Write it the way you’d brief a smart colleague who has never met you. Five things do most of the work.
What it’s for, and who reads it
“Explain photosynthesis” could mean one sentence for a child or a page for an exam. Say who the answer is for and what they’ll do with it.
What the answer should look like
A table, five bullet points, an email under 150 words, code first and a short explanation after. If you don’t say, the AI guesses, and it usually guesses long.
The material
If the AI needs your notes, your code or your CV, paste it in. Without it you get a general answer or a template.
Blanks for what only you know
Dates, prices, names, your reasons. Mark them like [new date] and fill them in, so the AI can’t make them up.
When you’re not sure yet, let it ask
For a vague idea, end with “Ask me up to three questions first.” A few quick answers beat several rounds of corrections.
Short questions can stay short
Not every prompt needs all five. A fact question needs one sentence and a hint about length.
Real rewrites
Rough drafts in, Perry’s prompts out. Real, unedited output from our test set, 22 October 2026.
An explanation pitched at the right level
Gemini
About youYou High school student
Rough draft
explain photosynthesis
With Perry
Explain photosynthesis clearly and simply for a high school student. Structure the explanation with a brief definition, the main chemical equation, and a step-by-step breakdown of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions. Use plain language and keep it under 300 words.
Added the high school level for the right depth
Structured the response with clear sections
Set a concise length limit for clarity
Who it’s for decides the depth.
A bug, with the code it needs
Claude
About youYou Frontend developerFormat Code first, short explanation after
Rough draft
fix this bug: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')
With Perry
Find and fix the bug causing the following error: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map'). Provide the corrected code first, followed by a short explanation of what caused the issue and how it was resolved. [paste the code that fails here]
Added requested code-first structure for the response
Included placeholder for the failing code snippet
The error alone isn’t enough: the AI needs the code.
Research with sources
Perplexity
Rough draft
best electric cars 2026
With Perry
Research the best electric cars available in 2026. Provide a clear comparison of the top models, including their estimated range, price, and key features. Use current web sources and list the sources used at the end.
Added a request for a clear model comparison
Asked for current web sources and pricing details
Specified a structured format for the results
On Perplexity, Perry asks for current sources.
A quick question stays quick
ChatGPT
Rough draft
capital of australia
With Perry
What is the capital of Australia? State the name clearly and add one short sentence on its location.
Added a request for location context
Set a concise length constraint
Does it actually help?
We counted how many follow-up messages a rough prompt costs compared with a rewritten one, and published every answer, including where the rewrite did worse: our test.
Or let Perry write it
Type your rough request in the chat box, click Perry, fill in the blanks, send.
