How to write a good prompt for ChatGPT

Since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, the cards of content creation have been reshuffled. No one denies the power of the tool. Yet, few people are able to get the most out of this artificial intelligence.

The secret to using ChatGPT to its fullest potential lies in the way you submit requests to it. In other words, the better the prompt you submit to ChatGPT, the better the results the AI will generate.

To address the AI, there are certain rules to follow. In a previous article, we discussed the posture to adopt to generate good prompts for AI tools.

In this article, we will focus more specifically on ChatGPT. So here's what you need to know to make a good prompt for ChatGPT.

A good prompt for ChatGPT is a complete prompt

We directly asked the first concerned to explain us step by step how to make a good prompt for ChatGPT and here is his answer:

1- Define the topic: First of all, it is important to define the topic on which you want ChatGPT to generate a response. The more specific the topic, the easier it will be for ChatGPT to provide a relevant response.

2- Choose the tone and style: It is important to choose the tone and style of your prompt based on the purpose of the conversation and the target audience. For example, if you want to have a casual conversation, you can use a more informal tone.

3- Structure the prompt: The prompt should be structured in a clear and concise manner. It is important to ensure that the prompt contains all the information necessary for ChatGPT to provide a relevant response.

4- Use concrete examples: If possible, use concrete examples to help ChatGPT better understand the context and provide a more accurate response.

5- Use open-ended questions: Open-ended questions are best, as they allow ChatGPT to provide more detailed and nuanced responses.

6- Avoid grammatical errors: It is important to avoid grammatical errors in the prompt, as this may affect the quality of the answer ChatGPT generates.

7- Review and test: Finally, before submitting your prompt to ChatGPT, be sure to review and test it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and allows ChatGPT to provide a relevant and accurate response.

While ChatGPT's answer is relevant, it does not explain how to structure your prompt. Taking the above tips into account, we will now explain how to create your prompts with examples.

Making a good prompt for ChatGPT according to Abyssale

There are 3 key points to consider when improving your prompts for ChatGPT.

The context

This is a topic we've already covered in the article "How to make good prompts for AI tools?", but it's essential to revisit our copy to talk specifically about ChatGPT.

You need to detail as much context as possible. This allows ChatGPT to generate an accurate output that will bring you maximum value. Context helps guide ChatGPT.

Let's take an example. If we ask ChatGPT "Give a recipe for chocolate cake." This is what it responds.

It answers our request, but the example may not be appropriate for your use.

Now let's see what ChatGPT can answer if we ask it, "I'm a sports coach. For one of my clients, I would like a chocolate cake recipe of 250 kcal maximum that promotes muscle recovery after a workout. My client is gluten intolerant."

The task

If you use ChatGPT, it's to get it to perform a task for you. Needless to say, it's critical to make sure ChatGPT is the right tool to perform that task. If you need to generate an image, ChatGPT is not the right tool.

To propose a task to ChatGPT, there are certain rules to follow. Your task must be clear and precise.

For example, here is the result if you submit a prompt to ChatGPT such as the following, "Write a description for a video featuring a chocolate cake recipe that promotes recovery after sports."

Vague prompts generate a vague response. Let's see what ChatGPT generates when we provide details about the task at hand.

Here's the prompt: "Write a description for a YouTube video featuring a chocolate cake recipe that promotes recovery after sports. This description should not exceed 150 words and should be optimized for SEO on the keyword "post-workout recipe". Add some humorous touches."

And here is the generated response 👇

So far, the tasks to be performed were relatively simple. For more specific tasks, it may make sense to break your prompts into multiple steps. This helps guide the artificial intelligence to a result that works for you.

Let's say we want to write a 500-word article about how to recover well after a workout. We'll add the chocolate cake recipe as an example.

First, we'll ask ChatGPT to break down the steps we need to take to create the prompt for our query:

"Write a 500 word minimum article in which you explain how to recover well after a workout. The article must be SEO optimized for the keyword "post-workout recovery". It should also include a chocolate cake recipe that promotes recovery after sports. Add touches of humor to make the article entertaining."Can you list the tasks to be completed in this prompt?

Here's ChatGPT's answer:

We then ask him, "Now write the text according to this prompt." He then starts writing.

Despite the phrase "With a touch of humor to make it even more enjoyable to read", his answer is consistent.

It is possible that ChatGPT stops while writing. In that case, ask him, "Continue writing after {{phrase not completed}}"

‍The role

The final point to consider when writing good prompts for ChatGPT is the role it should be in. This is critical to getting relevant results.

It is important to know the fundamentals of this role. If you don't, you won't be able to specify and give orders consistent with the role to be adopted.

ChatGPT will not make you a sports coach. It will, however, help you make the most of what you already know.

Here's an example: "You're an expert on nutrition and sports. Write a Linkedin post with a maximum of 200 words that explains how to recover well after an intense session while indulging yourself tastefully. The post should have a touch of humor. It should also include a link to a chocolate cake recipe that promotes recovery after a workout."

You can judge for yourself ChatGPT's sense of humor with this response:

Example of a good prompt for ChatGPT

Now that you know how to write a three-step prompt, let's test our theory with the example of a final prompt including context, task, role, not to mention the 7 points to respect according to ChatGPT:

"I've been a state-certified sports coach for over 10 years, coaching my clients on sports and nutrition. I lead yoga, weight training and boxing classes in groups or as part of a personalized coaching. I also have a blog in which I share best practices and healthy recipes for a healthy sport practice. The name of my company is "Determined". Considering the above information and putting yourself in the shoes of a nutrition and bodybuilding expert, write a blog post for my website explaining how to eat well after an intense bodybuilding session. The article should be no longer than 300 words. The article must use a humorous tone and be written in a light style. It should be SEO optimized for the keyword "eating well after exercise". It should also invite people to click on a link to a chocolate cake recipe that promotes recovery after an intense session."

Before we submit this prompt, let's sift through it in a table to make sure we haven't missed anything.

Finally, ChatGPT is capable of great feats if you know how to talk to it well. In your next prompts, Abyssale invites you to include a context, a task and a role in order to guide the artificial intelligence to obtain a result that meets your expectations.

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