A FREE PRACTICAL GUIDE · BY MOLLY
Stop Asking AI to “Make It Better”
Tell AI exactly what needs fixing, while keeping the parts that already work.
Let’s try one
“Make it better” gets you a different draft, not a better one. Here's how to say what's actually wrong and keep the parts you like.
Who it's for
Anyone with a draft that isn't right yet: a shop listing, a flyer, a class or event description, an email, a post or a page. It might come from Claude, from you or from a friend. You can tell it's off, but “make it better” keeps giving you a different draft instead of a fixed one.
Use it when
- You've asked Claude to “make it better” three times, and each version is different but none is right.
- The new version fixed one thing and broke another: your price changed, a detail you liked vanished, or it stopped sounding like you.
- Your listing for candles or cakes, or your flyer for a yoga class or a grooming open day, sounds like a robot wrote it, and you can't say why.
- A friend or customer said “it's a bit much” and you don't know what to change.
You'll get: What's actually wrong with your draft, a new version with only that fixed, a list of what changed, and one sentence you can reuse to ask for fixes next time.
How to do it
Say what the draft is for
Before you judge it, finish this sentence: “This is for ___, and after reading it they should ___.” A flyer for a dog-grooming open day is for dog owners nearby, and they should book a slot.
What good looks like: One reader and one thing for them to do. Now “better” means something: better at getting that person to do that thing.
Watch out for: Judging it on whether you like it. A draft can sound lovely and still not tell anyone how to book or what it costs.
Write down what already works
Read it once and note what you'd keep: a line you like, the tone, and every price, date, time, name and address. That's your keep list.
What good looks like: A short keep list, with the facts that must stay exactly as they are.
Watch out for: Not saying what to keep. Claude doesn't know which parts you like, so a rewrite can quietly drop your best line or change a price.
Name the one thing that's wrong, and where
Turn the feeling into something you can point at. Read it out loud and notice where you wince, skim or stop. Then say what's wrong and why it matters: “The price is in the last line, so people won't see it.” “It says ‘elevate your practice’, and I'd never say that.”
What good looks like: Someone else could find the problem from your sentence. It's usually one of four kinds: a wrong fact, something missing, something unclear, or it doesn't sound like you.
Watch out for: “Make it pop”, “more professional”, “make it better”. Those mean something different to everyone, so you get a new draft instead of a fixed one.
Ask for one change, and say what stays
Put it in one message: what to change, why, and what to keep. “Move the date and price to the top, because people decide in a few seconds. Keep every other word.” It works the same way with a friend who's helping with your flyer.
What good looks like: One change per round. Small, clear rounds get there faster than one big rewrite.
Watch out for: Listing six fixes at once. You get all six, plus a few you didn't ask for, and you can't tell which one helped.
Compare it with the old one before you keep it
Put the old and new versions side by side. Check the one thing you asked for, then check your keep list: same prices, dates and names, and your favorite line still there. Look for anything new that isn't true, like “award-winning” or a guarantee you don't offer.
What good looks like: You keep the new version because you checked it, not because it sounds confident. After two or three rounds, stop. If it's still wrong, Claude is probably missing something only you know, so tell it, or write that line yourself.
Watch out for: Copying the new version straight out of the chat. AI often fixes one thing and quietly changes another.
Do it with Claude in 10 minutes
This prompt walks you through all five steps in about 10 minutes. When Claude asks, paste your draft or send a screenshot: a listing, a flyer, an email, a post or a page, written by you, a friend or another AI chat. Claude asks a few quick questions, then fixes only what's wrong and shows you what changed.
Fix one thing in my draft
Turn “it's not right” into one clear fix, and keep what already works. Paste it into Claude and answer its few quick questions. The result comes back in the same chat.
Read the prompt + an example
I have a draft that isn't right yet. It might be a shop listing, a flyer, a class or event description, an email, a post or a page, for anything from a download to cakes, a service or a local business. It might come from me, a friend or another AI chat. Help me work out exactly what's wrong, then fix only that and keep what already works. Find out these things. Each has a purpose. I may not be able to answer the direct version, so start with easier, concrete questions that get to the same place: - the draft itself (purpose: so you work on what's really there). Ask me to paste the words, or send a screenshot or photo of it - who it's for and what they should do after reading it (purpose: so “better” means better at that; try “who'll see this, and what would you love them to do next?”) - what's wrong with it, even if I can only say it feels off (purpose: to turn a feeling into one thing to fix; after reading the draft, offer your best guesses as numbered choices, like “the price is hard to find” or “it doesn't sound like you”) - what I want to keep, including any prices, dates and names that must stay exactly as they are (purpose: so you don't change them; try “which line would you be sad to lose?”) How I'd like you to work: - I'm on my phone, so start straight away. No introduction. First, ask for the draft. - Don't rewrite anything until you've asked your questions. - Ask one short question at a time and wait for my answer. Say in a few words why you're asking. Start with the easier, concrete version of each question. - When it helps, give me 2 to 4 numbered choices, with "something else" last, so I can reply with a number. - If I already know what's wrong, use that and skip ahead. Skip anything you can already see in the draft. - If an answer is vague, ask for a real example instead of guessing. - Stop once you know enough. That's usually three or four questions. If I say "just do it", make your best guess and tell me what you assumed. - Write for a phone screen: plain words, short lines, no tables, no jargon. When you have enough, give me: - What's wrong, in one or two plain sentences, quoting the words where it happens. - My keep list, short. - The new version, with only that one problem fixed. If the fix needs a small change somewhere else, say why. - What changed, as a short list, so I can check it against my old version. Say if anything on my keep list moved. - The next thing you'd fix, if there is one, in one line. Don't fix it yet. - One sentence I could use to ask for a fix like this myself next time, in the form "Change … because … Keep …". Fix one problem per round unless I ask for more. Don't add facts, prices, reviews, awards or promises that aren't in my draft or my answers. If something important is missing, tell me instead of making it up. Keep my prices, dates and names exactly as they are, and keep my voice: if I write casually, stay casual.
A filled-in example
These are illustrative details. Use your own information.
I have a draft that isn't right yet. It might be a shop listing, a flyer, a class or event description, an email, a post or a page, for anything from a download to cakes, a service or a local business. It might come from me, a friend or another AI chat. Help me work out exactly what's wrong, then fix only that and keep what already works. Find out these things. Each has a purpose. I may not be able to answer the direct version, so start with easier, concrete questions that get to the same place: - the draft itself (purpose: so you work on what's really there). Ask me to paste the words, or send a screenshot or photo of it - who it's for and what they should do after reading it (purpose: so “better” means better at that; try “who'll see this, and what would you love them to do next?”) - what's wrong with it, even if I can only say it feels off (purpose: to turn a feeling into one thing to fix; after reading the draft, offer your best guesses as numbered choices, like “the price is hard to find” or “it doesn't sound like you”) - what I want to keep, including any prices, dates and names that must stay exactly as they are (purpose: so you don't change them; try “which line would you be sad to lose?”) How I'd like you to work: - I'm on my phone, so start straight away. No introduction. First, ask for the draft. - Don't rewrite anything until you've asked your questions. - Ask one short question at a time and wait for my answer. Say in a few words why you're asking. Start with the easier, concrete version of each question. - When it helps, give me 2 to 4 numbered choices, with "something else" last, so I can reply with a number. - If I already know what's wrong, use that and skip ahead. Skip anything you can already see in the draft. - If an answer is vague, ask for a real example instead of guessing. - Stop once you know enough. That's usually three or four questions. If I say "just do it", make your best guess and tell me what you assumed. - Write for a phone screen: plain words, short lines, no tables, no jargon. When you have enough, give me: - What's wrong, in one or two plain sentences, quoting the words where it happens. - My keep list, short. - The new version, with only that one problem fixed. If the fix needs a small change somewhere else, say why. - What changed, as a short list, so I can check it against my old version. Say if anything on my keep list moved. - The next thing you'd fix, if there is one, in one line. Don't fix it yet. - One sentence I could use to ask for a fix like this myself next time, in the form "Change … because … Keep …". Fix one problem per round unless I ask for more. Don't add facts, prices, reviews, awards or promises that aren't in my draft or my answers. If something important is missing, tell me instead of making it up. Keep my prices, dates and names exactly as they are, and keep my voice: if I write casually, stay casual. --- HOW IT GOES (a made-up example) Claude: Paste your draft, or send a screenshot of it. (So I work on what's really there.) You: My Etsy listing for a lavender candle. Claude: Who's it for, and what should they do? 1. Gift buyers, add it to their cart 2. Regulars, try a new scent 3. Something else You: 1 Claude: What feels off? 1. The size and burn time are buried 2. It sounds like an ad, not you 3. Something else You: 2 …one question about what to keep, then the listing in your own voice, with the price, size and burn time unchanged, and a list of what changed.Download the original prompt (.txt)
See it in action
Molly fixes one line in a welcome email. The draft is made up for this example, but the change is real: in Molly's Ready to Sell Challenge, the calls are called “office hours”, because they're mostly drop-in help.
Paste the draft you want to fix. (So I work on what's really there.)
“Live calls: Fri Dec 4, Fri Dec 11 and Mon Dec 14, 7 p.m. ET. Make sure you attend!”
Who reads it, and what should they do? 1. New members, put the dates in their calendar 2. New members, come to every call 3. Something else
1. And know they can just drop in.
What bugs you about it? 1. It sounds like a class you can't miss 2. The dates are hard to read 3. Something else
1
Then it's two bits: “Live calls” and “Make sure you attend!” sound like a class where someone takes attendance. Keeping the three dates and the time exactly as they are: “Office hours: drop in with whatever you're stuck on. Fri Dec 4, Fri Dec 11 and Mon Dec 14, 7 p.m. ET.” Nothing else changed. Next time: “Change ‘Live calls’ to ‘Office hours’ because they're drop-in. Keep the dates.”
What to do next
Check the new version against your keep list, then use it. If something else still bugs you, reply in the same chat with that one thing. Save the fix sentence Claude gave you: next time a draft is off, you can write “Change ___ because ___. Keep ___.” yourself, to Claude or to anyone helping you.
Your answer stays in your Claude chat. To find it faster, screenshot it or copy it into your notes.
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