- Audience knowledge - “Assume the audience is the compliance team.”
- Attach relevant data - “Use the revenue figures from the attached Excel; ignore years before 2023.”
- Style preferences - “Our brand voice is friendly but authoritative; contractions are encouraged.”
3. Show (Don’t Tell) with Examples
Provide examples of your output in the prompt. For example
Identify the top 5 variances by dollar amount. Order the results starting with the largest variance. Return each as the following format:
## 1. <Variance Item 1>
% Variance: …
Breakdown:
- Date, Description, Debit / Credit
4. Be Explicit About the Required Output
Tell the agent exactly what format and what level of detail you need.
- Tables - “Produce a Markdown table with columns: Country, FY24 Revenue, YoY Growth.”
- Lists vs prose - “5-point bullet list, no paragraphs.”
- Multiple outputs - “Give me two things: (1) a 50-word summary, (2) three hashtags.”
5. Constrain the Scope
Keep the Agent on guardrails by constraining what it should consider.
- Time frame - “Focus on articles published after 1 Jan 2024.”
- Source limits - “Cite only Gartner or McKinsey reports.”
- Perspective - “Write from the customer’s point of view, not ours.”
- Exclusions - “Exclude any mention of competitors.”
6. Mind the Tone and Audience
Match the style to the reader. Add a single sentence such as “Use plain-English legal language suitable for a regulator.”
| Audience | Tone cue |
|---|---|
| C-suite | “Brief, data-driven, no jargon.” |
| Customers | “Warm, encouraging, benefit-oriented.” |
| Regulators | “Formal, precise, reference relevant statutes.” |
7. Iterate and Refine
- Review the first draft - Does it miss anything?
- Add correction cues - “You overlooked the Asia-Pacific numbers—please include them.”
Remember: even minor tweaks (“shorten to 100 words,” “replace passive voice”) are faster than rewriting by hand.
8. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
| Pitfall | How to avoid |
|---|---|
| Too many goals in one prompt | Split into separate prompts |
| Relying on “obvious” context | Spell out acronyms and background |
| Contradicting instructions | Don’t request a table in your prompt but select “Text” for your output type |
Final Thoughts
Good prompts are an investment: a few extra minutes clarifying your needs can save hours of revision later. Treat your agents as capable teammates—give them the who, what, why, and how, and they’ll handle the work.