16 Advanced ChatGPT Tips

Get Precisely What You Need Every Time

You’ve mastered the basics of ChatGPT. You know how to write a decent prompt, and you’re getting results that are… fine. But “fine” isn’t who you are. You’re better than ‘fine.’ 

I get it. I’ve been there too. The frustration is real: generic outputs that require extensive editing, privacy concerns when discussing sensitive business information, and hours spent repeating similar prompts for recurring tasks.

I had, and I suspect that you have had the nagging suspicion that there’s a better way to integrate ChatGPT into your workflow.

It doesn’t matter what sort of businessperson you are—an entrepreneur, a marketing executive, or the founder and owner—if you are using a tool, then it needs to be better than ‘fine.’

This guide is a companion piece to ChatGPT for Beginners. In it, I’ll share 16 advanced ChatGPT tips I use to boost the value I get from my conversations with ChatGPT. I’ll share how to:

• Protect your sensitive business data while still leveraging AI analysis and insights
• Connect ChatGPT directly to your existing documents and spreadsheets
• Create customized templates that save hours on recurring tasks
• Seamlessly integrate ChatGPT into your automation workflows
• Access specialized GPTs on demand from the GPT Store

These aren’t theoretical concepts—they’re practical strategies I’ve implemented in my workflow for my business and for my clients. These tips have transformed my productivity and decision-making processes. 

If you are ready to elevate your conversations with ChatGPT, read on, and I will help you get there.

Table of Contents

Privacy Controls

As you integrate AI more deeply into your business operations, data security becomes increasingly important. Here are two tips to help you maintain confidentiality without limiting ChatGPT’s capabilities.

1 – Turn Off “Improve For Everyone” When Working With Sensitive Data

By default, OpenAI has access to your conversations to improve their models. But, when discussing confidential business plans, financial information, or client details, changing this setting means your data remains private.

To find the setting, navigate to Settings > Data Controls and toggle off “Improve OpenAI’s models.” Disable this setting during confidential conversations with ChatGPT, then re-enable it when working with non-sensitive content. You want to support model improvements. This is good for everyone. 

This simple step ensures your sensitive information isn’t included in model training data.

2 – Use Temporary Chats For Sensitive Information

When you don’t need to keep a chat record, use ChatGPT’s temporary chat functionality for sensitive discussions. A temporary chat is similar to incognito mode in browsers. Because these conversations aren’t saved to your history, they provide additional privacy.

Use this feature to brainstorm confidential product innovations, discuss proprietary business strategies, or review sensitive personnel matters.

To start a temporary chat, click the new chat button and select Temporary chat from the dropdown menu. 

Connect to Your Data for an AI Party

Next-level AI conversations happen when you start using your existing data. This section covers a data integration technique. In it, I will describe how to connect ChatGPT directly to your business information.

3 – Connect Your Google Drive Or Onedrive

Stop copying and pasting content from your documents or attaching PDFs and spreadsheet files to chats. Connect ChatGPT to Drive or Onedrive to give ChatGPT direct access to files in your cloud storage.

Connecting to a drive is a smart way to improve your efficiency, but it’s also wise to do so carefully. Before connecting, organize your data to keep things tidy and safe. Create a dedicated folder for the files you will be using and limit access to this folder. You don’t want ChatGPT digging through old contracts or your 2017 tax return.

Bonus tip: Use temporary or project-specific folders and disconnect access when the job’s done.

Go to Settings > Connected Apps to make the connection. Then, you can prompt ChatGPT to analyze spreadsheets, summarize documents, extract key information from presentations, or generate content based on your existing files. Connecting to the source saves you time.

This connection can be fragile. If ChatGPT says it cannot view the document, then go back to Settings and disconnect and reconnect the setting. Hopefully this is a short-term problem that OpenAI and Google will get sorted out.

Output Optimization Techniques

The difference between basic and advanced ChatGPT usage often comes down to the format and style of responses. These three tips will help you get consistent, usable results every time.

4. Set Up Formatting Rules For Consistent Outputs

When you need ChatGPT to deliver responses in specific formats, clearly defining your formatting requirements eliminates the need for constant reformatting. Remember the CRAFT prompt structure? The “F” in CRAFT stands for Format.

For example, when generating weekly reports, specify: “Present this analysis in a structured format with three sections: Key Findings (bulleted list), Data Analysis (include a markdown table with metrics), and Recommendations (numbered action items).”

By establishing these parameters upfront, you’ll receive consistently formatted responses that integrate seamlessly into your workflow. This simple change to how you prompt will save valuable editing time and maintain professional consistency across all your AI-generated content.

5. Add Examples To Guide Style And Structure

One of the easiest ways to improve ChatGPT’s output is to give it an example of what you want. You do this with an intern, and an LLM is often described as a highly intelligent intern who wants to please, so giving ChatGPT an example helps it hit the mark faster.

Don’t start by saying, “Write email copy for our product launch.” Find an example of a successful email and then ask it to “Write email copy for our new product launch using this style and structure: [Insert example].” The AI will analyze your example’s patterns, tone, and organization and create new content that maintains those characteristics. (A quick side note on this. I simplified the steps to make the point. You will also want to attach an overview of the product and a buyer’s persona to the chat.)

This approach works particularly well for maintaining brand voice, ensuring consistent communication styles across teams, and producing content that aligns with your established standards.

For more on effective content marketing, read our post, Mastering Content Writing.

6. Alternate Perspective Leads to Better Decision-Making

When facing complex business challenges, limiting yourself to a single viewpoint can lead to blind spots. ChatGPT can help you explore multiple perspectives on the same issue. It’s like getting a second opinion from an intern trained in your field.

Earlier in my career, when I was learning how to write effectively, I would use this technique. I’d write a memo to a client. Then, I’d ask a colleague to read the memo and ask them, “Does this make sense to you?” Their feedback helped me become a better writer. 

I still use the technique, only now I have ChatGPT. 

When I’m almost finished writing something, I will explain what I’m doing (Context) and tell chatGPT that it’s a skilled editor with deep knowledge in marketing (Role). Then, I ask it to review the document, look for inconsistencies, identify confusing sections, and provide recommended solutions (Action). Then I tell it to highlight the content with problems but not to make the changes (Format). And finally, I tell it who the ideal reader is (Target audience).

For ad copy, even when you wrote the copy, use the CRAFT prompt I just described to ask ChatGPT to review the copy from the perspective of your target audience. Another example would be a landing page. Ask ChatGPT to review a landing page from the perspective of [define your ideal customer], who is responding to the following ad copy: [insert your ad copy.]

If you are writing long-form content, like a blog post, change ChatGPT’s profile to an editor and ask it to review your work. 

“I am finalizing a blog post about more advanced tips that a business owner can use to optimize their conversations with ChatGPT. Please review the post and suggest refinements.”

I did this and got some excellent suggestions that I used to improve this post.

You don’t have all the answers and aren’t always right. Use ChatGPT to help you see problems and potential objections, identify weaknesses in your approach, and develop more robust solutions than you might otherwise have.

Efficiency Boosters

Another value of AI emerges when it makes your existing workflows more efficient. The following techniques will help you use ChatGPT in your daily operations.

7 – Use ChatGPT To Generate Spreadsheet Formulas

Spreadsheet formulas can be intimidating, especially for the things you don’t do every day or complex calculations. ChatGPT to the rescue. It excels at creating formulas for Google Sheets and Excel.

Simply describe the calculation you need, and ChatGPT will generate the required formula. 

Here’s an example of how I’ve used it.

The prompt I used was:

I want to add UTM parameters to a link using Google Sheets. The columns would be Information Shared | Campaign | Source | Campaign Medium | Campaign Name | Destination URL | Link with UTM. Please provide the formula to combine the cells in a row to create content in the ‘Link with UTM’ summary cell. This wouldn’t be a calculation. The following example demonstrates what I need using the column names. The content in the ‘Link with UTM’ column would be: Destination URL?utm_source=’Shared Campaign Source’&utm_medium=’Campaign Medium’&utm_campaign=’Campaign Name’ 

ChatGPT responded, “To create the full link with UTM parameters in Google Sheets, you can use the & operator to join text and cell values together.” 

Assuming your column data starts in row 2:

• Campaign Source is in column B
• Campaign Medium is in column C
• Campaign Name is in column D
• Destination URL is in column E

The following formula will generate the ‘Link with UTM’ in column F:

=E3 & “?utm_source=” & B3 & “&utm_medium=” & C3 & “&utm_campaign=” & D3

This formula automates appending tracking data to marketing URLs, reducing errors and ensuring campaign consistency.

If you’re unfamiliar with UTM tracking, you can learn more about it in our post: “UTM Tracking – Data-Driven Marketing.”

A UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) code is a simple snippet of text added to a URL that helps you track where your traffic is coming from. Think of it like a digital fingerprint for your links—it tells Google Analytics which campaign, platform, or post is sending traffic to your website. Instead of guessing what’s working, you’ll have cold, hard data to optimize your marketing efforts.

Want to skip the hassle of manually building UTMs? Download our UTM builder and start tracking your marketing with precision!

8. Capture Ideas in the Moment with the Mobile App’s Voice Feature

The ChatGPT mobile app transforms the thoughts and ideas that come to you into productive opportunities. And the voice chat feature is key to this. It lets you have natural conversations with ChatGPT while commuting, between meetings, when you’re having your early morning coffee, or whenever an idea pops into your head.

ChatGPT is synchronized across all platforms, so you can pull up the idea and dig into it when you have a quiet moment.

9. Use the “@” Symbol to Call GPTs into a Chat Thread

When you need specialized expertise during a conversation, you can seamlessly bring in tailored GPTs without starting a new chat. (This works in the browser app but not mobile apps.)

For example, I’ll type “@Whimsical” to call the Whimsical GPT. I use it frequently to create mind maps or other graphics to support an idea. Here’s an example I created for a post about marketing strategy. 

Calling a specialized GPT from the GPT Store allows you to access specialized tools for specific aspects of your discussion within your conversation with ChatGPT.

This feature is particularly valuable for complex projects that require multiple types of expertise. It allows you to blend general discussions with specialized tools for writing, data analysis, design thinking, or technical problem-solving.

10. Search Conversation History

Finding and returning to past conversations is often necessary, but it can be difficult when you have hundreds of past chats with ChatGPT. The search function (accessed via Ctrl+K on Windows or Command+K on Mac) lets you instantly locate relevant discussions.

This shortcut becomes even more powerful when paired with the beginner tip of renaming your chats with descriptive titles. Instead of scrolling through dozens of “New Chat” entries, you can quickly search for “Q2 Marketing Strategy” or “Website Copy Review” to find exactly what you need.

This combination of renamed chats and searches turns ChatGPT into an effective knowledge repository. As your situation evolves, you can build upon previous work rather than starting from scratch each time.

Customization and Personalization

The difference between basic and advanced AI usage often comes down to customization. The tips I’m about to share will help you tailor ChatGPT to your needs and preferences.

11. Create Templates for Recurring Tasks

Stop writing the same prompts over and over again. Develop templates for regular tasks to save time and maintain consistency. For example, use the following to create a content brief template:

Create a detailed content brief for an article about [TOPIC] for [your ideal reader]. Include:

• 5 potential headlines
• 3 key points to address
• SEO keywords to include
• Call to action recommendations
• Suggested word count

Save templates like this in a spreadsheet or Notion database for easy access, or attach the template to a Content Brief Project and then use the chat window to provide the variables. ChatGPT will know what you need every time. 

12. Build a Library of Specialized Custom Instruction Profiles

The beginner’s guide covered using custom instructions, but because it’s so important, I’m going to explore it more here. Having custom instructions for yourself is a great first step. As I described in the beginner’s tips, using it tactically is a step up. Now, let’s look at the big picture. 

Rather than having a single set of instructions or the occasional tactical adjustment, develop a collection of specialized profiles relevant to your business that transform ChatGPT into different expert personas. This can be stored in a Google Sheet or a Notion database.

Some professional roles could be:

• Editor profile: Instructions that focus on brevity, clarity, and powerful language
• Legal advisor profile: Parameters for cautious, precise language with relevant disclaimers
• Data analyst profile: Instructions for statistical rigor, data visualization preferences, and technical terminology
• Creative director profile: Guidelines for innovative thinking, brand voice, and creative frameworks

What you need will depend on your business. 

When shifting between different types of work, simply copy the appropriate instruction set into your settings. For example, when reviewing contracts, activate your legal profile; switch to your analyst profile when analyzing quarterly results.

This approach gives you access to multiple specialized AI assistants with just one account, each configured to provide the expertise you need for different aspects of your business. The time invested in creating these profiles pays dividends through consistently higher-quality outputs tailored to specific contexts.

Advanced Integrations and Tools

Sophisticated ChatGPT users aren’t using the platform in isolation—they’re extending its capabilities through integrations and specialized applications.

13. Use Consensus to Make ChatGPT Your Research Assistant

When evidence-based insights are needed, the Consensus GPT transforms ChatGPT into a powerful research tool.

This specialized tool doesn’t rely on ChatGPT’s training data. It searches academic papers and research studies to provide evidence-backed answers (citations are provided) grounded in published research to your questions.

You can find it in the Explore GPTs area, or as I described above, you can call it using @Consensus, or visit the Consensus platform at Consensus.app. I used it to find research papers to support our Marketing Sage Advantage GPT.

The Consensus GPT provides a level of credibility that basic ChatGPT responses cannot match for situations where reliable information isn’t an optional thing.

14. Automated Workflows with Make.Com and ChatGPT

For the ultimate productivity boost, integrate ChatGPT directly into your workflow automation using connection tools like make.com. This combination lets your AI assistant interact with your business. For example:

• Automatically generate social media content when a new blog post is published
• Monitor your inbox, filter emails, and even write personalized email responses based on customer inquiries in certain circumstances
• Analyze customer feedback and categorize it into actionable insights

Connecting ChatGPT to your existing processes, especially repetitive tasks, creates end-to-end automation that dramatically reduces manual effort while maintaining consistent quality. Don’t spend your time on busy work. An AI can free up many hours of your time, hours that you can spend creating value for your customers.

15. Activate the Code Interpreter

Activating the Code Interpreter unlocks advanced data analysis capabilities within ChatGPT. This feature turns ChatGPT into a dynamic Python environment, allowing it to execute scripts, analyze data, and generate charts directly within your conversation without you needing to know the math. Chat GPT will do the heavy lifting.

Pro Tip: Use the Code Interpreter to test for statistical significance in seconds. Give ChatGPT the results of an A/B split test and ask if it’s a statistically significant change.

Here’s how to activate it:

• Click on your profile picture and select Settings.
• Then select Customize ChatGPT.
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen, toggle the Advanced Features, and select the Code button.

Once activated, when you upload data files or scripts in the chat and ask ChatGPT to perform advanced statistical calculations, it now uses code interpreter. 

This feature requires at least a ChatGPT Plus subscription, which is yet another reason to step up your game and pay for ChatGPT. 

16. Create Images with ChatGPT

The latest image generation update puts a powerful visual assistant right inside your chat window. No need to hop over to DALL·E or mess with third-party tools. 

How to Access

To access the image creation tool, select the third icon (Visual Ideas and at the bottom of the chat window and then choose Create Image Updated. Describe the image you want in the chat window, and ChatGPT will generate it for you.

How To Write an Effective Image Prompt

There are lots of use cases for this: a product mockup, a diagram for your slide deck, or a social media visual.

The FOCUS image prompt is a good place to start. It’s a simple, repeatable way to write image prompts that deliver what you’re actually envisioning.

FOCUS stands for:

• Format: What kind of image is it? (e.g., portrait, diagram, infographic, landscape)
• Objective: What’s the purpose of this image? (e.g., support a blog post, illustrate a product feature, create a social visual)
• Context: What’s the setting or background? Include mood, era, location, or environment.
• Unique Details: Add specific, personality-driven elements (e.g., “coffee mug that says ‘Prompt Boss’” or “guitar in the background”).
• Style: Visual style (e.g., modern flat illustration, photorealistic, hand-drawn, minimalist, cinematic)

Other frameworks, like PRISM and LUCID, are also helpful, but FOCUS is my go-to because it maps so naturally to how marketers think about visuals: purpose, context, and personality.

For example, I entered the following prompt to generate an avatar for this blog post: 

“Create a digital avatar for this blog post of a confident, approachable business professional in their 50s. They have a creative edge and a background in marketing and tech. The person is smiling, wearing smart-casual clothing (blazer over a t-shirt), and is holding a coffee mug that says ‘Prompt Boss.’ Include subtle hints of personality—like a guitar in the background or a bookshelf with marketing books. The setting is a bright home office. The illustration style should be modern, clean, and friendly—ideal for a tech-savvy blog post.”

Pro tip: Pair this with your brand style guide and ask ChatGPT to match fonts, colors, or visual tone across all images it creates. That way, your visuals look like they came from the same creative team—even if that team is just you and an AI with great taste.

ChatGPT – Is it a Novelty or Your Competitive Advantage

Casual ChatGPT users get interesting results. Power users? They get strategic leverage.

You’ve just taken a tour of what’s possible when you move beyond prompting into systematizing—when you stop asking one-off questions and start building a repeatable, privacy-aware, results-driven AI workflow.

These tips weren’t about novelty. They were about competitive advantage.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re not dabbling anymore—you’re designing a smarter, faster way to work. Whether delegating repetitive tasks, integrating with your data, or using AI to sharpen your decision-making, every technique here was chosen to help you scale you.

So, where will you start? Will you call a specialized GPT from the GPT Store to boost your research, design, or analysis? Automate content workflows with Make.com? Or solve that tricky spreadsheet formula once and for all?

Don’t stop here. This is where next-level AI conversations begin. And you are the Prompt Boss.