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Write honest listings for your campus thrift shop
Practice: Keeping the AI to your sources. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You run a small thrift resale page with your roommate and are listing 3 jackets. Write exactly 3 numbered listings, each under 20 words, each giving the size, the price and the flaw from your notes. Only call a jacket vintage if your notes date it before 1995. Plain text, only the list.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not asking for the flaws. Sales copy hides flaws by default, which leads to unhappy buyers. Try: Add: "Each listing names its flaw from the notes."
- Letting "vintage" spread. The AI calls all three vintage, or takes Jo's Y2K idea. Try: Add: "Only the 1988 corduroy is vintage."
- No length or shape. The AI writes paragraph listings with bold titles and hashtags. Try: Set it: "Exactly 3 numbered listings, each under 16 words, plain text."
- Dropping size or price. Squeezed for space, the AI cuts the basics buyers need. Try: Add: "Each listing has size and price."
What a strong prompt includes
- Says how many
- Asks for the flaws
- Applies the vintage rule
- Sets a length
- Asks for only the list
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