What You'll Learn
- How to write prompts that get excellent results every time
- The most useful ChatGPT features most people don't know about
- Real prompt templates you can use immediately
- How to use Custom Instructions to personalise ChatGPT
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Getting Started — Your First Session
Go to chat.openai.com and create a free account. You'll be taken straight to the chat interface. The input box at the bottom is where you type your prompts. Press Enter or click the arrow button to send.
Your first instinct might be to ask questions as if using Google. Resist this. ChatGPT works best when you treat it like a knowledgeable colleague — give context, be specific, and don't be afraid to follow up.
Start here: Type "What are you good at?" and read the response. This gives you a clear picture of what to use ChatGPT for before you dive in.
The Anatomy of a Good Prompt
Every excellent ChatGPT prompt contains four elements:
- Role — Tell ChatGPT what role to play. "Act as an experienced marketing consultant..." sets the frame for the entire response.
- Task — Be specific about exactly what you want. "Write a 300-word email" is better than "write an email."
- Context — Give background information. "My audience is small business owners aged 35-50 who are sceptical of technology."
- Format — Specify how you want the output. "Use bullet points." "Respond in a casual, friendly tone." "Include a table."
10 Prompt Templates You Can Use Right Now
1. Email drafting:
"Write a professional email to a client explaining that their project will be delayed by two weeks due to supplier issues. Apologise sincerely without being overly apologetic. Keep it under 150 words."
2. Content brainstorming:
"Give me 15 blog post title ideas for a personal finance blog targeting 25-35 year olds. Focus on practical, actionable topics that aren't covered to death elsewhere."
3. Document summarisation:
"Summarise the following document in three bullet points, then list any action items mentioned. [paste document]"
4. Code explanation:
"Explain this code to me like I'm a junior developer who knows Python basics but hasn't used async/await before. [paste code]"
5. Research assistant:
"I'm researching the impact of remote work on commercial real estate. Give me five key points, five statistics, and three counterarguments to the thesis that offices are becoming obsolete."
Custom Instructions — Make ChatGPT Remember You
Custom Instructions (available on free and paid tiers) let you set permanent context that applies to every conversation. To access them: click your profile icon → Custom Instructions.
Two fields are available:
- "What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?" — Add your profession, expertise level, and preferences. Example: "I'm a freelance copywriter with 8 years of experience. I prefer direct, punchy writing without corporate jargon."
- "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?" — Set format preferences. Example: "Always use British English spelling. Keep responses concise. Use bullet points for lists. Don't add unnecessary caveats."
ChatGPT Plus Features Worth the Upgrade
At $20/month, ChatGPT Plus includes:
- Full GPT-4o access — significantly more capable than the free model
- Web browsing — real-time information from the internet
- DALL-E image generation — create images from text descriptions
- Custom GPTs — pre-configured AI assistants built by OpenAI and the community
- File uploads — analyse PDFs, spreadsheets, and images
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Vague prompts: "Write something about marketing" produces generic output. Be specific.
- Accepting first outputs blindly: Always ask for revisions. "Make it 20% shorter and add a stronger call to action."
- Not providing context: ChatGPT doesn't know your industry, audience, or goals unless you tell it.
- Sharing sensitive data: Never paste passwords, financial records, or confidential client information.
- Treating it as a search engine: For factual research, always verify key claims from primary sources.