Most people write a prompt like a search query. A few words, a vague ask, and then they're disappointed when what comes back is generic.
The fix isn't a longer prompt. It's a complete one. A prompt that returns finished work has four parts.
Outcome. What you want to end up with. Not "help me with research," but "a one-page brief I can take into a meeting." Name the thing.
Context. Who it's for and why. A brief for your own prep reads differently than one for your board. The AI can't guess the stakes. You tell it.
Sources. Where it should look. A company's own site, recent news, public filings. And the instruction that matters most in finance: flag anything you can't verify rather than guessing.
Format. How you want it back. One page. A short take up top, then the sections underneath. Saved as a document.
Here's the part people miss. You don't label these. You don't write "Outcome:" and "Context:" like a form. You write them as one natural ask, in plain language, the way you'd brief a sharp associate. The four parts are a checklist in your head, not a template on the page.
Leave one out and you feel it. No outcome, and you get a wall of text. No context, and the tone is wrong. No sources, and it guesses. No format, and you spend ten minutes reshaping what came back.
Name all four, and the first draft is already close.