Unlock The Full Power of ChatGPT: 5 Hidden Tricks You Need to Know

ChatGPT is an amazing AI tool that can help with all kinds of tasks. But most people only scratch the surface of what it can do. In this article, we'll look at 5 special prompting tricks that 99% of ChatGPT users don't know about. Using these tricks can help you get much better results and automate more tasks. Let's get started!

Trick 1: Case Study Prompts for New Topics

Sometimes you need to learn about a totally new topic quickly. A good way to do this is by finding case studies on that topic. Here's a prompt that helps with that:

"Please provide me with some real-world case studies about [topic] and their key outcomes."

Just replace [topic] with whatever you want to learn about, like "community building" or "blockchain technology". ChatGPT will then give you summaries of real case studies it knows about on that subject.

Example 1: Please provide me with some real-world case studies about sustainable agriculture and their key outcomes.

Example 2: Please provide me with some real-world case studies about influencer marketing and their key outcomes.

Trick 2: Ask For Clarifying Questions

If you give ChatGPT a task, you can prompt it to ask clarifying questions first before doing the task. This helps it understand exactly what you want so it can give a better response. The prompt is:

"Before attempting the task, please first ask me clarifying questions that will help you complete it successfully."

ChatGPT will then ask you questions to gather more context and details. Answer the questions, and it will use that information to give you a high-quality result.

Example 1: Please plan an enjoyable day off for me. (Then answer the clarifying questions ChatGPT asks about your preferences).

Example 2: Write a performance review for an employee. (Then answer clarifying questions about the employee's role, strengths, areas for improvement, etc.)

Trick 3: Build Custom Task Assistants

You can actually create custom AI assistants inside ChatGPT that are designed for specific tasks or goals. Just use this long prompt:

"I want you to act as a custom AI assistant with the following purpose: [state purpose]. Please ask me any clarifying questions you need in order to fully understand how I would like you to operate. Once you understand, please provide me with the basic instructions you will follow to assist me with this purpose."

Replace [state purpose] with the task or role you need help with. ChatGPT will then create an assistant specialized for that task.

Example 1: I want you to act as a custom AI assistant with the following purpose: Helping me brainstorm ideas for a new gardening YouTube channel.

Example 2: I want you to act as a custom AI assistant with the following purpose: Answering common customer service questions for an e-commerce store.

Trick 4: Avoid Negative Prompts

Many guides recommend using "negative prompts" to tell ChatGPT what not to include in its response. For example "Don't mention George Washington". However, using negative prompts often confuses ChatGPT and leads to poor results.

It's better to prompt ChatGPT positively by telling it exactly what you do want, rather than what you don't want. This reduces ambiguity.

Trick 5: Create Reusable Templates

Finally, you can turn any of ChatGPT's outputs into a reusable template for that type of content. Just use this prompt:

"Please transform the previous response into a standardized template that can be reused for similar cases."

ChatGPT will then format its previous output in a way you can copy/paste as a template any time you need that type of content again. This ensures consistency.

Example 1: [After getting an email draft from ChatGPT] Please transform the previous response into a standardized template that can be reused for similar cases.

Example 2: [After getting a biography format from ChatGPT] Please transform the previous response into a standardized template that can be reused for similar cases.

By using these 5 hidden prompting tricks, you can get much more value and functionality out of ChatGPT. Prompting is the key to unlocking its true potential as an AI assistant across many use cases. Give these techniques a try!