🛠️ Fix Your Prompts: 35 Pro Methods For ChatGPT Users

Have you ever felt that AI tools like ChatGPT are developing too quickly for you to keep up? This feeling is quite common. Many people feel overwhelmed by AI tools, unsure where to start or how to get the best results.

This article will break down everything you need to know to use ChatGPT effectively. Whether you are a complete beginner or someone who has been using it and wants to level up your skills, these 35 tips will change the way you interact with AI.

Getting Started: Choose The Right Plan For You

Before diving into advanced techniques, let's understand ChatGPT's pricing tiers so you can pick the one that best suits your needs. These features and limits can change, so you should always check OpenAI's pricing page for the most current information.

Free Plan ($0/month)

• Who it's for: Casual users, students, or anyone who wants to experiment with AI's capabilities without a financial commitment.

• Key Features:

  • Access to the GPT-5 model with a certain message limit (e.g., 10 messages every 5 hours). This limit can vary.

  • Limited access to complex reasoning capabilities (e.g., once per day).

  • Basic image generation with a limited daily quota.

  • No access to the Sora video generation feature.

• Recommendation: This plan is perfect for getting started. You can use it to write emails, answer simple questions, summarize short texts, or simply chat to get familiar with AI.

Plus Plan ($20/month)

• Who it's for: Professionals, content creators, developers, and frequent users who need AI for their daily work.

• Key Features:

  • A much higher message limit with GPT-5 (e.g., 160 messages every 4 hours), allowing you to work for longer periods without interruption.

  • Broader access to the advanced reasoning model (e.g., 3,000 uses per week), ideal for complex math problems, data analysis, and programming.

  • A better and faster image generator.

  • Access to the Sora video generation feature (e.g., 5-second videos at 720p or 10-second videos at 480p).

  • The Canvas feature for visually editing text.

  • Agent mode for performing more complex tasks.

• Recommendation: If you find yourself constantly hitting the limits of the free plan or need advanced features for your work, the Plus plan offers excellent value.

Pro Plan ($200/month)

• Who it's for: Small businesses, professionals with very high workloads, or researchers who need unlimited AI capabilities.

• Key Features:

  • Unlimited access to all GPT-5 models.

  • The best available reasoning model without limits.

  • Unlimited and faster image creation.

  • High-quality Sora video generation (up to 20 seconds at 1080p, no watermark).

  • Priority access to the latest features before they are widely released.

• Recommendation: This plan is for professional users who consider AI an indispensable part of their workflow and require the highest performance.

For most people, starting with the free plan is the most sensible choice. Once you're familiar with it and want more, upgrading to the Plus plan is a worthwhile step.

Essential Account Setup: Make ChatGPT Your Personal Assistant

1. Protect Your Privacy

One of the biggest concerns when using AI is privacy. Here’s how you can control your data:

• Go to Settings → Data Controls.

  

• Turn OFF "Improve the model for everyone": If you don’t want your conversations to be used to train future AI models, turn this option off. This is especially important if you work with sensitive customer or company information.

  

• Use "Temporary Chat": Think of this as ChatGPT's incognito mode. Conversations in this mode will not be saved to your history and will not be used for model training. It's useful when you want to discuss a personal issue, a secret business idea, or paste a sensitive piece of text.

  

• Export data or Delete your account: You have full control over your data. You can request a copy of all your conversations or delete your account entirely at any time.

2. Customize Your Experience

This section is extremely important for making ChatGPT understand you better. Go to Settings → Personalization. Here, you can provide information so the AI can give responses that are more tailored to you.

What to include:

• Your name: To make conversations more friendly.

• Your role/occupation: Helps the AI provide answers relevant to your professional field. For example, an answer for a marketing specialist will be different from one for a programmer.

• Your preferred response style: Do you prefer short, to-the-point answers or detailed, in-depth explanations?

• Specific requirements for your work: Any rules or formats you always want the AI to follow.

Example of custom instructions for a student:

"Please address me as Minh. I am a second-year Business Administration student. When explaining academic concepts, use real-world examples related to startups. Avoid overly formal language. If I ask you to summarize a lecture, please present it in bullet points with the main ideas in bold."

3. Enable Advanced Features

To get the most out of ChatGPT, make sure these features are enabled in Settings → Advanced:

• Web search: This is the most important feature, allowing ChatGPT to access the latest information from the internet. Without it, the AI's knowledge is limited to the time it was trained.

• Advanced voice: Allows you to have a spoken conversation with the AI, which is very natural and convenient when you're on the go.

• Canvas: A workspace where you can edit documents with the help of AI.

• Code interpreter: Allows ChatGPT to run code, analyze data files (like Excel, CSV), create charts, and perform complex calculations.

4. Set Up Memory And Personalization

By enabling "Referenced save memories" and "Referenced chat history", you allow ChatGPT to learn from your past conversations. Over time, it will remember your preferences, projects, and style. For example, if you often ask for social media posts with a humorous tone, it will remember this. You can view, manage, or delete specific memories at any time to ensure the AI only remembers what you want it to.

The Right Model For Every Task

5. Choose Your Model Wisely

In the ChatGPT interface, you can often choose between different models:

• Instant/Auto: Use for simple, quick questions that don't require deep reasoning. For example: "What is the capital of Australia?" or "Translate 'hello' into Spanish."

• Thinking models: Use for tasks that require logic, math, planning, or complex problem-solving. These models "think" more carefully and are less likely to make simple mistakes.

• Legacy models: Sometimes, older versions of a model might perform better for certain specific tasks. You can enable the "Show additional models" option in settings to access them.

Example:

• Simple question: "Summarize the movie 'Inception' in three sentences." → Use the Instant/Auto model.

• Complex question: "I have a budget of $200 for marketing a new coffee shop in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The target audience is office workers. Create a detailed marketing plan for the first week, including specific channels and activities." → Use a Thinking model for the best results.

Projects: Your Secret Weapon For Organization

6. Master The Projects Feature

Projects is one of the most useful yet least known features. Think of them as dedicated folders, each designed to be an AI assistant focused on a single topic.

What Projects can do:

• Group related chats: All conversations about one topic (e.g., "Japan Travel Plan") are stored in one place.

• Store files: You can upload PDFs, images, and text documents to provide context for the project. The AI will use these files as its knowledge base.

• Apply specific custom instructions: Each project can have its own custom instructions, different from your general ones.

• Create project-only memory: Conversations and knowledge within one project will not get mixed up with other projects, preventing the AI from getting "confused."

7. Create Specialized AI Assistants

This is where the power of Projects truly shines. You can create highly personalized AI assistants.

Examples of powerful projects:

• YouTube Content Creation Assistant:

  

  • Uploaded files: Brand guidelines (logo, colors), a list of previously successful videos, audience demographic analysis.

  • Custom instructions for the project: "You are a YouTube strategy expert. When I ask for ideas, suggest 3 catchy titles (under 60 characters) and a short description. The tone must always be energetic and positive."

• University Student Academic Advisor:

  

  • Uploaded files: Course syllabi, lecture notes, high-scoring sample essays.

  • Custom instructions for the project: "You are an academic tutor. When I ask about a concept, explain it in simple language and provide an example related to microeconomics. Always check the syllabus files to ensure the answer aligns with the course requirements."

• Weight Loss and Nutrition Coach:

  

  • Uploaded files: Daily food log, workout plan, health test results (if you are comfortable).

  • Custom instructions for the project: "You are a nutrition expert. When I provide a list of foods, calculate the approximate calorie count and suggest healthier alternatives. My goal is to lose 2kg in one month."

Pro tip: When creating a new project, choose "Project only memory." This ensures that the AI in that project only learns from the conversations and files within it, helping it become a true expert on that topic.

Essential Prompting Techniques

The quality of your answers depends heavily on the quality of your questions.

8. Talk Like A Human

Don't try to write complex commands like you're programming. Write as if you were messaging a very smart friend.

• Good: "I want to cook a Vietnamese dish for two tonight, but I don't have much time. Can you suggest something delicious that's easy to make in under 30 minutes? Please give me the recipe too."

  
  

• Not so good: "Request to provide a Vietnamese culinary recipe, optimized for a preparation and cooking time of under 30 minutes, for two diners."

  
  

9. Be Direct And Specific

Vagueness leads to generic answers.

• Vague: "Tell me about writing a CV."

  
  

• Better: "How do I write a CV for a Junior Marketing Executive position? I don't have any work experience, only experience from university clubs. What sections should the CV include?"

  
  

10. Provide Rich Context

Think about the 5 W's formula: Who, What, When, Where, Why. The more information you provide, the more accurate the answer will be.

Example: 

"Act as a personal finance consultant. I (Who) am a 25-year-old freelancer with an unstable income of around $650/month. I want to start saving to buy a house in the next 10 years (Why/When). Please propose a simple monthly income allocation plan (What) that I can start immediately. Assume my living expenses in Ho Chi Minh City (Where) are about $430/month."

11. Specify Your Desired Format

Tell ChatGPT exactly how you want the output formatted.

• "Create a gym schedule for a beginner in a table. The columns should include: Day, Muscle Group, Exercise, Sets, and Reps."

• "Convert this text into JSON format."

• "List the benefits of reading books as a bulleted list."

• "Create a step-by-step checklist for what to do before traveling abroad."

{
  "profile": {
    "age": 25,
    "occupation": "freelancer",
    "location": "Ho Chi Minh City"
  },
  "finance": {
    "income_per_month_usd": 650,
    "expenses_per_month_usd": 430,
    "goal": {
      "target": "buy a house",
      "time_horizon_years": 10
    }
  }
}

12. Give Examples (Good And Bad)

This is a very powerful technique. Show ChatGPT exactly what you want and what you don't want.

Example: 

"You are a social media copywriter. I need 5 opening hooks for a post about sunscreen. Follow this GOOD style: '90% of people are applying sunscreen wrong. Here's why.' Avoid this BAD style: 'Sunscreen is very important for your skin.' The GOOD style creates curiosity and is specific. The BAD style is too generic."

Advanced Conversation Strategies

13. Don't Accept The First Draft

ChatGPT's greatest strength is its ability to iterate. After getting a response, ask it to make edits.

• "Rewrite this paragraph to be more concise, under 50 words, but keep the main idea."

• "Make this tone more professional and formal."

• "Add some humor to this response."

• "Explain this again using a simpler analogy."

14. Use The Branching Feature

This feature lets you explore different directions from the same starting point without losing your original conversation.

1. After getting a response, click the three-dot icon next to it.

2. Select "Branch in new chat."

3. In this new branch, you can try a completely different approach.

4. You can easily switch between branches to compare the results.

Example: You ask ChatGPT to write a job application email. Then, you can create one branch to ask it to rewrite the email in a friendlier tone, and another branch to rewrite it in a more assertive tone.

15. Chunk Big Projects Into Steps

For complex tasks, don't ask the AI to do everything at once. Break it down into smaller steps.

Example: 

"We are going to create a business plan for an online pastry shop. This plan will have 4 parts: 1. Executive Summary, 2. Market Analysis, 3. Marketing Plan, 4. Financial Projections. For now, let's start with Part 1: the Executive Summary only. Please write that section."

After ChatGPT completes Part 1, you can review, edit, and then ask it to proceed with Part 2.

16. Ask ChatGPT To State Its Assumptions

When you're not sure if you've provided enough information, ask the AI to list its assumptions.

"I want you to help me plan a 5-day trip to New York. Before you start, please list the assumptions you are making about my budget, travel preferences (adventure vs. relaxation), and mode of transportation."

You can then review the list of assumptions and correct anything that's wrong, ensuring you're both on the same page.

17. Let ChatGPT Ask You Questions

This is a great way to get highly personalized suggestions.

"I want to improve my time management skills. Please ask me 5 questions to better understand my current challenges and habits. Based on my answers, propose a suitable strategy for me."

Working With Files And Media

18. Verify Facts And Check Sources

AI can confidently present incorrect information, a phenomenon known as "hallucination." When requesting factual information:

• Ask for sources: Always ask ChatGPT to provide links to its information sources.

• Check the links: Click on those links to see if they actually contain the information.

• Cross-reference: Compare information from multiple reliable sources.

• Be cautious with recent data and events: The AI may not have the latest data.

19. Upload And Analyze Documents

This is one of the most powerful features. You can upload:

• PDFs: Research papers, financial reports, user manuals.

• Images: Screenshots, charts, photos.

• Text files: Raw data, notes, meeting transcripts.

Example: 

"Here is a PDF of a company's Q3 financial report. Please summarize the key points, identify 3 positive trends and 2 potential risks. Cite specific figures from the report."

20. Use Canvas For Collaborative Editing

Canvas creates an editable document right next to your chat, like Google Docs with an AI assistant.

1. Start with a prompt, for example: "Write a short speech about the importance of mental health in the workplace."

   

2. Click the plus button and select Canvas mode.

   

3. Edit the text directly in the document.

4. Use AI suggestions for improvements (e.g., "make this section shorter," "improve readability," "add a call to action").

   

5. Select a specific portion of the text and give instructions just for that part.

Image And Visual Capabilities

21. Use Images As Prompts

ChatGPT can "see" and understand images.

• Count objects: (Note: not always 100% accurate).

• Read text from screenshots (OCR): Very useful for extracting text from images.

• Describe what's happening in photos.

• Extract information from charts and graphs.

Pro tip: To extract text, use the prompt: "Please perform OCR on this image and provide me with all the text in a copyable format."

22. Use Temporary Chat For Privacy

As mentioned earlier, when discussing sensitive topics, enable Temporary Chat.

• The conversation will not be saved.

• It will not be used for AI training.

• It will not be stored in memory.

• Perfect for personal or confidential discussions.

Meta-Prompting: Using AI To Improve AI

23. Ask ChatGPT To Write Better Prompts

This is an advanced trick. Let the AI help you communicate with it more effectively.

"I want to use you to plan content for my Instagram channel about vegan cooking. Please suggest 5 detailed and effective prompts I can use to generate post ideas, recipes, and short videos."

ChatGPT will provide you with well-structured prompts that you can use immediately.

Ready-To-Use Prompt Templates

Here are 12 powerful prompt templates you can copy and customize. Each template comes with a detailed example.

24. Email Improvement

Template:

"Please rewrite the email below to sound more professional and friendly, but still clear about my request. Shorten it to about 100 words. Then, suggest 3 catchy subject lines. [Paste your email here]"

Example:

• Original Email: "Hi Long, I'm writing to ask about the report. When will you send it? I need it urgently."

• Prompt: "Please rewrite the email below... Subject: 'Hi Long, I'm writing to ask about the report. When will you send it? I need it urgently.'"

25. Document Summarization

Template:

"I've uploaded a research paper. Please summarize it into 5 main bullet points, targeting an audience with no expertise in this field. Then, extract the most impactful quote from the paper."

Example: (After uploading a PDF) "I've uploaded... Please summarize it..."

26. Learning New Topics

Template:

"Explain the topic of [topic] to me as if I were a 12-year-old. Use simple analogies. After you're done explaining, give me a short quiz with 3 multiple-choice questions to test my knowledge, along with the answer key."

Example: "Explain the topic of 'Cloud Computing' to me as if I were a 12-year-old..."

27. Brainstorming Ideas

Template:

"I'm looking for ideas for [your goal]. Please list 10 unique ideas. For each idea, present it as: Idea Name (1 sentence), Main Benefit, and The First Three Steps to implement it."

Example: "I'm looking for ideas for a weekend side project that can generate extra income. Please list 10 ideas..."

28. Data Organization

Template:

"Convert the messy list below into a table with the following columns: [column name 1], [column name 2], [column name 3]. Sort the table by [column name] in ascending order. [Paste your data here]"

Example: "Convert the messy list below into a table with the columns: Product Name, Price, Stock. Sort the table by Price... 'T-shirt - $10 - 50, Jeans - $20 - 30...'"

29. Presentation Planning

Template:

"Create a detailed outline for a 10-minute presentation on the topic of [topic]. The outline should include an introduction, 3 main points (each with 2 sub-points), and a conclusion. Before you start, ask me 2 questions to better understand the audience."

Example: "Create a detailed outline for a 10-minute presentation on 'The Benefits of Daily Meditation'..."

30. Content Editing

Template:

"Act as a professional editor. Edit the paragraph below to improve clarity and flow. Keep my original tone. After you're done, provide a list of the main changes you made. [Paste your paragraph here]"

Example: "Act as a professional editor... 'Learning a new language is a very good thing. It helps your brain. You can talk to more people.'"

31. Data Analysis

Template:

"From the CSV file I just uploaded containing customer survey data, please answer the following questions: 1. What are the top 3 most common complaints? 2. What is the average satisfaction score on a scale of 10? 3. Suggest a suitable chart type to visualize satisfaction by age group."

Example: (After uploading a CSV file) "From the CSV file I just uploaded..."

32. Translation

Template:

"Translate the following passage to [language]. Try to preserve the humorous and informal tone. If there are any idioms or phrases that don't translate literally, please flag them and suggest an equivalent phrase in the target [language]."

Example: "Translate the following passage to English. 'Ugh, today's traffic was a nightmare.' Try to preserve the tone...

33. Personal Coaching

Template:

"Act as a [role, e.g., career coach]. My goal is [your goal]. Please ask me 5 diagnostic questions to understand my situation. Based on my answers, provide a 3-step action plan I can start this week."

Example: "Act as a career coach. My goal is to find my first job after graduation..."

34. Product Comparison

Template:

"Create a detailed comparison table between [Product A] and [Product B]. The comparison criteria should include: Price, Key Features, Suitable User Profile, Pros, and Cons."

The Result:

Example: "Create a detailed comparison table between the iPhone 15 and the Samsung Galaxy S24..."

35. Creative Writing

Template:

"Write a [genre, e.g., short story, poem] about [topic]. The story should have a [surprising element, e.g., a twist ending]. After writing it, suggest 3 different ways to develop this story into a larger work."

Example: "Write a short story about a stray cat in the city. The story should have a twist ending..."

Key Takeaways For Success

1. Communicate naturally: Write like you're talking to a smart friend.

2. Use Projects: Organize your conversations into focused workspaces with specific context.

3. Always verify facts: AI can be wrong. Don't trust it blindly.

4. Iterate and refine: Don't accept the first draft. Always ask for edits to get better results.

5. Be specific: The more context and detail you provide, the better the results you'll get.

Conclusion: Your AI Journey Starts Now

ChatGPT is not a magic solution that knows everything, but it is an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly. Like learning any new skill, it takes practice to master.

Start with the free plan and experiment with these techniques. Focus on using natural language, setting up Projects for your most common tasks, and always double-checking important information.

The goal is not to become an AI expert overnight, but to gradually build ChatGPT into a personalized assistant that understands your needs and helps you work more efficiently.

Remember: AI is a tool to amplify your abilities, not replace your thinking. The better you become at communicating with it, the more powerful it becomes for your specific needs.

What will you create with these new skills? The possibilities are endless, and your AI-powered journey starts with your very next conversation.

Ready to dive in? Try implementing these tips one by one, starting with setting up your account and creating your first Project. The more you practice, the more natural it will become to work alongside AI as your intelligent assistant.

If you are interested in other topics and how AI is transforming different aspects of our lives or even in making money using AI with more detailed, step-by-step guidance, you can find our other articles here:

• Stop Using ChatGPT As An "Answer Machine"! Do THIS Instead

• Stop Building n8n AI Agents Manually! THIS Does It For You*

• Fully Detailed & Powerful Instruction That Drive Custom GPTs/ Projects/ Gems*

• Forget Film School! THIS Is The Future Of AI Video Creation!*

• Master AI Prompting: Get Pro Results From ChatGPT & Gemini

  *indicates a premium content, if any