Your AIDular report is only as good as the prompt behind it. If the report feels too broad, too thin, or keeps pulling in stuff you don't care about, the fix is almost always in the wording of your prompt.
Here's how to diagnose and fix a prompt that isn't giving you what you want.
Step 1: Name the Exact Problem
Before you change anything, figure out what is actually wrong. There are three common issues:
- Too broad: The report covers way too many things. You wanted news about electric vehicles but got general car news mixed in.
- Too vague: Results feel random. AIDular is guessing at what you mean.
- Off-topic: The right subject, but the wrong angle. You wanted pricing news, not product launches.
Write down in one sentence what you're getting versus what you actually want. That gap tells you exactly what to fix.
Step 2: Add One Specific Detail
Most weak prompts are just too short. Adding a single concrete detail usually fixes a lot.
Compare these two prompts:
- "Track AI news" (too broad, thousands of things qualify)
- "Track news about AI tools used by small businesses, especially new product launches and pricing changes"
The second one tells AIDular the subject, the audience, and the type of news. You haven't written an essay. You've just been specific.
Step 3: Tell It What to Ignore
You can narrow a prompt by saying what you don't want. This is one of the most underused tricks.
Here's a copy-paste example you can adapt:
Track news about electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the US. Focus on new station openings, government funding, and company partnerships. Ignore general EV sales news and car reviews.
The "ignore" line alone cuts out a lot of noise. Use it whenever your report keeps pulling in the same unhelpful stuff.
Step 4: Specify the Type of Update You Want
Different goals need different types of information. Think about which of these fits your situation:
- News and announcements ("latest news about...")
- Price or data changes ("track changes in the price of...")
- Job postings ("new job listings for... in...")
- Opinion and analysis ("expert takes on...")
- Community activity ("what people are saying about... on Reddit or forums")
Pick one or two types and put them in the prompt. It gives AIDular a much clearer job to do.
Step 5: Test, Then Tweak Again
Don't try to write the perfect prompt on the first attempt. Set it up, get one report, and see where it's still off. Then make one small edit.
Changing one thing at a time means you know exactly what made the difference. If you rewrite the whole prompt at once, you won't know what actually helped.
A Quick Before-and-After Example
Before: "Track the gaming industry"
After: "Track major gaming industry news for PC and console games. Focus on game releases, studio acquisitions, and subscription service updates. Ignore mobile gaming and esports."
The "after" version takes about 15 extra seconds to write and produces a much cleaner report.
One More Thing: Match Your Schedule to Your Topic
A refined prompt and the wrong schedule still gives you a frustrating experience. Fast-moving topics like stock news or breaking industry news usually need daily reports. Slower topics like industry trends or job market shifts work better on a weekly or monthly cadence.
If you're getting too many "nothing new this week" updates, switch to a longer interval.
AIDular makes it easy to edit your prompt any time at aidular.com. The Lite plan is free, so there's no pressure to get it perfect right away. Edit, run a report, adjust, and repeat until it clicks. Most people land on a prompt they love within two or three tries.