21 Hacks 99% ChatGPT Users Don't Know

Most people are using ChatGPT like a slightly smarter Google. You type a question, get an answer, maybe a few follow -ups, then you move on. That is nowhere near its full potential. These tips will completely transform how you use it, and almost all of them will work under the free plan. I'll save the couple tips that only applied to the paid version for the very end. First off, a lot of

people get bad results back from ChatGPT, and often it's not because of the model, it's because of their prompts. So I want to start with a really basic resource that most people don't know exists that can help with that. Prompt packs from OpenAI.

These are custom prompts that were developed by OpenAI for specific roles, sales, customer success, engineers, IT, government, finance, marketing, and more. It's all open up sales, and within that, there's 25 prompts categorized even further for outreach and communication, sales strategy and planning, competitive intelligence and enablement, and so on. This is what each of these prompt packs look

like. Just find one that applies to you, search for some good prompts, then they

like. Just find one that applies to you, search for some good prompts, then they make it really easy to just click try it in ChatGPT, and it will open up with the prompt loaded, and brackets with any custom information you need to fill in. So find some prompts you like and save them, that can be very helpful.

in. So find some prompts you like and save them, that can be very helpful.

And there will be some simple but powerful tips for writing your own prompts later.

Now here's a quick trick that's especially helpful if you're on the free plan. Using

the right model makes a big difference in your responses. On the paid plan, it looks like this, with a drop down, you can select the thinking mode. Then with

thinking on, there's another drop down for standard or extended. But on the free plan, you don't see any of that. It's always on the auto mode. So that routes it to the proper level of thinking based on your prompt. At least that's what it does in theory, but it gets it wrong a lot. If you want to be sure it thinks longer about your questions, there are trigger words that will ensure

it routes to a thinking model. These are things like think deeply, be extremely thorough, double check your work. This is critical to get right. These work really well to reroute it to the thinking models consistently. So that's a very effective hack on the free plan. If you're on the paid plan, use the drop downs I showed to

free plan. If you're on the paid plan, use the drop downs I showed to route it manually. But these can still influence it to think longer when needed. Another

quick tip many people don't know is if you had a conversation in ChatGPT that you can't find, or you don't want to scroll back through, you can ask ChatGPT in any chat what was said in any other chat. It can search through and recall that information. That memory isn't something you'll use all the time, but can be a huge time saver on the rare occasions that you do need it. Next is

a feature that used to be paid only, but is available on the free plan now. Projects. These are right above your chat history. It is my personal favorite feature

now. Projects. These are right above your chat history. It is my personal favorite feature in ChatGPT for quite a few reasons. The first one is the ability to organize is extremely helpful. You can create a project for different categories, fitness, finance, business, etc. And it will stay organized in that folder so you can easily revisit instead of getting lost in the sea of chat history, never to be seen again. Now

that would already be enough for me to love this feature, but there's a lot more to it. You can upload reference files that will be used as context for every chat in this project. Like I have one for help refining and critiquing scripts, so I uploaded two of my previous scripts so it understands my writing style. In

your business projects, these could be SOPs. In an investing project, this could be your portfolio history. You can also adjust your memory settings when you create one, so they

portfolio history. You can also adjust your memory settings when you create one, so they can reference the entire chat history like I showed in the last tip, or so they are self -contained within the project, which is what I usually have them all set to. That way it can remember and reference every chat you have in a

set to. That way it can remember and reference every chat you have in a given project. I personally use projects for like 90 % of my chats. I have

given project. I personally use projects for like 90 % of my chats. I have

a folder for every different type of conversation I have, so I only typically will ever need to reference chats within that folder. The other awesome aspects of these projects is the custom instructions. You can set up instructions to explain what the project is about, how you want ChatGPT to respond, and much more. I've even used these to set up mini -automations. I never use the account -level custom instructions because I don't

have any that I want to apply universally to all my chats. But I love having these in projects, and I have separate instructions for each project. Like for my writing project, it explains my style, and also has a list of banned words and phrases. Things the default ChatGPT says a lot but are annoying. A quick tip if

phrases. Things the default ChatGPT says a lot but are annoying. A quick tip if you have a project for your business, or this would apply to a lot of things like a brand guide, fitness project, health topics, really anything, I guess. But I'll

use business as an example. Tell ChatGPT you're creating these custom instructions, and ask it to give you a series of questions to get context about your business. Just spend

that little bit of time answering all those questions, then you can put that context into the custom instructions. You only have to do that once, then it will have that for every single new chat you start in the future. It is well worth the time to set projects up properly. It's one of the few things I will refer to as a game changer in ChatGPT, even though that's on my list of

banned words in the writing project. It completely changes how you use ChatGPT if you set these up right. Another great way to level up your ChatGPT skills quickly is with this free ChatGPT at Work resource bundle provided by HubSpot. There's a total of five PDFs that go in -depth on how you can utilize ChatGPT in your career to get ahead, solve problems, or save time. My favorite is called Supercharge Your Workday

with ChatGPT. It covers specific examples of how ChatGPT can be used in various industries,

with ChatGPT. It covers specific examples of how ChatGPT can be used in various industries, sales and marketing, project management, enhanced decision -making and problem -solving, time management and organization.

It walks through step -by -step with different tips. It even has a section titled 100 Ways to Try ChatGPT Today with 100 sample prompts you can use and modify.

No matter what career you have, there's sure to be a bunch in there that apply. And that's just one of the resources in the bundle, which again is free.

apply. And that's just one of the resources in the bundle, which again is free.

Just use the link in the description to go download that. Thank you to HubSpot for sponsoring this video and providing valuable resources like this one. Another really big feature I think a lot of people don't know all the potential of is Canvas. To

cover the basics really quick, this is particularly useful with any type of writing. Just

ask it to open it up in Canvas or you can click the feature from the drop -down. Then it will generate that in the Canvas mode. When you click edit, it will open up the document with the prompt box on the side. You

can ask for changes and it will scan through the text and modify it. You

can also manually edit the text. You can also highlight sections and prompt for changes to that section. Like convert this into a table. In the lower right, there's also these quick options to add emojis, add vinyl polish, change the reading level, or adjust the length. Just quick, common adjustments people need. Another nice bonus here is when you

the length. Just quick, common adjustments people need. Another nice bonus here is when you come up to download it, it has options for PDF, Microsoft Word Document, and Markdown Document. That way it will retain the format. Like if I select Word Document, it

Document. That way it will retain the format. Like if I select Word Document, it still has all the formatting when I open that up separately. So Canvas is awesome for writing, but it can do way more than just make documents easier to edit.

It also works great for coding if you code. Or if you don't, you can still create and edit mini -apps without having any idea how to code. And I

like to pair this with projects, so I'll have a chat with a mini -app that I can use within that project anytime I need it. So here's one for fitness -related questions, and I could create a quick fitness tracker for it. I'll actually

just say, build me a workout tracker with all the important features I would want it to have. I won't even specify anything beyond that, and we'll see what comes back. It's already off writing all the code for it. Let's preview this. Got a

back. It's already off writing all the code for it. Let's preview this. Got a

bunch of default exercises to choose from. Click add a set. Select number of reps.

Got this adjustable rest timer right here. That's pretty nice. Leave it at 90 seconds, and it looks like after a set, I can just click that, and it starts the timer. Looks like I could just keep going like that, but I will end

the timer. Looks like I could just keep going like that, but I will end the session. And it sends that over into the history here. It even built an

the session. And it sends that over into the history here. It even built an exercise library. It has all these analytics that I can track over time. Some settings

exercise library. It has all these analytics that I can track over time. Some settings

to choose from. that super basic prompt, it built this entire thing, and this history will be saved anytime I come back into it. And if there's anything at all I want changed, just using natural language, I can ask for it. I've built things like this so many times, but literally every single time, it still blows my mind that this is possible. And that was a pretty simple example compared to what is

possible in here, but it should give you an idea of what you might be able to add into your workflows and goals. Now, another quick tip is asking ChatGPT to format, not for its responses in chat, but it can format for different downloadable file types. Like the Word document I showed in Canvas, you can do that in

file types. Like the Word document I showed in Canvas, you can do that in a normal chat too. I'll ask for it as a downloadable PDF. Then I just click download, and here it is. Some other common formats would be CSV, JSON, HTML, PowerPoint, SVG, and there's a lot of lesser used ones too. I've seen a lot of people who will get a response in chat and try to copy and paste

it, then reformat it in other programs. But you can just ask for it in that file format directly and save a ton of time. Sort of related to that is you can upload one type of file and have it extract information into a different file type. One example would be a PDF with a bunch of images. I'll

upload it, then say extract all the images in this PDF and provide them in a single downloadable file. Or if there was a table on it, you could say find all the tables in this PDF and put them in a CSV I can download. Or convert this PDF into a Word document with the same headings. And probably

download. Or convert this PDF into a Word document with the same headings. And probably

many uses I'm not thinking of that might be specific to you. Here's a really small one, but one that I use a lot. Keyboard shortcuts. Really, there's only two that I use consistently. Command -Shift -O to open a new chat. And Command -Shift -S opens and closes the sidebar. I know, super quick one, but I love keyboard shortcuts. And for more, you can go down to your profile, then help, then keyboard

shortcuts. And for more, you can go down to your profile, then help, then keyboard shortcuts, and see if there's any others you might want to use. Next, I have a few really simple prompting tips that can have huge results. If you've ever had ChatGPT critique an idea or a draft of something important, often it's too agreeable and doesn't readily try to challenge you on things. That is not good when I want

something critiqued. And asking it to be harsh doesn't always work right. A really quick

something critiqued. And asking it to be harsh doesn't always work right. A really quick trick is to say it's someone else's work. Like with my business plan. Say it's

from someone else, some impersonal source, like a colleague. And I have sincere doubts about it, so I really need its help in critically evaluating it and finding ways to improve it. So instead of being overly agreeable, that sort of flips it. Now, in

improve it. So instead of being overly agreeable, that sort of flips it. Now, in

order to be helpful to me, it needs to give me the best critical review of that plan. So it plays to its built -in nature rather than fighting it.

Another prompting trick is adding context and clarity to your prompts is extremely important. But

sometimes it's hard to think of that context or the best way to word something.

A quick workaround is to ask ChatGPT to ask you clarifying questions. It will know what context it needs and ask for the right questions to get there. Then it

can finish the task. If I just said, make me a 30 -day YouTube content strategy plan, it's going to give me super generic advice, not tailored to me at all. But if I add, ask me any clarifying questions you need before you make

all. But if I add, ask me any clarifying questions you need before you make it, will ask me a series of questions so it can tailor this advice directly to me. This helps a lot with gathering all this context. It will usually surface

to me. This helps a lot with gathering all this context. It will usually surface some different areas that you wouldn't have thought of yourself. Another one is oftentimes I'll ask for something, then it won't be right on the first try. So I'll ask another question, then ask it to change something, then refine again. There's a long back and forth. Those iterations are very important. But if you're prompting for something that you

and forth. Those iterations are very important. But if you're prompting for something that you do regularly, like a similar prompt or task you're going to use ChatGPT for again in the future, once you've iterated to that perfect result, there's a trick that can save you a ton of time in the future. So I went back and forth a bunch of times about a 30 -day launch plan for my robot dog walking

service in Salt Lake City. Now that I've got this output dialed in, I can say, write me a prompt that would have created this final result on the first try that I can reuse for any new city. Then it gives me this fully structured, reusable prompt that will save me a ton of time in the future. ChatGPT

has its voice mode where you can talk back and forth, but there's some interesting ways to use it that can be really helpful. I'm interviewing for a job as an engineer at OpenAI. I want to practice. You'll be the hiring manager at OpenAI interviewing me. Ask me interview questions and stay in character. Absolutely.

I'd be happy to help you practice. Let's dive in. Hi there, and welcome to the interview. I'm glad you're interested in joining OpenAI as an engineer. Let's start off

the interview. I'm glad you're interested in joining OpenAI as an engineer. Let's start off by having you tell me a bit about your background and what drew you to this role in particular. I talk about AI on YouTube. That's really interesting to hear.

So it sounds like you're already pretty deeply involved in communicating AI concepts and trends to a wider audience. I'd love to know how that experience shapes the way you approach engineering problems. For example, how do you think explaining AI to a general audience has influenced the way you build or design AI systems? All right, it's just a quick demo, but you could see how that works. You could also use this to

role play a conversation you've been avoiding or salary negotiation, dealing with angry customers, a debate coach, presentation practice, or language learning practice. It's pretty good at finding small nuances in language. There's a ton of interesting ways that can be used. And while you're

in language. There's a ton of interesting ways that can be used. And while you're in voice mode, you can also use real -time vision, where it uses your camera and can see whatever you point it at. I'm filming a YouTube video. What setting

should my microphone be on? Sure. So from what I can see, you're using a Blue Yeti or a similar microphone, and it's got that pattern knob on the back.

Usually for something like a YouTube video where you're just talking straight into the mic, you want to set it to the cardioid mode. That pattern basically picks up sound mostly from the front and cuts out noise from the sides and back. So that

should give you a nice, clean voiceover. Perfect. Is this on cardioid right now?

Yep. It looks like you actually have it on the cardioid setting right now. That

little icon that kind of looks like an upside -down heart or a sort of kidney bean shape is the cardioid symbol. So you're all set and good to go.

You could set up a stand and have it help you walk through software, like setting up an NAN automation, as a homework helper, tons of uses. Recently, Chachy Petit announced app connectors. There's a couple I find pretty useful. To turn them on, go to your settings, apps and connectors, then select the apps you want to connect. I

already use Canva all the time, so that's nice to have as a connection. So

back in this chat where I got that business plan earlier, I can select Canva from the drop -down and say create a pitch deck for my business. It looks

like it has a few different options of style. About the future of Petcare is here. We'll go with this one. Opens it up. You know, I created all of

here. We'll go with this one. Opens it up. You know, I created all of this copy for it and all of these nice visuals. This looks great so far.

So I can click opening Canva. Then it's fully editable in here. I can drag things around. I can change out any images that I want or fill in the

things around. I can change out any images that I want or fill in the spaces I need. Just work through everything to tighten it all up. And that's just a quick example. If any of the other connectors apply to what you want to do, try them out. It may be a time -saving flow to connect it through ChatGPT like this. You're saving on some of that friction that comes from jumping back

and forth and copying and pasting. Custom GPTs are something, if you're on the paid plan, you can build them using custom instructions and files. It's sort of like projects, but these are better for specific repeat behaviors. But a lot of the things you might end up wanting to build may already be available. Open up GPTs, then click Explore. All of these are available to use on the free plan. They're all categorized.

Explore. All of these are available to use on the free plan. They're all categorized.

Education, lifestyle, programming. Tons and tons of different uses in here. You just won't be able to build your own on the free plan. But I'll show a couple that I like to use. Over on my list, I have this N8N assistant. This is

really helpful if you're using N8N to build automations. It's trained on all of their documentation. It is a little hard to demo this one. So I'll do a different

documentation. It is a little hard to demo this one. So I'll do a different one related to something I covered earlier. Back in the GPT store, if you search custom instructions, this top one right here, custom instruction generator, you can see it's by SkillEap AI, which is a part of Futurpedia. That's the name of our AI learning platform. This makes it super easy to use and transform basic prompts into detailed custom

platform. This makes it super easy to use and transform basic prompts into detailed custom instructions. I covered how helpful it is to have custom instructions as part of your

instructions. I covered how helpful it is to have custom instructions as part of your projects. If you're struggling to come up with those, just write out something basic and

projects. If you're struggling to come up with those, just write out something basic and drop it in here. Then it will expand on that for you. If you want to build your own custom GPT, that is only available on the paid plan, but it's a fairly straightforward process. You just interact through natural language, and it will prompt for additional things that would be good to add or clarify. I do have quite

a few that I've built and I use regularly. These can be huge time savers for specific repeat behaviors or topics. So figure out what applies to you and try it out. And something else that's cool about these GPTs is you can call them

it out. And something else that's cool about these GPTs is you can call them in a chat. So you can stack functionality or use them for one -off questions.

Like if I was already in my fitness project and didn't want to open up the custom instruction generator, I could do it right in here. I just type at and start typing and then it will pop up right here. Do my basic prompt.

Then it expands out into those full custom instructions. I can copy and paste those really easily right here. It can be a nice time saver there too. There's a

really amazing and often overlooked feature for data analysis. This is extremely limited under the free plan. So I just call this a paid feature. I have this data set

free plan. So I just call this a paid feature. I have this data set I got off of Kaggle. Then I can say analyze this data set and provide me with five different useful visualizations of the data. Then it has multiple options to help understand this data better. These all look great and it has way more options than just these types of visualizations here. Depends what type of data you're uploading. Now

if you implement these tips, you'll be utilizing ChachiPT better than 99 % of the people that use it. And if you want to go much deeper into learning AI, we have a full course platform on Futurpedia with over a thousand lessons across over 30 AI courses. You'll find full learning paths on everything from ChachiPT to video generation to coding with AI and everything in between. It's all included in one subscription. You

can get a seven day free trial using the link in the description. Or if

you want to dive deeper into my favorite ChachiPT feature of all, I made an entire video on it right here. It goes much deeper into how to set projects up, how to create mini apps in them, and even how to create the custom instructions that turn them into a mini automation. I cover every step instead of the overview I did here.