Chatbot Tricks
Short, sourced techniques that make ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini do better creative and brand work — each with a prompt you can copy.
Name the exact format and length
“Write captions” leaves the model guessing. Name the format, the columns and the character limits, and the output drops straight into your deck —…
Ask for more than you think you need
Ask for “some ideas” and you get three safe ones. Ask for a range from safe to bold and you get a real concept…
Give it a role in one sentence
A chatbot with no role answers like an average of everyone. One sentence that says who it is and who it is talking to…
Draft, critique, refine: three separate steps
Asking for a perfect result in one message gets you a first draft dressed as a final one. Split it into draft, critique and…
Tell the chatbot why, not just what
A rule with a reason beats a rule in capitals. Explain who the output is for and why each constraint exists — with a…
Show three examples of the voice you want
Describing a brand voice is hard; showing it is easy. Paste three to five examples and the model copies rhythm and attitude — with…
Put your materials in labelled boxes
When a prompt mixes a brief, a brand guide and a competitor ad, wrap each in its own labelled tag — with a copy-ready…
Paste the long material first, ask your question last
With long documents, order matters: material at the top, question at the very end. Why it works, and a copy-ready research prompt.
Say what to do, not what to avoid
“Don’t sound corporate” says what you dislike, not what you want. Describe the target instead — with a copy-ready prompt.
The new-colleague test
Would a talented colleague who started this morning understand your prompt? If not, neither will the model. A two-minute check with a copy-ready prompt.
