# The Tune Playbook: how to give feedback the AI can act on

Contents
1. The mindset
2. The three-part tune note
3. Intensity dials
4. Direction words for writing
5. Direction words for design and layout
6. Scope words (what to touch, what to leave)
7. Comparison feedback
8. Pinpointing (screenshots, quotes, selection)
9. When the AI drifts
10. Tune scripts you can copy
11. Rules for the AI when applying a tune

---

## 1. The mindset

The first draft is a starting point, not a verdict. A first prompt rarely
works perfectly, and that is expected, not failure. The tune is where the
work gets good. Name what is working, name what is wrong, say what you want
instead. Pinpoint; don't paraphrase the whole thing again.

## 2. The three-part tune note

Every good tune note has three parts. Say all three.

```
KEEP: [what is working, so it does not get lost]
CHANGE: [the exact part, and what to do to it]
LEAVE: [what to leave alone, or "everything else the same"]
```

Example:
```
KEEP: the subject line and the closing.
CHANGE: cut paragraph two entirely; make the opening sentence a question.
LEAVE: everything else exactly as is.
```

## 3. Intensity dials

Tell it how far to go. Small words change the size of the change.

| A little | A moderate amount | A lot |
|---|---|---|
| a touch | noticeably | much |
| slightly | more | far more |
| a hair | a good bit | dramatically |
| trim | cut | gut |
| tweak | revise | rewrite |
| polish | rework | start over |

"Make it a touch warmer" and "make it much warmer" are different jobs.

## 4. Direction words for writing

| You want | Say |
|---|---|
| Fewer words, same meaning | tighten, condense, trim, cut by half |
| More detail | expand, flesh out, add an example, unpack |
| More energy | punch up, sharpen, make it vivid, add momentum |
| Less intensity | soften, tone down, dial back, make it calmer |
| Friendlier | warm it up, make it conversational, sound human |
| More authority | make it confident, direct, decisive, remove hedging |
| Simpler | plain language, eighth-grade level, no jargon, shorter sentences |
| Different structure | reorder, lead with X, move the ask to the top, restructure |
| Different voice | first person, second person, active voice, present tense |
| More specific | replace generalities with concrete numbers, names, examples |
| Less salesy | remove hype words, state facts, cut adjectives |
| Better opening | hook first, start mid-action, open with the problem |
| Better close | end on the ask, end on one line, remove the summary |

## 5. Direction words for design and layout

Use the formula: **part + action + result.**

| You want | Say |
|---|---|
| Less clutter | add whitespace, simplify, remove secondary elements |
| Something to stand out | emphasize, increase contrast, make it the focal point |
| Something to recede | de-emphasize, mute, reduce size, lighten |
| Bigger / smaller | resize, scale up, scale down, reduce to one line |
| Different position | move, align left, center, push below the fold, stack vertically |
| Consistent look | standardize, match the other cards, use the same spacing |
| Visual order | fix the hierarchy: headline, subhead, body, then CTA |
| Fit a screen | make it responsive, check mobile, fit above the fold |
| Different colors | swap the palette, use brand colors, darken the background |
| Different type | change the font, increase weight, tighten line height |

Full vocabulary: `tech-talk.md`.

## 6. Scope words (what to touch, what to leave)

Scope words prevent the most common frustration: you asked for one change and
got five.

- "Only change X. Keep everything else identical."
- "Just the headline."
- "In the second section only."
- "Do not touch the ending."
- "Same content, different structure."
- "Same structure, different words."
- "Show me only the changed part."
- "Keep the length the same."

## 7. Comparison feedback

Point at a target instead of describing it.

- "More like the first version, less like this one."
- "Somewhere between draft 1 and draft 2."
- "Match the tone of this sample: [paste]."
- "Like the second card but with the first card's colors."
- "Closer to how [known brand or writer] would say it." (Use as a tone
  reference, not to copy their text.)

## 8. Pinpointing

Paraphrasing what you dislike is slow. Point at it.

- Screenshot the exact part and circle or describe it: "this button."
- Quote the exact sentence: "This line: '...'. Rewrite it."
- Select the text (in tools that allow selection) and comment on it.
- Number things: "In version 2, paragraph 3, sentence 1."
- Name the part with Tech Talk: "the subtitle in the hero," "the H2 above
  the pricing table," "the footer links."

## 9. When the AI drifts

If the AI changes things you did not ask for, or the quality drops as the
conversation gets long:

1. Restate the constraint: "Keep everything else identical."
2. Paste the current best version and say: "This is the base. Edit only X."
3. If it keeps drifting, start a fresh chat with the best version and a
   tightened prompt. Long conversations dilute instructions.
4. Change one thing at a time. Same prompt, one tweak, compare.

## 10. Tune scripts you can copy

- "Closer. Cut the second paragraph, sharpen the opening, keep the ending
  exactly as is."
- "80% there. The tone is right. Shorten by a third and put the ask in the
  first sentence."
- "Too formal. Rewrite as if you were texting a longtime customer."
- "Give me two versions: one that keeps this length, one that halves it."
- "Keep the structure, swap the example in section two for one about a
  restaurant."
- "This reads like a template. Add one specific detail per paragraph from
  the context I gave you."
- "Wrong lens. Re-do this as a skeptical CFO, not a marketer."
- "The ranking is fine; defend your top pick in two sentences."
- "In the hero, make the headline bigger and cut the subtitle to one line.
  Leave the rest of the page as is."
- "Match the reference image exactly, including the spacing."
- "Pull only the palette from the reference; keep our layout."

## 11. Rules for the AI when applying a tune

- Change only what was named. Keep untouched parts byte-for-byte identical.
- Report what changed in one line so the user can verify.
- When a note is ambiguous, offer the two most likely readings and pick one,
  or ask which part they mean; a wrong guess wastes a round.
- Preserve anything the user said to keep, even if you think it could be
  improved. Suggest improvements separately, never silently.
- Match the intensity word. "A touch" is a light hand.
