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Boost Your ChatGPT Results Using the 17 Golden Rules

Boost ChatGPT results with the 17 Golden Rules for Writing ChatGPT Prompts. Get clearer, more accurate, and creative AI responses every time.

You can boost your chatgpt results by following the 17 golden rules for writing chatgpt prompts. These 17 golden rules for writing chatgpt prompts help you get clearer answers, more accurate details, and creative ideas from chatgpt. Anyone can use the 17 golden rules for writing chatgpt prompts to see better results. You just need to make a few changes to your prompts. When you try the 17 golden rules for writing chatgpt prompts, you will notice a big difference. You do not need special skills to use the 17 golden rules for writing chatgpt prompts. You will also see practical examples for each rule, so you know exactly how to use them.

Key Takeaways

  • Say what you want clearly so ChatGPT knows your needs and gives better answers. – Tell ChatGPT how you want the answer, like a list or a summary, so it is easier to use. – Give ChatGPT a role, like teacher or expert, to get answers that fit your situation. – Share background and details to help ChatGPT give better answers. – Use easy and clear words in your questions so ChatGPT does not get confused and gives the right answer.

17 Golden Rules for Writing ChatGPT Prompts

Define Your Objective

Start by knowing your goal. When you tell ChatGPT your objective, it understands what you want. This makes your prompt stronger. You get better results. Research shows clear goals help you get accurate answers.

Evidence Type

Description

Structured Prompting

Using special ways to write prompts helps guide ChatGPT.

User Engagement

People change prompts often to get better answers. This shows clarity matters.

Prompt Engineering

How you design prompts changes how good the answers are.

Example:
“I want a summary of the book ‘Charlotte's Web' for a 7th-grade student.”

Specify Output Format

Tell ChatGPT how you want the answer. This makes it easier to use. You can ask for a list, a table, or a story. This helps you get answers that are easy to read and share.

Maximilian Vogel says: “Specify a response format, which makes it easier for you to use the answer.”

  • Step-by-step instructions

  • Bullet-point summaries

  • Comparison tables

  • Analytical frameworks

  • JSON or Markdown formatting

Example:
“List three main points from the article in bullet points.”

Assign a Role to ChatGPT

Give ChatGPT a role. You get answers that fit your needs. Ask it to act like a teacher, chef, or scientist. This makes the answer more helpful.

“Telling ChatGPT your needs clearly gives you better answers for decisions, solving problems, and new ideas.” – Jodie Cook

Role Component

Purpose

Example

Expertise Level

Shows how much knowledge is needed

“Expert-level financial analyst”

Perspective

Sets the viewpoint

“Experienced marketing strategist”

Context

Gives background

“Technology startup consultant”

Example:
“As a science teacher, explain photosynthesis to a middle school student.”

Identify Your Audience

Think about who will read the answer. Tell ChatGPT about your audience. You get a response that fits their needs. This helps you make content that is easy to use.

  • Making user personas helps you know your audience.

  • This helps you care about users.

  • It leads to better products for users.

Example:
“Write a short story about teamwork for elementary school kids.”

Provide Context

Give background information. This helps ChatGPT understand your request. More context means better answers. Studies show context is important for good responses.

  • Giving context is important for making good AI agents.

  • If you give too much context, ChatGPT may forget things. So, manage context carefully.

  • Context helps ChatGPT know what you mean.

  • Giving details helps ChatGPT give accurate answers.

  • Best practice is to include background information.

Example:
“I am writing a report about recycling for my science class. Can you explain why recycling is important?”

Set Constraints

Set limits to keep ChatGPT focused. You can ask for a word count, style, or topic. This keeps the answer on track.

Example:
“Explain the water cycle in less than 100 words.”

Use Clear Language

Use simple words and short sentences. ChatGPT understands you better this way. You get the answer you want.

  • Give clear and specific context at the start.

  • This helps ChatGPT know what you expect.

  • It reduces confusion and gives better answers.

  • Avoid vague prompts so ChatGPT can give answers that fit your needs.

Example:
“Describe how plants grow using simple words.”

Ask One Question

Ask one thing at a time. If you ask too much, ChatGPT can get confused. One question per prompt works best. Studies show focused questions help ChatGPT do better.

People who used Generative AI asked more single, focused questions than those who talked to a human tutor. This way of asking questions helped them do better and showed that clear questions work well with AI.

Example:
“What is the main idea of the story?”

Use Examples

Add examples to your prompt. ChatGPT knows what you want. This helps you get answers that match your needs.

Example:
“Write a sentence using the word ‘curious.' For example: ‘The curious cat explored the attic.'”

Be Specific

Give lots of details. This helps ChatGPT give better answers. Specific prompts stop confusion and help you get accurate results.

  • Using prompts like chain-of-thought or rephrase-and-respond helps stop confusion and makes answers better.

  • Giving examples helps ChatGPT learn and give better answers.

  • Chain-of-thought prompts help ChatGPT think step by step, which is good for hard questions.

Example:
“List three reasons why exercise is good for teenagers.”

Encourage Creativity

Tell ChatGPT you want creative ideas. This helps you get unique answers. Studies show prompt engineering can help students and workers be more creative.

Study

Findings

Mabrito (2024)

Teaching prompt engineering helps students be more creative.

Hutson & Robertson (2023)

Using AI tools in art helps creativity.

Hutson & Cotroneo (2023)

Generative AI can work with you to make creative things.

Walter (2024)

Learning prompt engineering makes AI a better tool for learning.

Example:
“Invent a new animal and describe what it looks like and where it lives.”

Use a Conversational Tone

ChatGPT likes friendly and natural language. A conversational tone makes answers easy to read and fun.

Evidence Description

Key Insight

The way you talk changes how people feel.

Friendly tone makes people want to read more. Formal tone can make it harder to talk.

Making ChatGPT's tone better helps people enjoy using it.

Matching answers to what people expect makes them happier.

  • Friendly tone makes talking to ChatGPT nicer.

  • Formal tone can make it hard to talk.

  • Good tone is important for great AI chats.

Example:
“Hey ChatGPT, can you help me come up with a fun science project idea?”

Structure Step-by-Step

Break big tasks into small steps. This helps ChatGPT solve hard problems. It keeps answers organized.

  • Wei et al. (2022) found that using steps helps with logic tasks.

  • Kojima et al. (2022) found that saying ‘Let’s think step by step' helps accuracy.

  • Breaking big prompts into small parts helps ChatGPT give better answers.

Example:
“Explain how to write an essay, step by step.”

Use Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions let ChatGPT share more ideas. This is good for brainstorming and learning new things.

  • Open-ended questions help you get more ideas and opinions.

Example:
“What are some ways to make learning math more fun?”

Request Feedback

Ask ChatGPT to check or improve your work. You get better answers when you ask for feedback in a clear way.

  • If you just say ‘please check my writing,' you get simple feedback.

  • If you ask for detailed feedback, you get more help and tips.

Example:
“As a teacher, review my essay and suggest three ways to make it better.”

Test and Refine

Try different prompts to see what works best. Testing and changing prompts helps you find the best way to ask ChatGPT.

Prompt Style

Effectiveness

Notes

Prompt 4

+10%

Good for getting special info with chain-of-thought reasoning

Prompt 2

Baseline

Not as good for hard questions

Markdown Table + CoT

Most effective

Best for science tasks needing steps

Example:
“Rewrite this prompt to get a more detailed answer: ‘Tell me about volcanoes.'”

Review and Update Prompts

Keep your prompts up to date. Check and change them to make sure they work well. Experts say to be specific, give context, break down questions, and use structure.

Recommendation Type

Description

Specificity

Make prompts clear to get better answers.

Context

Give enough background so ChatGPT does not get confused.

Breakdown Complex Questions

Split hard questions into smaller ones for better answers.

Utilizing Priming

Use priming to set rules and limits for answers.

Structure Your Prompts

Use context and goals for better answers.

Example:
“Update your prompt every few weeks to match your latest needs or projects.”

Tip: You can use more than one golden rule at a time. For example, you can set your goal, pick an output format, and add examples in one prompt. This helps you make strong prompts and get the best from ChatGPT.

These golden rules are a simple guide for making good ChatGPT prompts. When you use clear words, give background, and ask for creative ideas, you get answers that are accurate, helpful, and fun. Try these rules, add examples, and see your ChatGPT results get better!

Applying the Golden Rules for Better ChatGPT Results

Combine Rules for Complex Tasks

You can get even better results from chatgpt when you mix several golden rules together. Imagine you want help with a big project, like writing a science report. You might start by defining your goal, then set the output format, and finally give some context. When you combine these steps, you guide chatgpt to give you answers that fit your needs.

Try this approach:

  • Start with your main goal.

  • Tell chatgpt what kind of answer you want, like a list or a story.

  • Add details about your audience or topic.

  • Give an example if you have one.

Tip: Mixing rules helps chatgpt understand your request and keeps the answer focused.

Here’s a sample prompt that uses several rules at once:

As a science teacher, write a step-by-step guide for 7th graders about the water cycle. Use simple language and include three fun facts.

This prompt sets a role, defines the audience, asks for a step-by-step format, and requests extra details. You get a clear and helpful answer.

Tailor Prompts for Different Scenarios

You can adjust your prompts to fit different situations, like creative writing, technical questions, or learning new things. When you tailor your prompt, chatgpt gives you answers that match your needs.

Here’s a table showing some ways to do this:

Technique

Description

Application Example

Role-playing

Ask chatgpt to act as someone else for a special response.

Respond as a famous scientist or a creative writer.

Style unbundling

Break down a style into parts for a unique answer.

Use Apple’s announcement style for a new product update.

Emotion prompting

Add feelings to your prompt for thoughtful answers.

Say the task is important for your career to get a careful response.

  • Scientists have found that these techniques help chatgpt give better answers in many situations.

  • You can use role-playing for technical questions, style unbundling for creative writing, and emotion prompting for learning or feedback.

Try changing your prompt style based on what you need. You will see chatgpt adapt and give you more useful responses.

Common Mistakes in ChatGPT Prompt Writing

Common Mistakes in ChatGPT Prompt Writing
Image Source: pexels

When you use chatgpt, you want answers that make sense and help you solve problems. Sometimes, you might not get the results you expect. Let’s look at three common mistakes and how you can fix them.

Vague Objectives

If you don’t tell chatgpt exactly what you want, you might get answers that feel random or too general. For example, if you ask, “Why are our sales going down?” you’ll probably get a generic response. But when you give more details, you get better results. Check out this table:

Prompt Type

Example Prompt

Impact on Response Quality

Vague Prompt

Why are our sales going down?

Leads to generic responses due to lack of detail.

Well-Structured Prompt

I am a data analyst working for a mid-sized e-commerce company specializing in health and wellness products…

Yields actionable and relevant outputs by specifying context and requirements.

Quick fix: Set clear goals and be specific about what you need. This keeps the answer focused and useful.

Overly Complex Prompts

Sometimes, you might try to ask too much at once or use complicated language. This can confuse chatgpt and make the answer less helpful. Here are some things that happen when prompts get too complex:

  • Overly complex prompts can lead to suboptimal results because the AI has to work harder to understand.

  • Too much detail can overwhelm you and the AI, making the answer less accurate.

  • Balancing detail and simplicity helps you get better results.

Tip: Break big tasks into smaller steps and ask for step-by-step explanations. This makes it easier for chatgpt to help you.

Ignoring Context or Audience

If you forget to mention who the answer is for or leave out important background information, chatgpt might give you a response that doesn’t fit your needs. For example:

  • Including context helps chatgpt understand your goals and give relevant answers.

  • Without context, the answer might be too general or miss the point.

Quick fix: Always tell chatgpt who your audience is and give a little background. Also, be concise so the AI doesn’t get lost in too much information.

ChatGPT thrives on follow-up. But I used to ask for everything in one go. The output? Chaotic. Like, five different people were talking at once. Now, I break big tasks into smaller steps.”

If you remember these tips, you’ll see your chatgpt results improve right away!

You can make your chatgpt answers better by using the 17 golden rules. These rules help you get answers that are clear and fit your needs. Start with a few rules first, then add more as you learn. Experts say you should focus on context, role, action, format, and audience to get the best answers.

Component

Description

Context

Gives background for the AI’s answer.

Role

Shows what kind of expert or person is needed.

Action

Tells the steps to follow.

Format

Organizes how the answer looks.

Target Audience

Makes sure the answer fits who needs it.

Want better results? Try these tips:

  1. Be clear and exact.

  2. Split big prompts into smaller parts.

  3. Make sure facts are correct.

  4. Tell what kind of answer you want.

  5. Give examples.

  6. Set limits.

  7. Keep making your prompts better.

Writing good prompts is something you can get better at. Many people say they see better answers as they practice. Students and others agree that learning prompt engineering helps everyone do well.

Try out these ideas and see your answers get better!

FAQ

How do I know if my prompt is clear enough?

You can check your prompt by reading it out loud. If you understand what you want, ChatGPT will too. Try asking a friend if your prompt makes sense.

Can I use more than one golden rule in a prompt?

Yes! Mixing rules helps you get better answers. For example, you can set a role, choose an output format, and add context in one prompt.

What should I do if ChatGPT gives me a wrong answer?

Don’t worry. You can ask ChatGPT to try again or give more details. Change your prompt to be more specific or add examples.

Do I need to update my prompts often?

It’s a good idea to review your prompts every few weeks. Your needs might change, and updating helps ChatGPT give you the best answers.

 

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