IdeasRepay/Claude prompting/The Description Recipe Card
Module 2 · Claude Zero to Pro

The Description Recipe Card

From a decent answer to one you'd actually send, on the first try.

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IdeasRepay.
Module 2
Claude · Zero to Pro

The Description Recipe Card

From a decent answer to one you'd actually send, on the first try.

The recipe from Module 2. Module 1 got you a clear ask (outcome, audience, format), and a decent answer. But you probably noticed you're still going back and forth, re-prompting two, three, five times. This card is the three moves that stop the re-prompting: a role, an example, and a standard. Fill them in over a clear ask and the answer goes from decent to send-ready.

You already have this (from Module 1)

Keep your clear ask, this card stacks on top of it, it does not replace it.

Outcome
Audience
Format

That's the what. Now you add the how and the bar. That's the jump from a decent hire to a great one.

The three moves

Move 1

Give it a role (and the why)

A role sets the expertise and the tone. The why tells it who's reading and what they need. Same request, but now it writes like the right person, for the right people.

Fill in and paste
Act as my ____________ (role). This is for ____________ (who's reading), who need ____________ (what they need).

Example: "Act as my chief of staff. This is going to teammates who missed the meeting."

Move 2

Show it an example (the big one)

This is the move Module 1 never taught, and it's the fastest way there is to control how something sounds. Paste in one thing you wrote that hit the right note. Claude reads the rhythm, the tone, the length, and matches it.

Fill in and paste
Match the tone of this example I like: """ ____________ (paste one email / message / paragraph you'd be happy to have written) """
The ruleShow one, don't describe ten. You can describe the tone you want with ten adjectives, or you can show one thing you like. Showing wins every time. One good example beats a paragraph of instructions.
Move 3

Set the standard (the exact bar)

Not just a format, the actual bar. The exact length, the tone, the rules. You're setting the bar so it doesn't guess low.

Fill in and paste
Standard: - Length: ____________ (e.g. under 120 words) - Every item as: ____________ (e.g. owner, task, due date) - Rules: ____________ (e.g. flag anything unresolved, no stiff opener)

Put it together (the full recipe)

The full recipe
Act as [role]. This is for [audience], who need [what they need]. [Your clear task from Module 1: outcome, audience, format.] Match the tone of this example I like: """ [paste one thing you like] """ Standard: [length], [structure per item], [the rules].

Role, example, standard, stacked on a clear prompt, take an okay answer all the way to a pro one.

Worked example: the meeting-notes email

The messy notes you walked out with
launch pushed to Nov 3 · Priya on landing page, due Fri · still deciding pricing, revisit next week · Sam cleaning up the email list · final logo from design by Wed · weekly standup Mondays 9am?
Module 1 good (you'd still tweak it)
"Write a short, friendly email to my team summarizing today's meeting, with the action items as a bulleted list." Decent. Flat tone, vague owners, a little long.
Module 2 good (you'd send it)
Subject: What we decided + who owns what Hey team, quick recap so we're aligned. Launch: Nov 3. Standup: Mondays 9am. Priya: landing page, due Fri. Design: logo, due Wed. Sam: email list cleanup. Open: pricing, deciding next week. Shout if I missed anything.
Why it works
Same notes, three extra moves, send-ready on the first try. The biggest single jump came from the example.

The three-check grader

Watch these against your own output:

Role — did I tell it who to act as, and why?
Example — did I show one thing I like, instead of just describing?
Standard — did I set the length, the tone, and the rules?
All three yes = send-ready on the first try.
If it still comes back generic, nine times out of ten it's the example you skipped. Describing the tone almost works. Showing one is what actually lands it.
The one thing
On top of a clear ask, three moves make it pro: a role, an example, and a standard. That's the difference between an answer you tweak and one you send.
Good. Fast. Yours.This lesson buys you the Good: the answer is actually right, without five rounds of re-prompting.
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The five sheets
1The Operator's Map2The Description Recipe Card3The Ground-It Checklist4Artifact Starter Prompts5The Complete Prompting Cheat Sheet