50 ChatGPT Prompts That Actually Work (Tested & Categorised)

How to Use These Prompts

Replace the [bracketed placeholders] with your specific context. The more specific you are, the better the output. These work in ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Writing & Content

1. "Write a [600-word] blog post about [topic] for [audience]. Use a [conversational] tone. Include an introduction, 3 main sections with subheadings, and a conclusion with a call to action."
2. "Rewrite this paragraph to be more concise without losing any key information: [paste paragraph]"
3. "Write 10 email subject lines for a newsletter about [topic]. Half should be curiosity-driven, half benefit-driven."
4. "Create an outline for a comprehensive guide on [topic]. Include 5 main sections, each with 3 sub-points."
5. "Write a LinkedIn post about [insight]. Under 200 words, hook opening, short paragraphs, end with a question."

Coding & Development

6. "Write a [language] function that [does X]. Include error handling, add docstring comments."
7. "Review this code for bugs, security issues, and performance problems. Suggest specific improvements: [paste code]"
8. "Convert this [SQL] code to [Python] while preserving all logic: [paste code]"
9. "Write unit tests for this function using [pytest]. Cover happy path, edge cases, and error conditions: [paste function]"
10. "Explain what this code does in plain English, then explain how it could break in production: [paste code]"

Research & Analysis

11. "Summarise the key points from this text in bullet form. Then list 3 questions this text doesn't answer: [paste text]"
12. "Compare [Option A] and [Option B] for [use case]. Cover cost, ease of use, scalability, and limitations."
13. "Act as a devil's advocate. What are the strongest arguments against [my position]: [describe it]?"
14. "What are the most common misconceptions about [topic]? For each, explain why people believe it and the reality."

Marketing & Business

15. "Write 5 Facebook ad variations for [product] targeting [audience]. Test a different hook angle in each."
16. "Create a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for a new [job title] at a [type of company]."
17. "Write a cold outreach email to [target persona] about [offer]. Under 150 words, focused on their pain point."
18. "Generate 20 blog post titles for [website topic] that rank well in Google. Focus on informational intent."

The Core Principle

The pattern is always the same: be specific about the output format, the audience, the tone, and any constraints. Generic prompts produce generic results. The more context you give, the more useful the output.