How to make ChatGPT useful

Ever asked ChatGPT for business advice and gotten something that sounds like it was written by someone who learned about business from a textbook?

"Leverage your core competencies to create synergistic value propositions..."

Cool story but how how do I get more customers?

Here's the thing about AI that took me way too long to figure out: It's incredibly smart and surprisingly dumb at the same time. Like that friend who can solve complex math problems but can't talk to a girl.

The good news? Once you know how to talk to it, AI becomes your secret weapon. The trick isn't getting fancier AI - it's getting better at asking for what you need.

The "Real Business Owner's Guide" to AI Prompting:

I was inspired again by Nate B. Jones’s substack. He built a prompt template you should check out. I decided to add to it. I ran a deep research report on best practices in prompting and found another few posts from Lenny Rachitsky’s newsletter and one or two others.

Here are the top four things you can do to get much better responses:

1. Be Specific (Like, Really Specific) Instead of: "Help me with marketing" Try: "Write 3 Instagram posts for my coffee shop that make people want to visit on a rainy Tuesday. Target remote workers. Make it funny but not trying-too-hard funny."

See the difference? One gets you generic fluff. The other gets you something you can actually use.

2. Set the Scene Like You're Briefing a New Employee AI doesn't know your business exists. So tell it:

• Who actually buys from you (hint: "everyone" is not an answer)

• What makes you special (and please don't say "customer service")

• How you actually talk (formal? casual? somewhere in between?)

Quick example: "I run a pet grooming business. My clients are mostly busy professionals who treat their dogs like children. I'm the expensive option but worth it because they want to know their dog is treated like royalty. "

3. The Magic Question Hack Before diving into solutions, try this game-changer:

"Before answering, what are 3 things you need to know about my situation to give me actually useful advice?"

This turns AI from a know-it-all into a consultant who actually listens.

4. Always Ask for Round Two Never marry the first draft. Push back a little: "OK, but what could go wrong with this approach? Give me the downside."

It's like having a business partner who's not afraid to point out the flaws in your plan.

Those four things alone will get you a lot more but here’s a comprehensive set of instructions for building uber prompts. I also went meta and built a GPT based on these principles to help you build better prompts.

Ready to turn AI from a frustrating robot into your favorite business advisor? Happy prompting.