ChatGPT and similar tools now let anyone ask questions about almost anything. These bots write code, compose poetry, and handle administrative tasks.
While typing freely works, specific instructions yield better results. This skill, known as prompt engineering, is now a distinct ability.
Adding a few words or extra instructions often produces answers superior to standard outputs. Some tips below require a paid ChatGPT Plus subscription.
Ask ChatGPT to act like a 10-year-old
These bots can be overly agreeable. Instruct the model to behave as a curious ten-year-old eager to learn. This approach forces the AI to offer feedback and ask questions.
Planning a trip or a business venture becomes more robust when the bot challenges your assumptions rather than agreeing with everything. It frequently raises points you had not considered.
Use your phone camera for prompts
The mobile app allows you to attach photos to your questions. Tap the plus button, then select Camera.
Users can ask the bot to identify landmarks, classify insects, or translate signs. Examples include determining the height of a structure or reading a foreign language sign.
Request the 80-20 breakdown
Requests for information often return too much data. Applying the Pareto principle helps focus the output.
This rule states that 20 percent of causes drive 80 percent of results. In this context, asking for the 80-20 on a subject provides the key facts needed to understand the topic quickly.
Try asking for the 80-20 on history, music, or science. This method speeds up learning by filtering out unnecessary details.
Improve your drawings
The tool can remix existing images as well as generate new ones. Select the plus button, then choose Add photos and files.
Upload a sketch to turn it into a photorealistic image. You can also convert a family portrait into a claymation style. Upload a photo of a pet and a background to combine them.
Follow-up instructions allow further edits, such as brightening the scene.
Adopt a famous persona
Ask the bot to answer as if it were a specific figure. Questions like “What would Steve Jobs do here?” or “What would Churchill’s perspective be on this?” work well.
The AI does not truly know these people. It guesses based on existing data about them. This technique helps shift perspective or suggests a path forward when you are stuck.
Use the lazy prompt
Add “I’m a very lazy person” to the end of your request. This signals the bot to provide shorter, more direct answers.
You can adapt this by stating you are busy or very particular. These instructions tailor the response to your immediate needs.
Personalise your profile
Telling the bot who you are makes responses more relevant. On mobile, tap the menu button, then your avatar, then Personalization. On desktop, click the avatar in the bottom left, then Personalization.
Enter your nickname, job, movie tastes, age, and DIY experience. The system retains this data for future conversations.
Create custom playlists
If streaming algorithms fail to produce satisfactory mixes, delegate the task to the bot. Ask for a two-hour chill-out playlist for a rainy Sunday featuring 1970s classics.
ChatGPT now supports plugins for Apple Music and Spotify. Connect your accounts via the ChatGPT Apps page to transfer the lists directly.
Clear previous context
While remembering past chats is useful, you sometimes need a fresh start. Tell the bot to forget everything that has come before.
Alternatively, use temporary chat mode. Select the dotted speech bubble in the top right corner when starting a new session. The conversation data is discarded after use.
Request clarifying questions
Add “Ask me any questions you need clarity on before providing an answer” to your prompt. This slows the initial response but ensures accuracy.
It prevents the need for multiple follow-up messages to correct misunderstandings later.
Test your knowledge
You can ask the bot to quiz you on a subject. This confirms you have absorbed the information.
Set parameters for the number of questions and their difficulty. You can base the quiz on a previous conversation or web data.
Get answers in tables
Request responses in tabular format. This works well for meal ideas and ingredients, game concepts and equipment, or days of the week in different languages.
Follow-up prompts allow you to edit the tables or export them to standard formats like Microsoft Excel.
Process lists
Provide a typed list and ask the bot to process it. It can create anagrams from names, sort products alphabetically, or convert items to uppercase.
Click the copy icon at the end of the answer to send the processed text to your clipboard.
Write in an author’s style
Instruct the bot to mimic a specific writer. You can request the searing simplicity of Ernest Hemingway, the lyrical rhythm of Shakespeare, or the density of Charles Dickens.
The output will not match the original authors’ genius. It is, however, a way to generate more creative text.
Set response limits
Give the bot strict constraints. Ask for answers limited to a specific word count or number of paragraphs.
You can request even tighter limits, such as words with seven characters or fewer. If the bot fails to follow the rule, correct it and ask for a retry.
Define your audience
Tell the bot who will read the output. Specify if you are speaking to ten-year-olds or business entrepreneurs.
The model adjusts its tone and complexity accordingly. This is effective for generating multiple variations of the same theme.
Generate prompts for other tools
Use ChatGPT to write inputs for other engines like Dall-E and Midjourney. Provide detailed instructions about what you want.
You can ask the bot to role-play as a prompt generator for a specific tool or to refine your sentences as you add information.
Create ASCII art
Although the bot has image generation capabilities, it can still produce ASCII art using characters and symbols.
The results are simple but fun. Specific instructions help add or remove elements. You can generate multiple variations on a single theme.
Generate and edit images
The tool can create images of any description. You can then use text to modify the results.
What it means
These techniques turn a generic chatbot into a precise instrument. Users gain control over the length, style, and accuracy of the output. The ability to critique ideas, process data, and generate specific assets makes these tools more practical for daily work.
