--- title: "Spud Best Practices: Top tips for using Spud" last_updated: "2026-04-01T14:09:20.698Z" category: "Getting Started" canonical_url: "https://maybeclients.com/h/mash-help-centre/spud-best-practices-top-tips-for-using-spud" help_centre: "MaSH! Help Centre" --- # Spud Best Practices: Top tips for using Spud Spud works for everyone. But the people who get the most out of it are the ones who treat it like a skilled colleague rather than a search engine. Here is how to do that. GETTING BETTER RESULTS How to get the most from every request How do I get better results from Spud? Be specific. Spud's output quality is directly tied to the quality of your input. The more context you give, the more useful the result. Include the client, the objective, the audience, the format you want, and any constraints. Vague in, vague out. Specific in, specific out. --- What is the best way to phrase a request? Think of it as briefing a colleague who is very capable but has no prior context on your project. Tell them what you need, who it is for, what good looks like, and what to avoid. You do not need special syntax or keywords. Plain language works best. --- The difference a better prompt makes: | | WEAK @Spud write a brief | > | | | STRONG @Spud write a creative brief for a BMW M social-first campaign. Audience is urban performance drivers aged 30 to 45. Objective is to drive test drive bookings. Launching Q3. Tone should be confident and precise, not hype. | > | | | > | WEAK @Spud who is free next week | | | STRONG @Spud in Float, who in the Creative team has more than two days available next week? I need someone with design experience for a BMW pitch. | > | SHAPING THE OUTPUT Formats, examples, and structure Can I ask Spud to follow a specific format? Yes. Tell Spud exactly what structure you want. Ask for bullet points, a numbered list, a table, a short paragraph, a formal brief template, or any other format. If you have a template you want it to follow, paste it into your message and ask Spud to use it. --- Can I give Spud examples to work from? Absolutely. Examples are one of the most effective ways to get output that matches what you have in mind. Paste in a previous brief you liked, a piece of copy with the right tone, or an output structure you want replicated. Tell Spud to use it as a reference. --- Examples of format and reference instructions: | | > | FORMAT @Spud summarise this in three bullet points, each under 20 words, for a Teams message | | | > | TEMPLATE @Spud write a design brief using this structure: [paste template]. Fill in each section based on the following concept: [your concept] | | | REFERENCE @Spud write captions for this BMW M post in the same tone as these examples: [paste examples]. Keep it under 150 characters. | > | REFINING RESULTS How to iterate until it is right Can I refine results after I get them? Yes, as many times as you need. Spud reads the conversation thread, so you can follow up directly. Tell it what to keep, what to cut, what to change, and what tone to shift toward. Each follow-up builds on what came before. --- How many times can I ask Spud to redo something? As many times as it takes. There is no limit. If you are going in circles, the most effective move is usually to start a fresh message with more precise instructions rather than continuing to refine a long thread. --- Effective iteration prompts: | | > | SHARPEN @Spud that is good but too long. Cut it by half and make the opening line stronger. | | | > | REFRAME @Spud rewrite the audience section for a more senior reader who does not know the BMW M community. | | | > | CONFIRM AND ADJUST @Spud keep the structure but change the tone. Less corporate, more like something you would actually read. | EXAMPLE WORKFLOWS How the team already uses Spud These are real task flows you can run today. If you want to ask @Spud to access Float or Box - remember to give that as a clear instruction too. | | CREATIVE BRIEF FOR BMW M | | | @Spud write a creative brief for [campaign]. Include audience, objective, tone, and key messages. | 1 | | | Review the brief. Follow up: @Spud sharpen the audience section and add a cultural tension. | 2 | | | @Spud convert this brief into a deck outline with one slide per section. | 3 | | | WEEKLY RESOURCE CHECK | | | 1 | @spud In Float, show me who in [team] has more than two days free next week. | | | 2 | @spud In Float, book [name] on [project] for [dates] at [hours] per day. | | | 3 | @spud In Float, generate a utilisation report for [team] for this month. | | | BMW M CONTENT REVIEW | | | 1 | @Spud on Instagram, audit the latest posts from @[account] for BMW M brand consistency. | | | 2 | @Spud rewrite the weakest three captions in a sharper BMW M tone. | | | 3 | @Spud create a do/don't caption guide for the community team based on the BMW M guidelines. | | | NEWS BRIEF FOR A CLIENT MEETING | | | 1 | @Spud what are the biggest headlines about [client or sector] from the past two weeks? Include source links. | | | 2 | @Spud turn that into a three bullet point summary I can read aloud at the start of a client call. | | | 3 | @Spud what competitor moves should I flag in the same meeting? Focus on [competitor names]. | SAVE WHAT WORKS When you find a prompt structure that delivers great results, save it as your own Task by logging in to www.spud.bot. Build your own personal library of starting points. The best Spud users treat it like a craft. ---