🛠️ Why Your ChatGPT Prompts Don't Work (And 5 Easy Ways To Fix It)

Introduction:

Have you ever felt that ChatGPT-5 is giving you worse results lately, even though you haven't changed how you write your prompts? If so, you are not alone. Millions of other users are facing the same problem, and there is a clear reason why this is happening.

The problem isn't ChatGPT-5 itself. In fact, it is a much more powerful model. The real issue is that OpenAI made some big basic changes to how this model works. This means our old ways of writing prompts don't work as well as they used to.

This article will explain those changes in a simple way and give you 5 very easy tips to get much better answers from ChatGPT-5.

Update 1: Combining Models And The "Invisible Router"

Before, users who paid for the Plus version could choose from many different models. Now, things are simpler with just three main options: GPT-5 (the standard model), GPT-5 Thinking Mini, and GPT-5 Thinking (two models that can think more deeply). This sounds good, but this change created a new problem.

OpenAI added an "invisible router." Think of it like an automatic phone operator. When you make a request, this router decides which model should handle your request. The problem is, this router sometimes doesn't work very well.

When you type a prompt and press Enter like you always do, sometimes you get the strongest model, but other times you get a weaker one. Because the powerful models cost more money to run, the system will often send your request to the fastest and cheapest option, not always the best one. This is the main reason why you might feel the answers are sometimes not very good.

Update 2: Better At Following Instructions

ChatGPT-5 is now much better at following instructions exactly. This sounds great, but it has a good side and a bad side. OpenAI trained this model to work for "AI agents"-programs that need to follow commands perfectly, with no guessing.

The good news is that ChatGPT-5 now follows our prompts very precisely. The bad news is, unlike older versions, it is much worse at guessing what we mean when our prompts are unclear or not detailed.

This means if we keep using our old prompt habits, we will get worse results. But don't worry, here are 5 tips to fix this, ordered from easiest to hardest.

Tip 1: Use "Router Nudge" Phrases (Very Easy)

This is the simplest fix. You just need to add a few words at the end of your prompt to signal to the invisible router that your request needs deeper thinking. The easiest and best phrase is: "Think carefully about this."

This action forces the system to choose a model with better thinking skills to handle your request, instead of just picking the fastest one.

How to use this in your prompts:

Instead of writing a general prompt, add this phrase at the end to ask for a deeper level of analysis.

• Example Prompt 1 (Planning a presentation):

"Create an outline for a 15-minute presentation about the benefits of reading books daily for career growth. Think carefully about this."

• Example Prompt 2 (Analyzing a problem):

"Analyze the pros and cons of using a 4-day work week for a small tech company. Think deeply about this."

• Example Prompt 3 (Writing an important email):

"Write an email to a potential client to introduce our website design services, focusing on how we can help them increase their sales. Think carefully about this."

Three phrases that work best:

• "Think carefully about this."

• "Think deeply about this."

• "Think hard about this."

Important Note: Phrases that show feeling, like "this is very important" or "this is a top priority," usually don't work. ChatGPT-5 follows commands like a machine, so unclear words like "important" don't work as well as clear commands like "think carefully."

When should you use this tip?

Always use this technique for important tasks where missing details could cause a problem, like making a business plan, analyzing data, or writing an important email to your boss.

Tip 2: Control The Output Length (Easy)

ChatGPT's invisible router also has a setting that controls the length of the answer. Just like we can "nudge" it to think deeper, we can also use specific phrases to ask for the exact output length we want.

Here are three powerful groups of phrases you can use every day.

1. Asking For A Short Output

Best for when you only need the key information, without extra words.

• Example phrase: "Summarize the main points in under 100 words. Use markdown for a clear and structured format."

• Example Prompt 1 (Project update):

"Write a project update email to my boss, Ms. Lana. Present the key points in under 70 words. Use bullet points to make it easy to follow."

• Example Prompt 2 (Summarizing an article):

"I will paste an article below. Please read it and summarize the main ideas in 3 bullet points, no more than 100 words. [Paste the article content here]"

• Example Prompt 3 (Writing a social media post):

"Write a Twitter post to announce our new product, a pair of noise-canceling headphones. The text must be exciting and stay within the 280-character limit."

2. Asking For A Medium-Length Output

Best for when you need the main points with some background information and explanation.

• Example phrase: "Explain this topic in about 3-5 short paragraphs."

• Example Prompt 1 (Explaining an issue to the team):

"Prepare an explanation for our team meeting about why our click-through rate (CTR) dropped by 15% this month, even though our conversion rate went up by 20%. Aim for a short explanation of about 3-4 paragraphs. Explain the possible reasons and suggest the next steps."

• Example Prompt 2 (Writing an FAQ section):

"Write an answer for the frequently asked question: 'What is the company's product return policy?'. Please explain it clearly and fully in about 200-250 words."

• Example Prompt 3 (Product description):

"Write a product description for a multi-purpose travel backpack. The description should show its main features like being waterproof, having many compartments, and a USB charging port. The ideal length is 4 paragraphs."

3. Asking For A Detailed, Full Output

Great for documents that need to be complete, like project summaries, research reports, or information for many teams.

• Example phrase: "Provide a detailed and full analysis, around 600-800 words."

• Example Prompt 1 (Writing an introduction document):

"Please write a full introduction document about Blockchain technology for people who do not have a technical background. The document should explain what Blockchain is, how it works with a simple example, its common uses besides cryptocurrency, and its pros and cons. Provide a detailed analysis, around 700-900 words."

• Example Prompt 2 (Writing a deep-dive blog post):

"Write a blog post with the topic 'A Beginner's Guide to On-Page SEO for 2025'. The article needs to include sections on title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, heading tags, and image optimization. Please write a complete guide, about 1200 words long."

• Example Prompt 3 (Creating a project brief):

"Create a project brief for an upcoming digital marketing campaign. The brief must include the goals, target audience, key message, channels to use, and KPIs. I need a detailed document, about 800 words, to send to all team members."

Pro tip: Use a text expander app like Espanso (free) or TextExpander to save these phrases. For example, you could type ;short and it will automatically type "Present the key points in under 100 words."

Tip 3: Use OpenAI's Prompt Optimizer Tool (Medium Effort)

This is a secret that 95% of users don't know: OpenAI has an official tool to help you rewrite and improve your prompts specifically for ChatGPT-5.

The free (and equally good) solution:

You can ask ChatGPT-5 to do this for you by using a "meta-prompt" (a prompt about making prompts).

Copy and paste this command:

"You are an expert prompt engineer. You specialize in creating effective prompts for AI language models, especially the ChatGPT-5 thinking model. Your job is to take my first prompt and make it better for the best performance. Please analyze the weak points of my original prompt and then rewrite it. Here is my original prompt: [paste your prompt here]"

Example of how to use the meta-prompt:

• Your original prompt (a bit unclear):

"Write a blog post about how to work from home effectively."

• You put it inside the meta-prompt:

"You are an expert prompt engineer... Here is my original prompt: 'Write a blog post about how to work from home effectively.'"

• The improved prompt you might get back (very detailed and clear):

Title: Create a detailed blog post with the title "Golden Secrets for a Super Productive Work-From-Home Day."
Role: Act as a remote work expert with 10 years of experience.
Target Audience: People who are new to working from home and are struggling with managing their time and focus.
Article Structure:
Introduction: Talk about common challenges (loneliness, distractions, work-life balance).
Part 1: Setting up your workspace: Tips on creating a dedicated work corner.
Part 2: Building a schedule: Introduce techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and Time Blocking.
Part 3: Communicating well: How to stay connected with coworkers.
Conclusion: Summarize the main points and give a call to action.
Tone: Friendly, encouraging, and practical.
Extra Request: Include at least one real-life example for each part.

This improved prompt will definitely give you a much higher quality article than the first one.

Tip 4: Create An "XML Sandwich" Structure (Medium Effort)

If you use the meta-prompt from Tip 3, you'll notice that the improved prompt sometimes has strange angle brackets < > around different parts of the text. These are called XML tags, and OpenAI itself recommends using them to organize your instructions.

Think of XML tags like labeled boxes. Instead of putting everything into one big paragraph and hoping ChatGPT-5 figures it out, you are clearly labeling each part.

Comparing a poorly structured prompt with a good one:

• Poorly structured prompt:

"Help me make a study plan to take the IELTS test in 3 months. My level is about 5.0, and my goal is 6.5. I can study 2 hours a day. My weakest skills are Writing and Speaking. Give me a detailed schedule."

• Good prompt with XML structure:

<Task>
Create a detailed 3-month study plan to help me raise my IELTS score from 5.0 to 6.5.
</Task>

<Context>
- Current Level: IELTS 5.0
- Goal: IELTS 6.5 (all skills above 6.0)
- Study Time: 2 hours per day, 6 days a week.
- Weakest Skills: Writing and Speaking.
- Strongest Skill: Reading.
</Context>

<Detailed_Requests>
1.  Divide the daily study time for the 4 skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing.
2.  Give more time to the Writing and Speaking skills.
3.  Suggest specific materials and activities for each skill (for example: "Listen to BBC podcasts," "Practice writing Task 2 with common topics").
4.  Create a weekly schedule that repeats for 12 weeks.
5.  Add progress checks after every 4 weeks.
</Detailed_Requests>

<Output_Format>
Present the plan in a markdown table with these columns: Week, Day, Time, Skill, Specific Activity.
</Output_Format>

The Result:

Pro tip:

• Save a template with default XML tags in your text expander app so you don't have to type it every time.

• This structure works especially well when you set up Custom Instructions in ChatGPT or create your own custom GPTs.

Tip 5: The "Perfection Loop" (High Effort)

Instead of accepting ChatGPT's first answer and then asking it for changes, you should tell it from the start to: create its own definition of a perfect result, grade its own work, and keep improving it internally until it creates the best possible answer.

This approach moves the job of quality control from you to the AI.

Examples of prompts using the "Perfection Loop":

• Example Prompt 1 (Creating a content strategy):

"Task: Develop a full content strategy for a new specialty coffee brand targeting customers aged 25-40 on Instagram and Facebook.
Before you start, first develop an internal checklist for what makes a 'world-class' social media content strategy. This checklist must include at least 5 factors (for example: uniqueness, engagement, brand fit, etc.).
Then, internally review and improve your draft until it gets a perfect score based on the checklist you created. Only show me the final result."

• Example Prompt 2 (Writing a YouTube video script):

"Task: Write a detailed script for a 10-minute YouTube video titled 'Baking Bread at Home for Beginners - 100% Success Guaranteed'.
Before you write, create an internal checklist for a perfect YouTube video script. The checklist must include: (1) A hook in the first 30 seconds, (2) Clear, step-by-step instructions, (3) Suggestions for visuals, (4) A call to action (subscribe, like), and (5) A friendly, approachable tone.
Use that checklist to grade and rewrite the script until you are sure it is a 10/10. Only give me the final version."

When should you use this tip?

The "Perfection Loop" works best for complex tasks that require creativity from the beginning, like creating complete documents from scratch, writing production-ready code, or developing a detailed business strategy.

Putting It All Together

The important thing to remember is: these tips are not separate. You can combine them to create a "super" prompt.

An example of a prompt that combines all the tips:

Imagine you need to prepare a project proposal to show to your company's leaders.

<Task>
Write a detailed project proposal to launch a new mobile app for our company.
</Task>

<Context>
- Company: A fashion retail chain.
- Problem: Current customers have no easy way to see new products and get special offers conveniently.
- Proposed Solution: A mobile app that lets customers browse products, create a favorites list, and get push notifications about sales.
</Context>

<Detailed_Requests>
The proposal must include these sections:
1.  Executive Summary.
2.  Problem and Opportunity Analysis.
3.  Solution Description (main features of the app).
4.  Target Audience Analysis.
5.  Estimated Budget and Timeline.
6.  Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure success.
</Detailed_Requests>

<Format_and_Tone>
- Tone: Professional, persuasive, and data-driven.
- Format: Use markdown headings and bullet points for a clear structure.
</Format_and_Tone>

<Output_Control>
Provide a detailed and complete analysis, around 1000-1200 words.
</Output_Control>

<Final_Instruction>
Before you begin, create an internal checklist for a perfect project proposal that can persuade company leaders. Internally review and improve the draft until it gets a perfect score on that checklist. Think very carefully about this.
</Final_Instruction>

This prompt combines:

• XML Structure (Tip 4) to separate information.

• Length Control (Tip 2) by asking for 1000-1200 words.

• The Perfection Loop (Tip 5) to ensure the highest quality.

• A Router Nudge Phrase (Tip 1) to activate deep thinking.

Conclusion

ChatGPT-5 is more powerful than older versions, but it needs a different approach. The big basic changes that OpenAI made - the "invisible router" system and the better instruction following - mean that our old ways of writing prompts don't work as well anymore.

By understanding these changes and using the five tips above, you can get much better results from ChatGPT-5. Start with the easy tips (nudge phrases and length control) and slowly move on to the more advanced techniques.

Remember, the goal is not just to get better answers, but to build better work processes that help you work more effectively with AI. Take the time to practice these techniques and change them to fit your own specific needs.

The time for unclear, general prompts is over. Welcome to the new way of talking to AI with clear, structured instructions.

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