ChatGPT for Beginners: 17 Game-Changing Tips

Have you noticed your ChatGPT conversations feeling a bit… well… generic? You dive in with high expectations, and what you get is… meh.

While you’ve probably had a go with ChatGPT, asked questions, and got responses, there’s a world of difference between basic interactions and truly effective AI conversations. To get exactly what you need will require more.

Most beginners face this challenge. I know I did when I started using ChatGPT and the other tools. I felt in my bones that LLMs (Large Language Models) had incredible potential, but the results from my early experiments often fell flat. 

The good news?

You can learn from my mistakes. 

I put together a list of 17 ChatGPT for beginners tips that I use that will transform your frustrating AI interactions into productive conversations. 

Broadly, you’ll learn how to:

• Write your prompts for precise, targeted responses
• Organize your chats for maximum efficiency
• Customize ChatGPT’s behavior to match your specific needs

Follow along with me to upgrade your ChatGPT skills from basic queries to conversations that deliver real value.

The Foundation: Communication Basics

1 – Using Natural Language: Your Key to Better Results

The most common mistake ChatGPT beginners make? 

Thinking that you need to talk like a computer to speak to the AI is a common misunderstanding. ChatGPT works best when you communicate naturally, just as you would with a knowledgeable colleague.

Instead of writing:

“Please provide information regarding the optimal methodology for constructing a basic website.”

Try this:

“What’s the best way to build a simple website? I’m just starting out.”

This isn’t suggesting you don’t need structure in your prompts; you do, and there’s more on this later in this post, but real language will perform better than stilted requests.

Another thing to consider is that you’re having a conversation with the AI. It’s an intelligent intern who knows nothing and wants to please, so, like a conversation with a real intern, you can expect that their first response won’t be their best response. There will be back and forth. Probe, inquire and question.

2 – Break Down Complex Requests

Don’t jam everything into one massive prompt when you need detailed information. Break your request into smaller, focused chunks. This approach helps ChatGPT provide more thorough, accurate responses. It also gives you the opportunity to adjust things before the AI goes off the rails.

For example, rather than:

“Write a blog post about [your long-tail keyword].”

Start with:

“I need a list of keywords with informational search intent for a blog post. These keywords should be closely related to “[your long-tail keyword]” and exclude commercial or transactional intent. You are a keyword research expert specializing in SEO and search intent analysis. Generate exactly 40 unique long-tail keywords with informational intent closely related to ‘[your long-tail keyword].’ Ensure semantic variations, avoiding simple word reordering or redundant phrases. Exclude commercial, transactional, and navigational keywords. Do not explain what you are doing—only provide the keyword list. Output the list in plain text, numbered from 1 to 40, with each keyword on a separate line for readability. The list will be used by SEO professionals, content marketers, and business owners to improve organic search rankings through informational content strategies.”

“Aaaack! But you said…”

I know I said you shouldn’t use a massive prompt, and I agree; this looks pretty massive. However, if you read it carefully, you’ll see that it’s focused on only one thing: finding informational keywords related to the primary keyword. 

I’ve found that starting with clear, detailed instructions works best. When you give the AI clear limits on what it needs to do, and not do, you get better results. Limits equal focus, and focus equals quality. 

Start with a detailed but focused prompt that sets the stage, then break the conversation into steps. Assess and fine tune the output at each stage.

And please let me dispel a myth here. An AI is not always a time saver. It can save you time, eventually, but not right away. More often than not, it takes the same time to produce a useful result as traditional approaches, but you’ll find that, with your guidance, having AI’s perspective improves the quality of your work.

3 – The Power of Context

ChatGPT doesn’t remember most previous conversations or have real-world context. It’s an intern who knows nothing about life. Providing relevant background information dramatically improves the quality of responses. Think of it as bringing a new team member up to speed on a project.

Include details like:

I said “most previous conversations” above because it does remember some things.

Here’s a related bonus tip – periodically review what’s in ‘memory’ and delete anything that isn’t useful.

Go to Settings > Personalization > Memory and click the Manage button. Then, you can scan through what’s been retained and delete anything that’s a distraction. It’s a good idea to do this periodically, especially if you use ChatGPT frequently.

Organizing Your ChatGPT Experience

Think of your ChatGPT workspace like your digital desk; keeping it organized makes everything easier. 

4 – Mastering Chat Management

Start by giving your chats clear, descriptive names. Instead of leaving them as “what ChatGPT called it,” click the three dots next to the name and rename them based on their purpose:

• “Website Planning Ideas”
• “Marketing Strategy Brainstorm”
• “Product Description Draft”

Just like cleaning your desk, regularly deleting old or unhelpful conversations keeps your workspace tidy and makes finding important chats much easier.

Speaking of finding important chats, the search icon is a handy way to find that past chat you need now, and it’s especially effective if you rename your chats.

5 – Making the Most of Projects

ChatGPT’s Projects feature is relatively new. It’s like having separate folders for different topics or aspects of your work. You can use Projects to create dedicated workspaces for:

• Different clients or customers
• Specific business projects
• Various writing tasks
• Research topics
• The list goes on…

Within each project, you can organize related chats, and you can add knowledge files and custom instructions. For example, I have separate projects for each client and will add writing samples to the project knowledge files that the AI can use to guide how it writes. I also have a Personal folder where I keep my non-work related chats, like, “I plan to paint the Murphy bed and cabinets in my home office. They serve as the backdrop to Zoom calls and podcast recordings. What colors work best for this?”

You can often add past chats to project folders. Click on the three dots next to the chat’s name, and you can rename the chat and move it to a folder. 

Think of each project as a specialized toolbox with everything you need for that particular task area. ChatGPT automatically adjusts its context and instructions when you switch between projects. Projects help maintain focus and prevent overlap and confusion between different work streams.

Customization and Optimization

6 – Setting Up and Using Custom Instructions

Think of custom instructions as ChatGPT school. Most people don’t take advantage of this. Their custom instructions are bland and generic or, even worse, blank. But if you take the time to provide ChatGPT with yours, the quality of its output will improve. 

Click on your account icon, usually your face, and select Customize ChatGPT or Instructions in a Project to give ChatGPT the necessary instructions. All your interactions will benefit.

Key areas to customize:

• Your preferred writing style
• Industry-specific terminology you use
• Common formats you need
• Background information about your work

For example, here’s a simple instruction: “I work in digital marketing. Please use plain language and include specific examples in your responses.” It doesn’t look like much, but it’s better than nothing. With experience, your instructions will be more robust.

My default custom instructions look like this:

What would you like ChatGPT to know?

I create content tailored for six-figure business owners looking to enhance their digital marketing strategies. The tone is semi-formal to formal, blending authority with approachability, and occasionally uses colloquial examples to ensure relatability. My writing style emphasizes actionable insights supported by industry-specific terminology, balanced with clear explanations for accessibility. I also use colloquial analogies and real-world examples to simplify sophisticated ideas, keeping the content engaging and relatable for professionals.

How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

I expect ChatGPT to respond with semi-formal to formal tones, reflecting authority and relatability. Responses should prioritize actionable advice and include relevant examples or analogies that make complex ideas accessible. The tone should dynamically shift based on context: motivational and empowering for inspiration, intellectual for education, and practical for offering actionable steps. Vocabulary should remain professional and industry-specific while ensuring clarity for a non-technical audience. Responses should include a mix of short, impactful sentences and longer, detailed explanations for reader engagement.

You can take this to another level and use instructions tailored to specific tasks or situations. 

Recently, I needed ChatGPT’s help with a WordPress-related question. We needed to generate a code snippet that the WordPress editor sees as the Yoast FAQ block. Before I started investigating this, I updated the custom instructions as follows:

What would you like ChatGPT to know?

• Profession/Role: Experienced Full-Stack WordPress Developer. 
• Key Responsibilities: Developing custom themes and plugins, optimizing site performance, ensuring security compliance, maintaining WordPress sites, and integrating third-party APIs. 
• Knowledge or Expertise: PHP, JavaScript (React, jQuery), MySQL, HTML/CSS, JSON, Gutenberg block development, REST API, WordPress coding standards, security best practices, and performance optimization. 
• Typical Challenges: Plugin conflicts, performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, backward compatibility with WordPress core updates, and meeting client-specific customization requests. 
• Current Projects: Custom theme development, plugin development – extensions and optimization, and WooCommerce integrations. • Jargon or Terminology: Hooks (actions/filters), custom post types (CPTs), shortcodes, WP-CLI, child themes, multisite networks, REST API endpoints. 
• Goals and Objectives: Building scalable, secure, and high-performing WordPress solutions that align with business goals and industry standards. • Interactions: Clients, designers, content creators, SEO specialists, hosting providers, and the broader WordPress community (forums, Slack channels, meetups).

How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

• Tone and Formality: Professional yet approachable, technical when necessary. 
• Level of Detail: Code snippets, best practices, troubleshooting steps, and in-depth explanations. 
• Preferred References: WordPress Codex, Developer Handbook, WP.org support forums, GitHub repositories of popular plugins/themes. 
• Examples or Analogies: Real-world scenarios from WordPress sites, comparisons with other CMS platforms, case studies of high-traffic sites. 
• Avoidance of Ambiguity: Clear explanations with links to official documentation, practical tips for implementation. 
• Resource Links: Official WordPress documentation, security guides, plugin development tutorials, and performance optimization resources. 
• Follow-Up Questions: Clarify project requirements, target audience, hosting environment, and scalability needs. 
• Tables: Plugin comparison metrics, server configurations, performance benchmarks—only when helpful for decision-making. 
• Problem Solving Method: Step-by-step troubleshooting guides for common WordPress issues such as plugin conflicts, slow queries, and security vulnerabilities.

It worked perfectly when we added the information to our blog post writing GPT. No more copying and pasting to move plain text into the FAQ block. If you don’t know what a GPT is, I will cover custom GPTs and many other areas in an advanced AI tips post that’s coming soon.

When I was done, I replaced the WordPress Dev custom instructions with my default instructions. 

It takes some work to craft these personas, and an AI can help you write them, but once you have them, they will level up how ChatGPT responds. I store mine in a Notion database.

7 – Refining Your Prompts

Even experienced users will get better results by refining their prompts. And here’s a simple trick: ask ChatGPT for help.

“How could I rephrase this question to get better results?”

“What additional information would help you provide a more specific answer?”

8 – Use Prompt Templates

Your results will improve when you use proven prompt frameworks like the CRAFT template.

I’ll explain the CRAFT framework below, but first let me answer the question that’s likely in your head, “Why does this matter?”

Using a template forces you to consider and include all the elements the AI needs to be successful. 

Let me explain… 

The CRAFT prompt template should be your go-to structure for most things. It creates more effective prompts by ensuring clarity, depth, and precision. There are other prompt structures that are useful for specific situations, and we’ll cover them in a different post, but you will always get better results when your prompt has structure.

The CRAFT prompt has five parts:

• Context – provides background information and sets the stage for the AI’s response.
• Role – defines the expertise or persona the AI should adopt.
• Action – specifies the step-by-step instructions for generating the desired output.
• Format – determines how the response should be structured (e.g., list, table, code).
• Target Audience – identifies who will consume the output, ensuring the response aligns with their needs and expertise level.

I use the CRAFT framework all the time. I don’t always fill in all the pieces, and there are situations where it’s too generic, but it’s a good place to start.

For example, the SEO keyword research prompt I shared above was created using the CRAFT structure. Here’s how it breaks out:

CRAFT	Details
Context	I need a list of keywords with informational search intent for a blog post. These keywords should be closely related to “[your long-tail keyword]” and exclude commercial or transactional intent.
Role	You are a keyword research expert specializing in SEO and search intent analysis.
Action	– Generate exactly 40 unique long-tail keywords with informational intent related to “[your long-tail keyword].”    – Ensure semantic variations, avoiding simple word reordering or redundant phrases. (ChatGPT suggested this when I asked it to improve the prompt.)   – Exclude commercial, transactional, and navigational keywords. (You’ll find that including the negative, what you don’t want, in addition to what you do want, improves the output.) – Do not explain what you are doing—only provide the keyword list.
Format	– Output the list in plain text, numbered from 1 to 40.    – Each keyword should be on a separate line for easy readability.
Target Audience	This keyword list is for SEO professionals, content marketers, and business owners looking to improve organic search rankings through informational content strategies.

You’ll note that I asked for a numbered list in the Format section above. The AI will likely give you irrelevant keywords, and the numbers will make it easier to edit the output. When you review the list, make note of the numbers you want to delete and give the AI a follow-up task along the lines of “Please delete 2, 6, 15, 20 and 32 and provide a comma separated list.”

Creative Applications

9 – Unleashing ChatGPT’s Brainstorming Power

ChatGPT excels at generating fresh ideas when you’re stuck. Instead of asking for general suggestions, use specific formats to guide the brainstorming process.

“Give me 5 YouTube video titles about gardening that include numbers in them.”

“List 3 unique angles for writing about remote work that haven’t been overdone.”

“What else should I be thinking about?”

And from earlier today, “I’m curious about something. Can I connect an AI like ChatGPT or an AI Assistant to a Google Analytics account?” This started a valuable conversation that, in the end, gave me an idea for a new product we can offer our clients.

The key is being specific about the type of ideas you want. Think of it as directing ChatGPT’s creativity toward your goals.

10 – Use Role-Based Interactions

Want more engaging or specialized responses? 

Ask ChatGPT to adopt a specific role or perspective. 

This technique was discussed in the custom instructions tip described above, but it can also be used on the fly. Defining the role will transform ordinary conversations into more dynamic exchanges:

“Explain this marketing concept as if you’re a successful business owner.”

“You are an experienced industrial psychologist. Provide questions for a fractional CMO interview using the SBO (Situation, Behavior, Outcome) structure.”

“Write this headline like you’re Dan Kennedy.”

I often use this when working on a blog post like this one.

“Assess this blog post as if you’re a high six-figure business owner interested in our digital marketing services.”

The secret is choosing roles that align with your goals. Need technical accuracy? Ask for an expert perspective. Want simple explanations? Ask for a teacher’s approach.

“How would a teacher explain this to a 10 year old?”

11 – Creating Compelling Visuals

While ChatGPT (DALL-E) can create images directly, it can also help you craft detailed prompts for specialized image-generation tools like Indeogram or Flux. 

The FOCUS Framework for Image Generation

So what is the FOCUS framework?

Focus subject: Define your main element

Overall setting: Describe the environment

Camera angle and composition: Specify the perspective

Unique details: Add distinguishing elements

Style and mood: Set the artistic tone

For example, instead of “Make a picture of a coffee shop,” try “Create an image of a cozy corner coffee shop (Focus) nestled in a bustling city street (Overall) viewed through a rain-streaked window (Camera) with steam rising from vintage coffee cups (Unique) in a warm, nostalgic watercolor style (Style).”

Another use case is to ask ChatGPT to review a document and ask it to use the FOCUS framework to generate an image prompt for a featured image. You can then use this prompt to create the image.

You will want to review and, more often than not, edit the prompt, but you’ll get a more compelling image when you provide a more detailed description. The FOCUS framework helps you do this.

Task Management and Organization

12 – Creating Effective Checklists

Transform ChatGPT into your personal productivity assistant by using it to generate detailed, customized checklists.

But here’s the key: when you provide specific parameters, you get better results. 

Are you seeing the pattern?

Instead of: “Make a travel packing list”

Try: “Create a packing list for a 5-day business trip to Seattle in November, including items for rainy weather and business casual meetings.”

For project management, break down complex tasks.

Instead of: “How do I launch a small e-commerce website?”

Start by asking, “List the task ‘areas’ to be considered when launching a small e-commerce website.” Then, you can ask it for a list of tasks in each area.

Steps rule!

13 – Making Better Decisions

Use ChatGPT to analyze options by requesting structured comparisons. For example, “Compare these three website benefit headlines, considering:

• The target audience – define your audience
• The business objective – describe your business’ objective
• Engagement potential – ability to draw visitors into the site
• Clarity – don’t make them think”

It’s also very good at analysis and the pros and cons.

“You are an expert industrial psychologist. Considering the attached job description, analyze the attached resumes and provide Pros and Cons for each candidate.”

We used this prompt recently to filter applications for an open Content Specialist position we wanted to fill. We incorporated the prompt into an automation, which is another more advanced technique we’ll cover in a future post. The automation sent a thanks-but-no-thanks email to unqualified candidates and organized the remaining applications into high, medium, and low potential. It saved us a lot of time.

Content Enhancement and Analysis

14 – Working with Existing Content

Transform your rough drafts and existing materials into polished content. The trick is being specific about what needs improvement:

“Review this product description and keeping the same information:

• Make it more conversational
• Highlight key benefits
• Add sensory details”

I also often ask ChatGPT to suggest improvements to a blog post or an important email. It’s very good at highlighting things that I hadn’t considered.

15 – Smart Summarization

Get more from long documents by asking ChatGPT to extract specific types of information:

• “List the action items from this meeting transcript”
• “What are the three key findings from this research paper?”
• “Extract the statistics that are relevant to the attached blog post from the attached report.”

This approach ensures you get relevant information in a helpful format, saving hours of manual review time.

Resource Optimization

16 – Finding the Right Learning Materials

Make ChatGPT your personal research assistant by asking for targeted resource recommendations. Be specific about your needs:

“Suggest three YouTube channels about digital marketing that:

• Focus on beginners
• Provide actionable tips
• Update regularly
• Have good production quality.”

17 – Getting Better Feedback

Instead of asking, “Is this good?” get actionable feedback by being specific:

“Review this blog post and provide feedback that I can use to improve the itroduction:

• Is the hook engaging?
• Does it clearly state the benefit to readers?
• What’s missing?
• How could I make it stronger?”

Remember to ask for examples when you get suggestions. A simple “Can you show me how to implement that change?” can transform general advice into practical improvements.

ChatGPT for Beginners – Putting it all Together

Creating Your Personal ChatGPT Workflow

Success with ChatGPT isn’t about memorizing 17 tips. You are looking for the best combination for you and for the task. With that said, I suggest you start in these core areas:

1. Set up and use custom instructions
2. Use natural language
3. Always provide context and role
4. Use steps to break down complex requests
5. Rename your chats and use Projects

Are You Ready for the Next Step in Your Journey?

As you apply these tips, remember that mastering any LLM is an ongoing process. Start with one or two techniques and gradually incorporate others as they become relevant to your needs.

Keep experimenting with different approaches. What works perfectly for one task might not or might need adjustment for another. The key is to remain flexible and learn from each interaction.

Don’t be afraid to ask ChatGPT for help when implementing these tips. After all, it’s designed to be your collaborative partner.

And finally, have no fear. Get in there and use the tools. Improvement doesn’t come from a pill; it comes from practice.