Smarkly pro tips: rewrite instructions that work

Key takeaways

• Brief the AI like a smart new colleague: say what to change, where and why.
• Pick the right size of change: polish, work in one instruction, redo one part or start over.
• Say what you want instead of what you don't, and check the changes before you keep them.

On this page⌄

1. Brief it like a new colleague
2. Three parts of an instruction that works
3. Say what you want, not what you don't
4. Pick the right size of change
5. Check what changed
6. What it looks like on your team
7. A checklist for your next rewrite
8. Where Smarkly fits
9. Sources

Most AI drafts are close. The opening is a little slow, one claim is too vague, the call to action is in the wrong place. So you ask for a rewrite, type "make it better," and get back a draft that's different but not better. Now you're editing two drafts.

The problem usually isn't the AI. It's the instruction. "Make it better" leaves every decision to the model, and the model doesn't know what "better" means to you.

Brief it like a new colleague

Anthropic, the company that makes the Claude models Smarkly writes with, gives one piece of advice in its prompting guide that applies to every rewrite: "Think of Claude as a brilliant but new employee who lacks context on your norms and workflows." The more precisely you explain what you want, the better the result.

The same guide has a simple test it calls the golden rule: show your instruction to a colleague who knows little about the task. If they'd be confused, the model will be too.

So before you hit Rewrite, ask: would a smart new hire know exactly what to do with this?

Three parts of an instruction that works

1. What to change. Name the thing: the opening, the second paragraph, the tone, the length, the call to action. "Make it better" names nothing.

2. Where. If it's one paragraph, say which one. A rewrite that's allowed to touch everything usually will.

3. Why. This is the part most people skip, and it does the most work. Anthropic's guide recommends giving the reason behind an instruction, because the model can generalize from it. "Shorter" gets you a shorter draft. "Shorter, because this goes out as a LinkedIn post and people decide in the first two lines" gets you a draft with the point moved to the top.

Put together:

• Vague: "Make it better." Clear: "The opening takes three sentences to get to the point. Start with the customer's problem instead."
• Vague: "Make it more professional." Clear: "This goes to finance teams at credit unions. Replace the casual phrases with plain, direct ones, and keep the length."
• Vague: "Make it shorter." Clear: "Cut the second and third paragraphs to one sentence each. This is an email, and the offer should be visible without scrolling."
• Vague: "Make it more engaging." Clear: "Open with the question our customers ask most often, and end by asking the reader one question. This is a LinkedIn post, and we want replies."
• Vague: "Don't sound salesy." Clear: "Write it as advice to a peer. Mention the product once, in the last paragraph."

Say what you want, not what you don't

Notice the last example. "Don't sound salesy" tells the model what to avoid but not where to go, so it guesses. Anthropic's guide makes the same point: tell the model what to do instead of what not to do. "Write it as advice to a peer" gives it a direction.

The same goes for tone. "Less stiff" is a complaint. "Write it the way you'd explain it to a customer over coffee" is an instruction.

Pick the right size of change

Not every fix needs the same tool. In Smarkly, the Rewrite panel gives you four, from smallest to largest:

• Polish fixes grammar and flow and changes as little as possible. Use it when the draft says the right thing and just needs a clean read.
• Work in an instruction makes one specific change you describe and keeps the rest as close to the original as it can. This is where the advice above pays off most.
• Redo one part is for when one section misses and the rest is fine.
• Start over is for when the angle is wrong, not the wording.

Or skip the modes and just tell it what to change, in plain English.

Two add-ons cover the requests people make most. Proof point works in one fact from your company profile that backs you up: a credential, a track record or a result your sources support. If your sources don't have one, nothing is added rather than an invented stat. Event plug adds a line about your next event on the calendar, for blog posts and emails.

If you edit a draft's talking points after it's written, Smarkly offers to rewrite to match the brief. It's your call: it doesn't rewrite behind your back.

Check what changed

Whatever you ask for, look at what changed before you use it. In Smarkly, See changes shows the draft as tracked changes against its first version: what was taken out and what was rewritten, marked in place. You can see in seconds whether it fixed the opening or also quietly changed your offer.

In NP Digital's survey of 565 U.S. marketers who use AI, 36.5% said hallucinated or incorrect AI content had gone live. A rewrite is new text, and new text needs a look. In Smarkly, a claim your sources don't back is marked for you to check either way.

What it looks like on your team

Small in-house teams. Two people editing the same draft can undo each other's work. Write the reason into the instruction ("shorter, because the CEO is posting this") so the next person knows why it changed. See our page for small teams.

Startups. The product changes faster than the copy. "Replace the old pricing with the new plans and keep everything else" is a perfect Work in an instruction request. More on our startups page.

Agencies. The client's feedback is often the instruction. "Too corporate, they want it warmer" becomes "Write it as if the founder is talking to a customer she knows. Keep the facts and the length." See how agencies use Smarkly.

Credit unions. Clear and plain usually beats clever. "Rewrite at a level a first-time borrower would follow, and explain the term 'APR' the first time it appears" gives the model a reader and a reason. Our credit union page has more.

Founders doing it themselves. You don't have time for five rounds. One clear instruction with a reason usually gets you there in one. See Smarkly for entrepreneurs.

A checklist for your next rewrite

1. Is the draft mostly right? Polish. One thing wrong? Work in an instruction. One section wrong? Redo one part. Wrong angle? Start over.
2. Did I name what to change and where?
3. Did I say why?
4. Did I say what I want, not just what I don't?
5. Did I look at what changed before using it?

Where Smarkly fits

Smarkly drafts blog posts, emails and social posts in your voice, from a company profile built from your own sources, and rewrites them the way you ask. You can schedule each post on one shared calendar at a recommended time.

To see where it came from, read Introducing Smarkly. To make sure your drafts are written for the right reader in the first place, read Smarkly's guide to marketing: ICPs and personas. The first 14 days are free, and you don't need a card.

Sources

• Anthropic, Prompting best practices ("Be clear and direct", "Add context to improve performance", "Tell Claude what to do instead of what not to do").
• NP Digital, AI hallucination and accuracy study, 565 U.S. digital marketers, published Feb 2026.

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