Prompt-craft: context, role, format, iterate
Goal. Get sharply better answers by giving Gemini context, a role, and a target format — then refining in the same thread instead of starting over.
You are a grant reviewer for the DFG. Here is my one-paragraph project summary: [paste]. Critique it as a reviewer would: list the three weakest points, then rewrite the paragraph to address them. Keep it under 150 words.
Give it a role (grant reviewer), the material (your summary), the task (critique + rewrite), and a format constraint (under 150 words).
- 1Set the role and the audience. "You are a grant reviewer" or "Explain this to a first-year master's student" changes the depth and tone far more than adding adjectives like 'detailed'.
- 2State the output format you want: a table, five bullets, a 150-word abstract, a numbered protocol. Gemini follows explicit format instructions reliably.
- 3Trick: iterate in the same thread, don't restart. After the first answer, say "make point 2 more specific" or "now turn this into a table." Gemini keeps the full conversation as context, so each refinement builds on the last — re-prompting from scratch throws that context away.
You'll see. The same request answered two ways — a bare "improve my summary" that gives generic advice, versus a role-and-format prompt that returns a reviewer-grade critique and a tightened rewrite.
Cost. Free. Prompt-craft costs nothing and works identically on every plan — it's the single biggest lever on answer quality.
Takeaway. Role + context + format + iteration. Tell Gemini who it is, what it's looking at, and exactly what shape the answer should take — then refine in place.