I test ChatGPT for a living — 5 game-changing prompts to try next

1. Create custom AI personas

One of ChatGPT's most powerful but underutilized features is its ability to adopt specialized personas that provide expert-level guidance in specific domains.

Instead of asking generic questions, instruct ChatGPT to embody a particular expert or consultant role. When you frame your request this way, the AI shifts its perspective, vocabulary, and approach to match that expertise.

For example, you can try a prompt like: "Act as a professional negotiation coach. I need help negotiating a salary increase. How should I approach this conversation with my manager?"

The persona technique works exceptionally well for scenarios where you need specialized knowledge or when you want advice from a particular viewpoint.

You can specify any role that might offer valuable insights, from financial advisors to fitness trainers, marketing specialists to mental health counselors.

2. Convert any article into a podcast-style script

If you've ever wanted to repurpose written content for audio formats or simply make dense information more engaging, this prompt technique can save you hours of rewriting.

By asking ChatGPT to transform articles into podcast scripts, you can quickly create entertaining audio content from any written material.

You can try a prompt like: "Rewrite this article about the history of video games as a comedic podcast script, including a funny host and dramatic storytelling."

If you ask ChatGPT to generate a story or article, it may default to using Canvas, which doesn’t support the app’s read-aloud feature. To work around this, simply include "Do not use the canvas feature" in your prompt.

ChatGPT will generate the text in the regular chat, allowing it to be read aloud. Then simply press the speaker icon at the bottom of the output and enjoy!

3. Generate text-based escape room puzzles

Planning an engaging social gathering or team-building activity has just been made a lot easier. ChatGPT can design complete text-based escape room experiences tailored to any theme, difficulty level, or audience.

What makes this prompt exceptional is how it combines storytelling, puzzle design, and adaptability into a fully customized interactive experience.

Unlike physical escape rooms, these can be enjoyed anywhere and modified on the fly if players get stuck. To do this, try the prompt below:

"I'm hosting a mystery-themed game night. Can you create an escape room puzzle involving a locked treasure chest, hidden codes, and a secret message in an old diary?"

To enhance your escape room experience, consider specifying the difficulty level, time period or setting, the number of puzzles and perhaps some specific intructions for the game master.

4. Turn ChatGPT into a mindfulness coach

Personalized wellness content often comes with a premium price tag, but with ChatGPT, you can create custom mindfulness resources tailored to your specific needs.

By generating guided meditations, breathing exercises, or affirmation scripts, you can address your unique stressors, schedule, and preferences. Combined with text-to-speech tools, this transforms written content into practical audio guides.

Try this prompt: "Create a 5-minute guided meditation to help me stay focused and productive during afternoon energy slumps. Include breathing techniques and visualization."

Again, add "do not use the canvas feature" in your prompt if you don't see the speaker icon, then press it to hear your personalized mindfulness meditation.

5. Plan a choose your own adventure-style date night

By having ChatGPT generate branching scenarios based on preferences, moods, or spontaneous choices, you can create a flexible evening with multiple possibilities.

This approach adds an element of surprise while still ensuring all options align with your interests and constraints.

Try a prompt like this: "Create a 'choose your own adventure' style date night plan for a couple who enjoys both outdoor activities and cultural experiences.

Include options for different weather conditions, energy levels, and budget ranges between $50-$200."

The resulting plan can be followed exactly or used as inspiration, with real-time adjustments based on how the evening unfolds.

This prompt also works equally well for solo adventures, family outings, or friend gatherings.