Best ChatGPT Prompts (2026)

Anatomy of a great prompt

Every prompt below follows the R.A.C.E. structure:

• Role — who ChatGPT should be ("senior copy editor at The Economist").
• Audience — who the output is for.
• Context — the data, examples, and constraints.
• Expectation — exact format, length, tone, success criteria.

For the theory, see what is prompt engineering. For execution, copy below.

Writing (10)

1. The Self-Critiquing Editor

{`You are a senior editor at [publication].
Write a [length]-word [format] on [topic] for [audience].
Constraints: [tone, must-include, must-avoid].
Then critique your own draft against the constraints, then revise.
Return: final draft only.`}

2. Email Reply in Your Voice

{`Here are 3 emails I've written: [paste].
Reply to this incoming email in the same voice — concise, no fluff, end with a clear ask:
[paste incoming]`}

3. Outline-First Long Form

{`I want to write a 2,000-word essay on [topic].
First, propose 3 different angles. Wait for me to pick.
Then write a hierarchical outline (H2 → H3 → bullets).
Then draft section by section, pausing after each.`}

4. Tighten This Paragraph

{`Rewrite this paragraph for clarity and brevity.
Cut adverbs, hedge words, and repetition.
Keep the original meaning. Return only the rewrite.
[paste]`}

5. Translate to Plain English

{`Rewrite this for a smart 14-year-old. Use short sentences and concrete examples.
[paste jargon-heavy text]`}

6. Headline Generator

{`Generate 15 headlines for this article.
Mix: 5 listicle, 5 how-to, 5 contrarian.
Each ≤ 60 chars. Rank top 3 with reasoning.
Article: [paste 200-word summary]`}

7. Tone Shifter

{`Rewrite this in 4 tones: confident-CEO, friendly-PM, dry-British, energetic-influencer.
[paste]`}

8. Argument Stress Test

{`Steelman the strongest argument against this position. List the 3 best counterarguments and how I'd respond to each.
My position: [paste]`}

9. Cold Outreach Opener

{`Write a 2-sentence cold opener to [person] referencing [recent signal: funding/post/launch].
Avoid clichés ("hope this finds you well"). End with a low-friction ask.`}

10. Newsletter Hook

{`Write 5 newsletter-intro variants for this article.
Each must hook in 2 sentences and end with a curiosity gap.
Article: [paste]`}

Coding (10)

11. Bug Hunt

{`Here is code that produces [bug]. Expected: [X]. Actual: [Y].
List 5 most likely causes ranked by probability with a 1-line test for each.
[paste code]`}

12. Refactor With Reasoning

{`Refactor this function for readability. Before each change, state what's wrong and why your version is better.
[paste]`}

13. Tests From Spec

{`Write [framework] tests for this function. Cover: happy path, 3 edge cases, 2 error cases. Include comments stating what each test guards against.
[paste function]`}

14. Explain Like I'm a Junior

{`Walk through this code line by line in plain English. Then list 3 things I should learn next to understand it deeply.
[paste]`}

15. Architecture Sketch

{`I need to build [system] supporting [scale]. Propose 2 architectures (simple-first and scale-first). For each: components, tradeoffs, failure modes. End with a recommendation.`}

16. SQL From English

{`Schema: [paste DDL].
Write a query that [request]. Optimize for read performance. Add a 1-line comment explaining the index it needs.`}

17. Regex Builder

{`Write a regex that matches [pattern] but NOT [counter-examples].
Test it mentally against: [list].
Return regex + 3 example matches + 3 non-matches.`}

18. Migration Plan

{`I need to migrate from [A] to [B] with zero downtime. Write a 6-step plan with rollback at each step.`}

19. Code Review

{`Review this PR as a staff engineer. Flag: bugs, perf issues, security risks, naming, missing tests. Prioritize. Be terse.
[paste diff]`}

20. API Contract Designer

{`Design a REST API for [feature]. List endpoints, request/response JSON, error codes, auth approach, and rate-limit suggestions.`}

Research (5)

21. Source-Critical Summary

{`Summarize [topic] in 5 bullets. After each bullet, mark confidence (HIGH/MED/LOW) and cite the strongest counter-evidence.`}

22. Compare and Contrast

{`Compare [A] and [B] across these dimensions: [list]. Output as a markdown table. End with a 1-paragraph recommendation by use case.`}

23. Literature Skim

{`Give me a 1-paragraph overview of the last 5 years of research on [topic]. Name the 5 most cited papers and what each contributed.`}

24. Devil's Advocate

{`I believe [X]. Argue against it from 3 distinct angles (economic, technical, ethical). End with the steel-strongest version.`}

25. 5 Whys

{`The observed problem is [X]. Run a 5-whys analysis. After each "why", suggest one data point I could check.`}

Learning (5)

26. Feynman Technique

{`Teach me [topic] as if I'm 12. Use one analogy and one drawing-with-words. Then ask me 3 questions to check I understood.`}

27. Custom Curriculum

{`I know [current skills] and want to reach [goal] in [timeframe], spending [hours/week]. Design a week-by-week curriculum with resources and milestones.`}

28. Spaced Recall

{`I read this article: [paste]. Generate 10 active-recall flashcards (Q on one line, A on the next).`}

29. Concept Map

{`Build a concept map for [topic]: list 10 key concepts and how each links to the others. Output as a Mermaid graph.`}

30. Socratic Tutor

{`Tutor me on [topic] using only questions. Wait for my answer before the next question. Correct me gently when I'm wrong.`}

Marketing (5)

31. ICP Builder

{`Given product: [paste]. Define the 3 best ideal customer profiles with: job title, company size, painful workflow today, where they hang out, and a quote they'd say.`}

32. Landing Page Audit

{`Audit this landing page copy. Score (1–10) on: clarity, value prop, social proof, CTA. List the 5 highest-ROI fixes.
[paste]`}

33. Ad Variants

{`Write 10 [LinkedIn/Google/Meta] ad variants for [product] targeting [ICP]. Mix: pain-led, gain-led, contrarian, social-proof, urgency.`}

34. Positioning Statement

{`Draft 3 positioning statements for [product] in the format: "For [ICP], [product] is the [category] that [unique value] unlike [alt]."`}

35. SEO Cluster

{`I want to rank for [keyword]. Propose a 10-article topic cluster with: title, primary keyword, search intent, and internal-link plan.`}

Business strategy (5)

36. Pre-Mortem

{`We're launching [project] in 90 days. Write a pre-mortem: imagine it failed. List the 7 most likely reasons and how to detect each early.`}

37. Pricing Sanity Check

{`We sell [product] to [ICP]. Current price: [X]. Walk through: comparable benchmarks, value-based ceiling, cost floor. Recommend a price + 3 packaging options.`}

38. SWOT in 5 Minutes

{`Run a SWOT for [company/product]. Use only specifics — no platitudes. End with the single most urgent action.`}

39. Decision Matrix

{`Help me decide between [options]. Build a weighted decision matrix with criteria: [list]. Score 1–5. Show math.`}

40. OKR Drafter

{`Draft quarterly OKRs for a [team] focused on [outcome]. 1 objective, 3 key results, each measurable. Flag any KR that's an activity not an outcome.`}

Productivity (5)

41. Weekly Plan

{`Here are my goals: [paste]. Here's my calendar: [paste]. Design a focused weekly plan with daily top-3 priorities. Cut anything that's not load-bearing.`}

42. Inbox Triage

{`Classify these emails into: reply now, reply later, delegate, archive. For "reply now", draft a 2-line response.
[paste]`}

43. Meeting Prep

{`I have a meeting with [person] about [topic]. Generate: 1 goal, 3 talking points, 2 likely objections + responses, and the decision I need by end.`}

44. Brain Dump → Action

{`Here's a brain dump: [paste]. Cluster it into themes, then extract concrete next actions (verb + noun + when).`}

45. Weekly Review

{`Here's what I did this week: [paste]. Run a weekly review: what worked, what didn't, one experiment for next week, one thing to stop.`}

Meta-prompts (5)

46. Make My Prompt Better

{`Rewrite this prompt to be more specific, structured, and likely to produce a great output. Explain the changes.
[paste your prompt]`}

47. Ask Me Clarifying Questions First

{`Before answering, ask me up to 5 clarifying questions that would most improve your answer. Wait for my responses.`}

48. Chain of Density

{`Summarize [content] in 5 increasingly dense versions. Each version: same word count, more information per word. Show all 5.`}

49. Multiple Personas

{`Answer this question from 3 perspectives: a skeptical CFO, an ambitious VP product, a careful security lead. Then reconcile.
[question]`}

50. Self-Consistency Check

{`Answer the question. Then answer it again from scratch without seeing your first answer. Compare. If they disagree, reason about which is right.
[question]`}

Build your own library

Don't just copy these — adapt them. Save the keepers in a personal prompt library (Notion, Obsidian, or Custom GPTs). Tag by job. The 25th time you re-use a prompt is when the ROI compounds.

For the theory behind why these work, see what is prompt engineering. To wire your favorite prompts into automated pipelines, see best AI workflows for business.